I know this will sound weird coming from a Floridian. Be that as it may, what are some ways to create a convincing island? The one I have in mind isn't terribly big (you could walk across it in a day) but it has a forest, coastal caves and a sort of lake in its center.
Hmm. Well, making a convincing island isn't too different from making a convincing city. You'll want to consider forests, caves, and lakes, but also think about animals or critters that might live there. Hopefully your lake is fresh water and not saltwater from the ocean. Maybe someone was on that island before your characters, and there's left over huts or man-made living areas. Or maybe there's actually people there.
Anyway, this is about geography. Sooo. Consider what kinds of trees and plants there are. Some might be poisonous or give bad symptoms at the touch! And are the trees sturdy enough to build huts and things? There's probably a cliff on part of the island which ends at the ocean! So if you fall off, you fall to your oceanic doom. Maybe there are pits/craters from something that fell out of the sky. Maybe some objects lost at sea.
My mind's kinda thinking on Hawaii, though. There are places like Alaska where the islands probably don't have volcanoes. xD It depends how exquisite you want your island to be. There are many types, and you really can't go wrong in making a convincing island. Just sell it with your story!
I just can't buy the forest + walk across it in one day bit. Walking through forest is not exactly easy (though it depends on the type of forest), and forests are extensive by nature. Factor in that a person in peak condition can only walk about 30 miles (~48 km) on well-maintained roads, and that doesn't leave much area for land, much less a lake or above-water cave systems.
The only possible way I can see all that existing under the stated conditions is if the island is much longer than it is wide. Even so, that would bring up issues of what is protecting this island from waves so that it isn't eroded into littler islands/away entirely.
Basically, I'd say the island has to be much bigger than what you've described for it to be plausible.
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