Jan's Master Class--SETTING
Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 5:20 pm
The setting of a story (or novel, or narrative poem) is two-fold: it is both the time period and the location of the action. While a longer work might have multiple settings, both in time and in place, it’s more likely that ultra-short fiction like that in the Writing Challenge will have only one setting.
I wrote quite a bit about setting in the class on atmosphere, because the setting greatly contributes to the atmosphere of your story. A story set in 1880s Dodge City will be quite different from a contemporary story set in London, even if they’re both romantic comedies.
It’s interesting that I’ve gotten to setting in my alphabetical list while the Writing Challenge is on a geographical theme. With that in mind, here are a few tips for making the setting of your piece work for you.
1. Be very familiar with your setting (again, I’m referring to both time period and place). You may have to do some research, but if you get it wrong, believe me, someone who knows will call you on it. Know enough about your location that you can describe it with accuracy, by appealing to several of your readers’ senses. Know enough about your time period that you give your readers the feeling of having stepped out of a time machine. Again, if you don’t already possess this knowledge, research, research, research. Learn to LOVE research.
If you’re writing about a historical time period, be very careful of anachronisms—items existing in time frames where they never actually existed. Don’t have a Biblical character drink from a glass of water. And I’m not sure what you’d call an item that shouldn’t exist in a particular place, but you should be careful of those, too. Don’t have your Australian character catching fireflies in a jar—I have it on good authority that there are no Aussie lightning bugs.
2. Establish the setting of your story early. I’ve read pieces that I assumed were contemporary until half-way through, when a horse-and-carriage trotted by. That’s not to say that you should start out by writing It was 1949 in Fargo, North Dakota, and Susan was listening to the radio. Use items on the scene, speech patterns, your narrative, and your characters’ behavior to show your reader where and when she is reading about. But unless you have some compelling reason to do so (a twist at the end, for example), make your setting obvious fairly soon.
3. Don’t do too much jumping around in time, or in place. As I mentioned in the introduction to this term, most very short stories will have only one setting. It’s quite possible to move around a bit—to have a flashback or flash forward, or to move your character from one place to another—but keep it simple and minimal. If you devote too many of your precious words to switching the scenery, you’ll have to give up either plot or characterization.
4. Don’t rely solely on descriptive prose to establish your setting. This is mostly personal preference, but I believe that most readers’ interest flags after a few sentences of pure, adjective-rich description. I’d far rather “get” the setting as it’s integrated into the story—by the actions and dialogue of the main characters.
Homework: Here’s a writing exercise that I’ve sometimes had my students try. You’ll need to have a single die for this one…go ahead and take one out of the Monopoly set. I’ll wait.
Got it? Okay, you’ll need to roll it 5 times, to randomize your assignment.
Roll #1 will give you the first character in your story.
1—a mysterious stranger
2—a toddler
3—a homeless man
4—a flustered mother
5—a computer geek
6—a preacher
Roll #2 will give you the second character in your story.
1—a hippie girl
2—a scientist
3—a waitress
4—a writer
5—a doctor
6—a bed and breakfast owner
Roll #3 will give you the place of your story
1—a desert oasis
2—the mall or market
3—down in the basement
4—on a plane
5—in a busy city
6—in a small house
Roll #4 will give you the time period of your story
1—Feb. 2, 2009
2—some time in the future
3—some time in the early 20th century
4—one dark and stormy night
5—1603 A.D.
6—the 1950s
And just for fun, roll #5 will give you an object that must feature prominently in your story.
1—a goblet
2—a scrap of fabric
3—a timepiece
4—a bell
5—a shoe
6—a kitten
Now that you’ve got the “dry bones” of your story—start writing! For this assignment, just the first paragraph or two will do. If you write the whole story, post it in General Submissions and give us a link!
Got a Challenge entry with a great setting? Post a link, and PLEASE tell us about the setting—why you chose it, and why it works.
Got anything else to add about setting? Let’s hear it! Oh, and don’t forget to put that die back with the Monopoly board.
I’ve also done this exercise by adding dice rolls for conflict. My students, reluctant writers all, kind of enjoy the challenge (once they’re done with their usual complaining). I’ve gotten some very interesting stories this way!
I wrote quite a bit about setting in the class on atmosphere, because the setting greatly contributes to the atmosphere of your story. A story set in 1880s Dodge City will be quite different from a contemporary story set in London, even if they’re both romantic comedies.
It’s interesting that I’ve gotten to setting in my alphabetical list while the Writing Challenge is on a geographical theme. With that in mind, here are a few tips for making the setting of your piece work for you.
1. Be very familiar with your setting (again, I’m referring to both time period and place). You may have to do some research, but if you get it wrong, believe me, someone who knows will call you on it. Know enough about your location that you can describe it with accuracy, by appealing to several of your readers’ senses. Know enough about your time period that you give your readers the feeling of having stepped out of a time machine. Again, if you don’t already possess this knowledge, research, research, research. Learn to LOVE research.
If you’re writing about a historical time period, be very careful of anachronisms—items existing in time frames where they never actually existed. Don’t have a Biblical character drink from a glass of water. And I’m not sure what you’d call an item that shouldn’t exist in a particular place, but you should be careful of those, too. Don’t have your Australian character catching fireflies in a jar—I have it on good authority that there are no Aussie lightning bugs.
2. Establish the setting of your story early. I’ve read pieces that I assumed were contemporary until half-way through, when a horse-and-carriage trotted by. That’s not to say that you should start out by writing It was 1949 in Fargo, North Dakota, and Susan was listening to the radio. Use items on the scene, speech patterns, your narrative, and your characters’ behavior to show your reader where and when she is reading about. But unless you have some compelling reason to do so (a twist at the end, for example), make your setting obvious fairly soon.
3. Don’t do too much jumping around in time, or in place. As I mentioned in the introduction to this term, most very short stories will have only one setting. It’s quite possible to move around a bit—to have a flashback or flash forward, or to move your character from one place to another—but keep it simple and minimal. If you devote too many of your precious words to switching the scenery, you’ll have to give up either plot or characterization.
4. Don’t rely solely on descriptive prose to establish your setting. This is mostly personal preference, but I believe that most readers’ interest flags after a few sentences of pure, adjective-rich description. I’d far rather “get” the setting as it’s integrated into the story—by the actions and dialogue of the main characters.
Homework: Here’s a writing exercise that I’ve sometimes had my students try. You’ll need to have a single die for this one…go ahead and take one out of the Monopoly set. I’ll wait.
Got it? Okay, you’ll need to roll it 5 times, to randomize your assignment.
Roll #1 will give you the first character in your story.
1—a mysterious stranger
2—a toddler
3—a homeless man
4—a flustered mother
5—a computer geek
6—a preacher
Roll #2 will give you the second character in your story.
1—a hippie girl
2—a scientist
3—a waitress
4—a writer
5—a doctor
6—a bed and breakfast owner
Roll #3 will give you the place of your story
1—a desert oasis
2—the mall or market
3—down in the basement
4—on a plane
5—in a busy city
6—in a small house
Roll #4 will give you the time period of your story
1—Feb. 2, 2009
2—some time in the future
3—some time in the early 20th century
4—one dark and stormy night
5—1603 A.D.
6—the 1950s
And just for fun, roll #5 will give you an object that must feature prominently in your story.
1—a goblet
2—a scrap of fabric
3—a timepiece
4—a bell
5—a shoe
6—a kitten
Now that you’ve got the “dry bones” of your story—start writing! For this assignment, just the first paragraph or two will do. If you write the whole story, post it in General Submissions and give us a link!
Got a Challenge entry with a great setting? Post a link, and PLEASE tell us about the setting—why you chose it, and why it works.
Got anything else to add about setting? Let’s hear it! Oh, and don’t forget to put that die back with the Monopoly board.
I’ve also done this exercise by adding dice rolls for conflict. My students, reluctant writers all, kind of enjoy the challenge (once they’re done with their usual complaining). I’ve gotten some very interesting stories this way!