Usually in fantasy, the issues that the characters are dealing with are widespread. Even if (like me) you are focusing on the local effects of the big picture, you will need to show (perhaps) the implications of what is going on elsewhere across the land.

Do you use narrative to jump out of the locale to show what's going on?

Do you have your characters "Receive News" from some source?

Or, do you have the typical fantasy where your characters walk everywhere and see things for themselves?

I like the idea of the characters being a little blind to what's going on outside their own little world. It seems more realistic and interesting to only give what information they might over hear from travelers.

How do you paint the "bigger picture"?

I don't know if I'm wrong to do so, but since my characters can't exactly see what the bady is doing, I have the narative jump over to him every now and then, just so that the reader doesn't forget about him. Plus I have introduced several plot points that way, an example being how he was able to watch my characters without their knowledge.

I'm writing my WIP from at least three points of view, with one of those being the "bad guys". Thus, the reader knows whats going on, and it adds a touch of moral ambiguity.

Kuro - I don't think it's wrong to give some scenes from the Villian's POV. It could be interesting if done well.

Elune wrote:

Kuro - I don't think it's wrong to give some scenes from the Villian's POV. It could be interesting if done well.

Well, its good to know I'm not completely screwing up my story...

You are not.

I mostly write from my characters point of view, so the reader knows as much as the character. If something happens, that is relevant to the character, he will get to know, and the reader will know.

It depends on the character, the story and the culture. For my current WIP, it's a localized setting, an isolated city. Sure, it has technology like phones, modern hospitals and so on, but it's a very isolationist community at the time.

Other stories, with royal or high ranking characters, know from official documents, couriers, and spies.

My favorite way though, is the gossip of taverns, merchants and housewives. *grin* Misconceptions can be so amusing.

I actually don't really have an "elsewhere". Any scene I write has at least one of the protagonists in it.

Part of this is to preserve the surprise when the opponents show up, and partially just because one of the problems with the major villain is that it literally is insubstantial and can move through shadow, thus keeping track of it is a big deal.