![]() ![]() But if you’re Edgar Allan Poe, and you’re trying to show madness and the power of conscience, a dark, creaky house at midnight would fit the bill perfectly. If you’re hoping to generate a bright, hopeful storyline, setting your tale in the black of night in a haunted house might not be the way to go. Tone: What tone or atmosphere would suit my story best? The tone of a story can make or break it. Life teems, but all the fox can do is drown. Bluefin herring and striped cod swimming, breathing, thriving–drawing life from a realm made just for them. It’s what I imagine a fox might feel submerged beneath the thawing mountain streams of Blys. ![]() I’ve never seen such unity and, as an outsider, I take no comfort in it. Their hands are clasped, their faces drawn, their collective gaze directed at the center of the large space. As an example, here’s a quick excerpt from my book, Winter, White and Wicked. Allowing your character to feel like an outsider is a good way to increase conflict and tension in your story. Instead, look for ways to create individual settings that will increase the odds of discomfort. Not if you’re trying to generate conflict and tension. And setting can carry a much heavier workload than that! In fact, it must.Īs you work to develop each individual setting, ask yourself these questions:ĭiscomfort: Which setting will make my protagonist most uncomfortable? Generally speaking, putting your characters in comfy situations is not in the best interest of your story. If I don’t, the setting won’t ever be real to the reader. See? It’s not enough to just say the book’s setting is “The Pacific Northwest,” because although that’s true, I don’t work to develop the PNW, I work to develop each individual location in light of the temporal and environmental factors that come with being in the Pacific Northwest. Individual: Specifically, Angel Eyes, takes place in Brielle’s house, Brielle’s car, Jake’s house, the shed on Brielle’s property, Stratus High School, Jelly’s Diner, Miss Macy’s ballet studio, a warehouse in Portland, the Stratus Cemetery, the Maelstrom Bridge, the Celestial Realm, and the throne room of God. Temporal: Angel Eyes takes place in November and December of 2011.Įnvironmental: Generally, Angel Eyes takes place in the Pacific Northwest, in the small, fictional town of Stratus, Oregon, as well as the real life city of Portland, Oregon. Individual: Specifically, where is the story taking place?Īs an example, I’ll break down my first book Angel Eyes for you:.Environmental: Generally, where is the story taking place?.Temporal: When is the story taking place?.They break setting down into three components, all of which must be developed within our stories. I like the way they do this over at the ReedsyBlog. We have to dig deeper than this, don’t we? Because the truth is, many books take place in our world, but their settings are vastly different from one another. ![]() What era does your story take place in? And where–in our world or in another–does it play out? At its root, Setting is the when and where of your story. So what is it? How exactly do we define Setting. ![]() And while there’s no right way to pen a story, capturing your setting purposefully is of the utmost importance. The setting isn’t merely a backdrop, it’s a active player in the plot and in the lives of the characters. I love that! When I think about the books that have stayed with me over the years, they each have a setting that contributes meaningfully to the story. Improve up on it and it will take your writing to the next level. What is it exactly, and what role does it play in our stories? Today, we’re going to take a look at Setting. To catch you up, here are the previous articles in the series: OKAY! Now! Back to the Five Elements of Fiction. We’re working to make it a special time, and I truly hope to see you there! Registration is required, so tap the graphic below for all those details. I have several tour stops planned throughout the month of January to celebrate this release, but there is one very special event crafted with the Go Teen Writers crowd in mind. Yesterday, my newest book, REBEL, BRAVE AND BRUTAL, hit shelves! It’s the sequel to my 2020 release, WINTER, WHITE AND WICKED and it feels so right that it’s finally out in the world. Today, we’re going to dive back into our series focusing on the Five Elements of Fiction, but first things first! ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |