Monday, August 20, 2012

The Importance of Setting

Canal in Indianapolis, IN Photo taken by M. Hardy
How well do you describe the setting in which your story takes place? Setting, the place and time in which your story takes place, is important to the story. Characters actions and mannerisms may change depending on the time and place you choose.

Remember these tips when deciding on your setting:

1.) Where does your story take place? Do you know this specific place well? Have you visited or researched this place? Is this an entirely made up place? If so, world building is of the utmost importance. Describe the sites and sounds, the smells, and the people. The more vivid you become, the better the reader can picture it in their mind.

2.) When does your story take place? Is it historical, contemporary, or perhaps in the future? Research the area's culture during that time period. Slang changes not only in various cultures, but also in various times. You wouldn't catch a teenager today saying, "Hot Dog!" to explain their surprise.

Setting can tell the reader a lot about the people in the story, and it's up to the author to paint the picture perfectly.


Miranda Hardy is a graduate of Indiana University, Kelley School of Business. She has worked in banking for many years and currently underwrites corporate credit loans. She also writes young adult fantasy and horror novels to keep the voices in her head appeased.





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1 comment:

  1. Couldn't agree more Miranda! Except, I stink at setting. I always have to do at least one revision pass just for setting alone because I don't do a great job of including it the first few times. :)

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