Monday, April 22, 2013

Setting

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm." ~Abraham Lincoln

Some books have the ability to open up and allow us to step into them. Setting is often a key factor in making this possible. More than merely where a story takes place, setting creates boundaries for a story and forces characters to reactFor instance, if a story takes place in Montana during winter, you can't have your character gardening outdoors. Shoveling snow would be more likely. If your story is set in ancient Egypt, characters can't whip out their cell phones to check the time or take a picture. 

Three things to keep in mind while creating setting - 

  • Use the five senses. This anchors readers into a story. What sounds are there? What smells? I once read an article that said smell is directly related to memory. If you get readers senses involved, they're more likely to remember and connect to your story. 
  • Avoid the forbidden info dump. This bores readers, which is also forbidden. Try to describe setting by having characters interact with it. Have him trip over the tree roots as he runs from pursuers rather than say tree roots surround him.  
  •  You can also use setting to underscore a character's mood. For instance, if it's raining when your character receives bad news, it amplifies his emotions. If thunder and lightening accompany his fear, he's going to become even more afraid, and so will readers. 

Tomorrow's post - When telling is better than showing. Is that even possible?  

16 comments:

  1. Great to read and so informative,

    Yvonne.

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  2. A good immersive setting can make the story feel real, even if it's completely made up.

    mood
    Moody Writing

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    1. I tend to be most immersed in the make believe places, as long as they're done well.

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  3. The sense-recommendation is a very good one. Many writers neglect anything but sight, which is unfortunate given how tactile touch and smell can be in the feeling of a place. Patrick Suskind mastered this in Perfume.

    John at The Bathroom Monologues

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  4. great post! will be back to read more.

    best,
    MOV

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  5. Following! Great tips to keep me focused! Thanks! Oh, and I can finally think about those questions...will get back to you want posted!

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  6. So true about setting. Some really cool books like Garth Nix's Abhorsen Trilogy and the Golden Compass books are good examples of amazing settings. You definitely need to be careful boring folks with description, but if you can figure out how to show the setting through action, it helps.

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    1. I've never read those authors. I'll need to add them to my list. :)

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  7. I do love the way your post give good advice while modeling brevity!

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  8. There's nothing more annoying than an anachronism. I totally agree with the cellphones in Egypt thing. I'm working on describing smells now; for some reason, I find it difficult.

    Great post :)

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    1. For some reason, funny analogies come to mind right now when thinking about describing smells. Maybe you could use that. ;)

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