Setting the Scene

From my own reading experiences, setting can make or break interest in a novel. Set a brilliant novel in space and you’ll lose anyone not interested in Science Fiction. On the contrary, set your romance novel in space and the Sci-Fi or Romance aficionado may just find interest in a new genre without even realising it.

The setting of a novel includes location and time. Both need to be thoroughly understood before you choose to use them, as setting has a subtle yet important part to play in the feel of your story. For example, a love story set in the era of World War II creates a much more profound reaction when the reader is reminded of ravaged surroundings and the very real prospect of sudden death. A battle against an enemy force is all the more brutal if there’s also a hostile environment to contend with.

The setting has a great impact on how your characters will behave. If you’ve a party of explorers trekking through a tropical jungle, you will need to think about what they’re wearing and carrying, and how they interact with the environment around them. If you’re setting your novel in medieval times, your heroes will have different values to the heroes of a more modern time.

So how do you use setting to your advantage?

The difference between good and great novels is that the latter rarely includes information that doesn’t somehow enhance the story. If you’re going to dedicate walls of text to describing anything, you need to make sure that the description is necessary. Don’t tell your reader that a desert is hot—tell your reader how the air stifles your character(s), how the sand gets into their clothes and the burning heat parches their mouths, how the dehydration has them questioning their sanity. Use the surroundings to tell your story and grow your characters.

When I was an aspiring writer at 14, I remember imitating one of my favourite writers at the time by using long paragraphs to describe places and things. When I gave some of my work to a friend to read, their comment was that they found the long descriptions to be quite boring. I remember being offended, and defending my literary prowess by explaining that all professional writers did it, when the truth was that I myself found these same, long descriptions, to be the least exciting part of the books I read.

Don’t ever write something because you feel you have to. If you’ve truly forgotten to include something important, your editor will help you address it. When you write, tell a story you yourself would enjoy. Keep your explanations and details to the important stuff, and don’t be afraid to take your time fleshing out your setting. Involve your characters, so that something tedious becomes more emotionally involving. Remember that you can describe your scene through how your characters act in it. If someone is wrapping a scarf around their neck, you don’t need to then explain to the reader that it’s cold; readers are intellectual people, it’s rare that you’ll need to spell things out to them.

Few budding writers understand how much research is involved in writing a novel until they begin. If you decide to write historical fiction, you need to make sure you thoroughly understand the era you’re writing about as one incorrect detail can put the most astute reader off your work. On the other hand, prove your knowledge of your chosen subject(s) and you will create a loyal fan base that will appreciate the hard work that goes into your writing. It also allows those ignorant of your chosen era to experience it for the first time, and those who are inspired to learn more are the mark of a successful novel.

When you write a novel, you’re telling a singular story in a very complex world. The more detail your world has, the more real your story will feel. Emotional attachment is created by this realism, which in turn allows your reader to become absorbed in a world of your creation. And there is nothing more satisfying to a reader than becoming a part of the stories they read.

Think about your favourite books. How much influence did their setting have on the story? How clearly can you picture them? How much was described to you, and how much did you create in your mind as you read?