You've probably heard the expression "All the world's a stage".
Well, in writing, it really is. Any amount of the world can be your book's stage. It doesn't even have to be in this world. It doesn't even have to stay in one place.
Setting, besides being pretty cool sometimes, is also a good way to influence the mood of a story. Going through Mirkwood wouldn't be so depressing if it hadn't been so repetitive. It seems like you're going in circles, and that there's no end to the dark forest. In contrast, the Shire is like the perfect home. Friendly neighbors (except for the Sackville-Bagginses), simple moments, peace and plenty, it's everything a hobbit could ever want, so readers identify with Bilbo and Frodo in wanting to protect (and return to) the Shire.
There are various approaches to setting, one of which is to go all out (Victor Hugo), or to just give a basic description (C.S.Lewis) and leave the reader's imaginations to work out the details. But It's not really profitable to skip out on description.
We want to know where we are. The events should be influenced by the setting. A battle on a mountaintop is going to be different from a battle in the catacombs of Rome. A man proposing to his girlfriend in the rain near a subway tunnel in New York City is going to evoke a different mood from him proposing on a beach in the Bahamas.
Here are some pointers on putting setting into your book:
1. Consider what type of scene is happening and who is going to be there. Would this particular combination of characters clashing be more dramatic here or there? Would a detective unknowingly meeting a bank robber in a park be as interesting as them meeting in a bank elevator?
2. What is happening outside the character's situation?
Present: Is there a lady with a couple of screaming kids in the same area as the detective and robber? Is there a fugitive running from the police?
Grand scale: Is there a shortage of money or food happening? Has the unemployment rate gone up? Review your story line.
3. What is the weather?
Is it raining, snowing, or is it sunny and in the eighties? Is the river flooded, or is there a drought?
4. What time of day is it?
A sword fight at midnight, with either dim lighting or no lighting at all, is going to influence the fight differently than a sword fight in broad daylight.
5. What is the state of the setting?
Is it a daily-cleaned mansion or an abandoned warehouse?
Where your characters hang out also defines their personalities. The goblin king, Gollum and Thranduil live in caves, yes, but very different kinds of caves.
Where would your characters hang out? Where would they be uncomfortable? Where is home?
Setting, besides being pretty cool sometimes, is also a good way to influence the mood of a story. Going through Mirkwood wouldn't be so depressing if it hadn't been so repetitive. It seems like you're going in circles, and that there's no end to the dark forest. In contrast, the Shire is like the perfect home. Friendly neighbors (except for the Sackville-Bagginses), simple moments, peace and plenty, it's everything a hobbit could ever want, so readers identify with Bilbo and Frodo in wanting to protect (and return to) the Shire.
There are various approaches to setting, one of which is to go all out (Victor Hugo), or to just give a basic description (C.S.Lewis) and leave the reader's imaginations to work out the details. But It's not really profitable to skip out on description.
We want to know where we are. The events should be influenced by the setting. A battle on a mountaintop is going to be different from a battle in the catacombs of Rome. A man proposing to his girlfriend in the rain near a subway tunnel in New York City is going to evoke a different mood from him proposing on a beach in the Bahamas.
Here are some pointers on putting setting into your book:
1. Consider what type of scene is happening and who is going to be there. Would this particular combination of characters clashing be more dramatic here or there? Would a detective unknowingly meeting a bank robber in a park be as interesting as them meeting in a bank elevator?
2. What is happening outside the character's situation?
Present: Is there a lady with a couple of screaming kids in the same area as the detective and robber? Is there a fugitive running from the police?
Grand scale: Is there a shortage of money or food happening? Has the unemployment rate gone up? Review your story line.
3. What is the weather?
Is it raining, snowing, or is it sunny and in the eighties? Is the river flooded, or is there a drought?
4. What time of day is it?
A sword fight at midnight, with either dim lighting or no lighting at all, is going to influence the fight differently than a sword fight in broad daylight.
5. What is the state of the setting?
Is it a daily-cleaned mansion or an abandoned warehouse?
Where your characters hang out also defines their personalities. The goblin king, Gollum and Thranduil live in caves, yes, but very different kinds of caves.
Where would your characters hang out? Where would they be uncomfortable? Where is home?
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