  Action/Adventure
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We’ve all heard how details bring home our writing. When you’re inserting detail, don’t forget about your story’s setting. |
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"Detail makes the difference between boring and terrific writing. It’s the difference between a pencil sketch and a lush oil painting. As a writer, words are your paint. Use all the colors." --Rhys Alexander
Settin’ the Stage
A vague sense of when and where settles in when an author decides on who and what will happen. However, once the action of the story begins, many writers often overlook or ignore the when and where( aka, setting). Nevertheless, giving “setting” a little more thought can really make your story pop. Setting is more than time and location; it’s Atlanta, Georgia during stifling heat while sitting in nosebleed at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium in 1993 surrounded by screaming fans waving Styrofoam tomahawks. Or, it’s running barefoot in pajamas down black asphalt under moonlight while dodging gunfire. Setting can be in the details. And like Rhys Alexander says, “…use all your colors.”
Sounds fine and dandy, but how on earth does a writer accomplish all of the above and them some?
First, nail down time and place. These key factors influence other aspects about your characters; what “tools” they will hold, what car they will drive, what clothes they will wear, etc…I call these the “toys”. Often, pinpointing time and place is easy. You know you want an office romance; you’re certainly not going to pick a storage warehouse for your main setting. Large cities make great settings because believable possibilities for plotlines are endless.
Next, consider all the “places” you can insert “setting” into your words:
Dialogue – If you’re a writer who emphasizes vernacular, dialogue is the perfect place to remind readers where and when. For instance, in Lisa Candelaria Bartlett’s Train Tales she uses speech as a tool to call attention to the setting of her story –on the streets of Phoenix and in the trains crossing the west coast.
”You are Hobo, aintcha?”
“Yeah, Bru, I’m Hobo.”
The word, aintcha gives waves of hints about its speaker that swirl around in the reader’s mind as he continues reading. The characters in her book ask questions like, “What ya gonna do?” leaving out the are…for emphasis. Or answer important questions with, “Don’t want no kids, Gyp.” In her story, the incorrect grammar breaths like poetry because readers feel, see and identify with the characters on a heightened level.
Immediate environment – Detailed setting description of a particular scene helps to set the stage for reader understanding / buy-in as well as underscore the overall setting and theme of your piece. (Again, we’ll look at Train Tales.
“Could you come in here, please? I think there’s a rat in here…”
He grabbed the cast iron skillet from the stove, drippin’ grease on the floor, not caring, and crouched down by the garbage to hunt for it.[rat].
Here, Bartlett sends several messages…earlier in the book, she foreshadowed about this upcoming event –something huge is about to happen…the killing of a rat in the kitchen. She could have chosen the garage, or a dirty narrow street alley. Instead, she opted for kitchen. The symbolic use of the word rat fits better here as does the connotation of kitchen, where food is cooked and prepared. Furthermore, because Bartlett details the drippin’ grease, we know the kitchen is warm. Bartlett doesn’t have to tell us, she’s shown us.
Clothes – include appropriate clothes for your setting. Baseball fans won’t be dressed in sleeveless black cocktail dresses with four-inch pumps. And if they are, it speaks volumes for the type of characters in your story. Adding a few words about dress brings detail to the table while highlighting your setting’s choice.
Toys – incorporate the “things” your characters are using, type of car(horse and buggy), computer, watch, pet, etc. A watch offers symbolism while also providing you with an opportunity to reiterate setting.
NOTE: Keep in mind, everything you mention should not only contribute to the overall unity of your story, but, compliment each story element.
Remember, setting includes time of day, week or month as well as time in history. Where - is the city a story takes place, the house, bedroom, or street, or train. All these ingredients encompass setting. The perfect “setting” not only accentuates your characters, it can colorize meaning while embracing theme. It provides clues for readers, gives plotlines a boast and can augment the author’s style thus capturing and engaging readers.
The next time you write a story, poem, novel, give a little more thought to your story’s setting, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
Until next time,
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Robin
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Action/Adventure: February 04, 2009 Issue [#2871]
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