God of our fathers, whose almighty hand

God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
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The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien

The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien: The Places That Inspired Middle-earth by John Garth

A comparison of Tolkien's life and the geography of his works. Discusses it from the first Books of Lost Tales when he mapped his fantasy lands directly on England to the final works. Divided up by geographical type, such as the countryside he grew up, forests, and the trip to the Alps that influenced his mountains. Carefully gathers the evidence toward elements being possible or certain influences.

cast of thousands

There are people about. There are, in fact, a LOT of people about, it's a city. A fair number would be interested in what the heroes and villains are doing. (Some of these people are even alive. )

Now, the story tends to sprout subplots when I start working on the first draft. But should I be considering them in the outline? They could complicate things there. And there's always the effort of fitting them into the story, juggling the story times, and having effects and causes interlace.
decisions, decisions. . .