What I really mean by the title is, is it always better to use a different universe? For instance, Lord of the Rings wasn't set in our Earth per say.

I'm just wondering this, because for a story I'm writing, I'd rather not get into all the streets and such. In my story the location's not that big of a part in the story, so I think it'd be useless.
Not to say that I'm not going to talk about their environment. The year is 2030, and I already know how the government in my story works, just haven't written it down as of yet. Society as a whole has most degraded as part of society lacking...I don't know that as of yet.

So anyone really think it's necessary to do the whole another world thing or basically just change Earth to my likings?

Also, really sorry if this is in the completely wrong forum!

This is what's fun about OF: the allowance of creative freedom that you get. You're not confined by standards and commonality, you can give as much as you want and you can create up to any given point, and there is no bounds. And it's the same the alternate way: you don't have to create anything at all. You are the commander of your army of words and your militia of thought and universe.

Cool, ain't it?

No, you don't have to give a million details of Earth as your characters know it. The only thing the readers absolutely have to know are the differences and how they affect the plot. If street names aren't important, leave them out... If, however, your characters have to breathe in radium chloride every two hours, it would be something we'd have to know :P

I'm in a very odd mood today, so I hope I've helped more than... made you stare at the screen like :blink:

:P