Writers often use setting like a painted backdrop to their stories, rather than as an integral element of their storytelling. As DEs, we can help them make the setting come to life. If we think of Wuthering Heights, we think of the Yorkshire moors. When we think of Moby Dick, it’s a whaler on the…
One way to help authors to nail down concrete details of their setting is to sketch a rough map of the various places characters go in the story. What a Map Can Show Such a map helps me see logical inconsistencies in the layout of an author’s setting: if the poor side of town is…
Authors often visualize their stories as if they were movies unreeling in front of them. This is unfortunate because it often means they focus heavily on the visual, when the world of narrative offers so much more! Namely, the other four senses. Using the FIVE Senses Sight alone does not make a reader feel immersed…
The setting of a novel consists of multiple elements, big and small, that nest inside each other. The Russian Nesting Doll of Settings We might show this hierarchy of settings like so: Milky Way galaxy Earth North America United States New Mexico Santa Fe San Mateo Road 601 San Mateo Road 601 San Mateo Road…