Writing Preparation: Developing a Setting

When writing a story, one of the most important steps is building a world to write within, and creating a setting your readers can fall into. Forming this setting is an ongoing process; you should work on your setting during prewriting, as well as when you finally begin to draft your story, and during the revision process.

Listing

One of the best prewriting strategies, and easiest, for creating a setting is listing. To successfully use listing, brainstorm words that match the vision of your story that fall into sensory categories: sight, touch, taste, smell, sound, and emotion.

The above table is an example of a simple listing exercise for the story Snow White. The listing for your story may be much more complex; it can include adjectives that describe the mood, feelings you want to convey in different scenes, phrases you would like to incorporate, important objects or symbols, etc. Think of your list as your go-to bank to prevent writer’s block. Some authors create a general list for the entire story, while others prefer to make lists on a chapter by chapter or scene by scene basis. You may not use every word or phrase on your list, and that’s ok- it’s main purpose is to provide inspiration and direction for your story.

Cognitive Mapping

Producing a cognitive map can be a great way to analyze your setting and find any weak points. Trace the movement of your story from the beginning to the end, identifying any major scenes or conflicts, and “map out” where they happen. You can do this in your head (ie “cognitive”), but drawing out a rough sketch can also be helpful, whether you’re artistic or not.

Consider the following things when forming your cognitive map:

The Big Picture

Does your story take place in a specific country, or city? During a particular season? You’ll want to make this clear to the reader. If your story takes place in a real life location, do not assume your reader will be familiar with the area. Include suburb names, streets, local eateries, etc. Even if you’re not writing about a real city or area, keeping a place you have visited in mind can provide authentic inspiration.

If you’re creating your own fictitious world, including details like this becomes even more important so that your reader can normalize your world and become immersed in it. Consider details that make your world unique, especially if you’re writing a fantasy or science fiction story.

Individual Scenes

After solidifying the larger world, look at each individual scene, or the landscapes of the story. Everything from the furniture to the sound of a bird chirping in the distance is fair game when creating a scene. Any given scene of a story should actively engage all the senses- sight, tough, taste, smell, sound, and impressions, or how a room makes you feel. Visual imagery is often the easiest part of writing a story, but touching on all the senses elevates a setting to the next level.

When revising, it’s also important to make sure your landscapes make sense. If you describe a room as “barren”, or “empty,” in the beginning of a scene, it doesn’t make sense for your character to start complaining about all the clutter a few sentences away. Contradictions in a setting are a sure fire way to jar your reader, and prevent your story from achieving a cohesive flow.

Transitions

Transitions are a vital part of any story, and one of the easiest places to leave a hole in your writing. If your character moves from A to B, it’s important that your reader understands the transition. Transitions are often implied, rather than explicitly stated, which leaves you with less room to format the setting. This means you must carefully choose each word, and make sure it serves a purpose. You can also preview transitions before they happen. For example:

“The velvet of the couch felt soothing against my hot skin, but I knew I had to leave this place. I had to get in my car and drive- drive across the prairies, past winding rivers and deep into the mountains, where no one would ever find me. I breathed deeply, and stood up, eye balling my car keys on the table across from me. I was terrified, but there was no turning back now.”

In this example, the character remains on the couch and in the room for the entire scene, but by utilizing mental thoughts, you’re able to convey a transition to the reader. By the end of the paragraph, your reader knows your character will be on a journey, to somewhere isolating.

Setting as Characterization

While developing a character and developing a setting are often viewed as separate processes, they can play off each other and increase the strength of the story. For example, a character with obsessive compulsive disorder may describe an office setting differently than an unruly teenager.

Example One

“Twenty-seven books lined the shelf that rested just shy of a ninety degree angle over the desk. With as sigh, I sat in the chair furthest from the desk, careful to avoid the stained, germ coated arms of the old office furniture. And I waited. I tapped my fingers in sync with the second hand on the clock, keeping track of time on my own terms. I loathed nothing more than waiting."

Example Two:

“Nervously, I pushed the door open to Mr. Jone’s office. Sports memorabilia adorned the walls, and at least ten different baseball books rested above the desk in the corner shelf. I plopped down in a soft chair, looking out the window. A file cabinet obstructed the view, but the sun beamed in over it. I desperately wanted to be outside, out in the light and fresh air- anywhere but cooped up in this office.”

Both of those paragraphs describe the same setting, but the details revealed also showcase how the character thinks and the character’s personality. You can accomplish this in your own writing by maintaining a list of personality traits you want to come across to your reader, and envisioning a world that either suits your character, or one that opposes your character’s personality, highlighting the unfamiliarity.

This strategy is particularly helpful during the revision process. After writing a chapter or entire story, you often have a very clear picture of exactly how you want your character to come across at different points in the story. With hindsight in mind, adding in setting details to enhance the characterization is usually easier than producing them during the drafting stage.