How Setting Is Developed in Fiction Writing

How Setting Is Developed in Fiction WritingHow Setting Is Developed in Fiction WritingMany writers believe that setting is the most important element of any fictional work. Whether or not you agree, you will want to spend some time considering your storys setting before you begin to write. Its important to use specific details (especially those that dont immediately spring to mind) when people think of a place. You dont need a lot of details, just ones that give the reader a clear sense of where the story is in regards to time and place. The exercise below is an excellent tool for reflecting on your storys setting. If you includejust the right details, youll create a vivid setting for your readers that will transport them into yourstory. Begin by Reading Other Writers To understand what details work the best in creating a mood, begin by reading part, or all, of a work that has a strong setting. It can be a poem, such as Naomi Shihab Nyes San Antonio or Elizabeth Bishops poem At t he Fishhouses, or it can be a short story. Authors William Faulkner, Willa Cather, Jack London, and Katherine Mansfield are all writers known for creating moods through their settings that anchor the story and understand how the sense of place infuses their work. Think about what in particular made you believe in this (fictional or non-fictional) place as well as the writers knowledge of it. Ask yourself, how did the writer make the place concrete? How to Use Your 5 Senses to Create a Setting Next, spend some time thinking about your storys setting. If its a place youve been to, you might look at old photographs, mapsor diary entries and see what jumps out at you. What made you connect to this place? If you have not been to this place, look at some books or check outthe place online. departure with sight, which is for many of us the most immediate sense. Write down every image that comes to mind, whether it pertains to your story or not. Free associate. It doesnt have to make se nse or be grammatically correct. Just get down as much as you can. For instance, if youve been to the desert in Tucson, Arizona at night, picture the cactus, vast expanse, clay color, brightness from the night sky and mountains in the background.Repeat the above for taste, smell, sound, and touch. Again, dont be afraid of unconventional answers. You never know what might end up in your final story. Finally, in one line sum up the feeling, you hope to evoke in your readers through your setting. Is it a feeling of loneliness, menace, nostalgia, contentment? Look at the lists youve compiled. Which elements will contribute to this dominant mood? Which elements will complicate that mood? Which will distract from it? This exercise can also beused for imaginary settings. In fact, for science fiction and fantasy, its even more important.