Creative Writing

What is setting?

The setting refers to the time, place, and environment in which a story occurs. 

Each of these three factors may impact the story or characters at some point in some way:

• Time: When the story takes place. May be (or inspired by) the past, present, or future
• Place: Where the story takes place. Its location
• Environment: What the character(s) experience on a daily basis

Remember: Often, the characters will influence the setting and the setting will influence the characters. In other words, there will be some sort of interaction between characters and the setting. One or both might be changed in some way. These changes can range from tiny to gigantic.

When does the story take place?

Questions to ask:

• What events (that will affect the characters) are going on during this timeframe?
• How will these events affect the characters?
• What events change characters for the better?
• What events change them for the worse?

History:

• Are there any events that took place in the past that still impact the characters?
  • This can be the recent past (within a character's lifetime) or the distant past (before the character was born)
  • Recent past example: Joe badly broke his arm when he was younger.
    • Does this event keep impacting/influencing him? Why or why not?
    • Did his arm heal badly, effecting his ability to use it?
    • Does he develop a fear of something/someone that was part of his arm getting broken?
    • Does he turn the event into a funny story or something he brags about?
  • Distant past example:
    • laws, buildings, etc.

Interactions of people and things

• How does the environment shape people and how do people shape the environment?
• Various skills people have
• Foods and recipes people develop
• Building homes and businesses

Interactions between people, the setting, and items

People interact with and react to their environment. Fictional characters sometimes need to do the same. Doing so may help to create a more immersive experience. Instead of the location just being background, allow character(s) to form some sort of link between them and their location.

Examples:

• Someone rocking in a chair while using a phone
• Picking up, playing with, or putting down an object
• Standing or sitting very still, scanning the area (ask yourself, "What are they scanning the area for? Why?")