Getting Lost

/ Fantasy, horror, roleplay, sci-fi, setting, steampunk, Writing / By

Just when things are going terribly, you think, “Can this get any worse?” Well… of course it can! Why not get your characters lost for more narrative fun!

How to get lost

  • pride, arrogance, ignorance, know-it-all, too carefree, inattentive, overly optimistic,
  • failed to heed warning,
  • lost map, guidebook, guide (took off on you!),
  • took a short cut (never a good idea in a horror story, BTW),
  • didn’t take advice, took bad advice, took advice from a weirdo at a lonely gas station,
  • took an unmarked path,
  • forgot your compass, compass breaks,
  • said something ironic like, “I never get lost!” or “I know this ancient forest like the back of my hand!”
  • go into an ancient forest or a forest called “the Forest of No Return”
  • someone turned the sign the wrong way,
  • didn’t listen to the oracle, seer, visionary, town wiseman,
  • decided to go after a legendary treasure,
  • took a wrong turn, a fork in the road,
  • meandering path, dwindling trail, fading track, course becomes indiscernible,
  • forest growth thickens, overgrown road, footpath, route,
  • twilight, dusk, rapid nightfall, fog, mist,
  • hunting too late, following indiscriminate game trail, unskilled in the woods,
  • knocked unconscious, drugged and dragged, left for dead,
  • drank a strange elixir, smoked something funny, fell under an enchantment spell, ate the wrong mushroom,
  • chased a butterfly and before you knew it… you were lost
  • looking for your dog Fluffy and before you knew it… well, you know.
  • on a search and rescue mission… and now you need search and rescue to find you (I love irony)
  • prank, dare, challenge, initiation, hazing, frosh week hijinks,
  • trick, trap,
  • fooled by the forest nymphs, seduced by a succubus,
  • teleported into nowhere, took the wrong magic portal, wrong setting on Dr. Wonderful’s Travel Machine (Dr. W is a DRUNK!!!)
  • your mother left you in the woods as a child and you grew up lost (literally or figuratively),
  • abandoned, kidnapped, abducted,
  • escaped from capture…. and here you are… somewhere.
  • on a safari, tour, hiking trip, camping trip,
  • plane went down, parachute off course, baloon drifted,
  • GPS malfunction,
  • divine intervention, curse,
  • just plain bad luck,
  • stormed off angry and went a little too far,

Places to get lost

  • desert, forest, hills, jungle, arctic tundra, steppes,
  • a wasteland, the Desolate Stretches,
  • mall, shopping center, a mega store,
  • amusement park, fair ground, circus, freak show,
  • in the “bad part of town”, slum, projects, ghetto, sector 13, downtown,
  • foreign country, strange realm, oppressive regime,
  • behind enemy lines, no-man’s land,
  • park, game reserve,
  • love,
  • the sea, on a boat,
  • Hades, Hell, the Abyss, another plane,
  • cave, cavern, tunnel network, subterranean hive,
  • long lonely road, fading path, uncertain trail,
  • meandering river,
  • strange island,
  • another dimension, tesseract, twisted space/time,
  • outer space, wormhole, strange star system, foreign planet,
  • space station, starship, the lower decks, ventilation shaft, corridor network,
  • down a well, in a sewer system,
  • forbidden government complex, Area 51, testing facility,
  • hospital, asylum,

People who get lost

  • a child, kids, curious boys and girls, angry teens, cocky teens,
  • people who don’t ask directions, people who don’t follow directions,
  • people who ignore advice, don’t heed warnings, laugh at signs that say “beware”,
  • technologically ignorant folks trying to use a GPS,
  • dumb criminals,
  • campers, hikers, backpackers, mountain climbers,
  • young adults off on adventures underprepared (like, every horror movie!)
  • pilots, sailors, seamen, marauding Vikings,
  • pizza deliverers, postal workers,
  • the elderly,
  • newcomer, foreigner, immigrant,
  • map maker (ironically),
  • voyageur, fur trader, frontiersman,
  • scouts, point men, forward observers, (they could always go too far too confidently)
  • fleeing prisoners, escapees,

People who find people who are lost…

  • search and rescue teams, first responders,
  • neighborhood search party,
  • cowboys, a posse,
  • police, military, warden, marshal, sheriff,
  • bush pilot, helicopter pilot,
  • seer, oracle, psychic,
  • bounty hunter, hit man, assassin,
  • people native to an area,
  • scouts, rangers, survivalists,
  • distraught mother or father,
  • brother-in-arms,
  • salvage crew (or team or ship), treasure hunter,

Useful tools when you’re lost…

For narrative purposes, it’s good to have a few of these things but best if, for the most part, your lost characters have to struggle without them…

  • a map,
  • compass,
  • telescope, binoculars,
  • matches, lighter, flint and steel, fire starter,
  • tent, sleeping roll, tarp,
  • cord, wire, rope, string, fishing line,
  • knife, pocket knife,
  • flare, flare gun, markers, mirror,
  • appropriate clothing, rain gear,
  • mosquito mesh,

Stuff to make “Lost Life” Worse..

  • bugs, mosquitoes, black flies, horseflies,
  • rain, inclement weather, storm, lightning, freezing cold, blistering heat,
  • monsters, watching ravens, glowing eyes in the night, circling sharks,
  • tainted water, food, air,
  • strange noises, sounds, smells, signs, voices,
  • someone or something pursuing you, hunting you, harassing you,
  • mirage oasis, false hope, red herring,
  • check out the obstacles page for more ideas to throw at your characters,
  • creepy house, hovel, castle, statue,
  • nagging memory, self-doubt, self-loathing, brooding anger,
  • walking in circles, looping trails or passages,
  • dwindling hope, loss of confidence, creeping doubt, despair, longing,
  • running out of medication, food, tolerance, energy,

Notes and Ideas

  • it’s said that surviving the hazards of being lost can be summed up by the number THREE: 3 minutes with no air (suffocation), 3 hours with no shelter (sunburn, exposure), 3 days with no water (dehydration, thirst), and 3 weeks with no food (starvation, wasting away).  This is a great guideline for your lost characters.
  • the taxing impact of survival on a character’s mental and emotional energy will be the heart of any narrative invloving being lost. Imagine the dwindling hope as time drags on… what will your character cling to in order to keep going; what doubts will creep in on them.

External Links

Navigation Note: All these links open in new tabs.

Here are some places to start research about getting lost.