: Re: Is it okay to never explicitly state where your story takes place? Suppose my story takes place in a town called Williams. It's never stated, though, whether Williams is a town in the USA,

@Welton431

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Yes, it's fine. The audience only needs as much information as is significant to the story, and no more. Anymore is a distraction.

In your case, the audience probably needs to know enough to build this character for when they go on their fantasy journey. A character from 1920s New York will act and react much different than one from a small Midwestern town in 2017. In this case, the setting is building the character.

OTOH, if you were doing a careful historical period piece, then you'd want to define your locations clearly and accurately. That's a significant part of the story.

When I read your question, I immediately thought about Miyazaki. Some of his most famous and beautiful films are in an unspecified place and time. Think of My Neighbor Totoro: I don't believe the name of the city they move from, nor the town they move to is ever said. It's enough to know they went from a city to the country. The time period is not even clear. This lack of specificity allows Miyazaki great freedom in crafting an idealized, yet believable, country life.

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