101 TIWIK #32: What is Setting?

It’s easy to think of setting as a theatrical backdrop for the dramatic action of the story. But in all genres, from contemporary literature to the most fantastical world-building, the setting is far more than images on a green screen.

Setting determines not just where your characters are, and not just what they eat and wear and do for fun, but who they are and what they believe. The values of a cast of characters set in Victorian England will be different from the values of a cast set in a dark dystopian future. 

We’re often told as writers that our job is to transport the reader. Well, the setting is the place where we are transporting them to. As with a lavish backdrop, if there is any piece out of place, or a bit of plywood showing under the paint, the reader will not be transported; they will be reminded that they are sitting in a theatre watching a play. This is why setting is such a crucial part of telling your story.

I’ve always loved setting the very best, of the four elements of story (plot, character and theme are the other three, in case you’ve forgotten). Usually when I start writing a new story, setting is the part that I envision first. And yet, I’ve still struggled over the years to write stories that truly realized the settings I was imagining. 

Here are some of the big mistakes that I’ve made along the way. In the next week of posts, I’ll dig deeper into how to remedy some of these mistakes.

NOTE: Because I write fantasy, these posts are focused on, though not completely exclusive to, world-building. Next week, a couple of fellow authors who write contemporary, historic, and near-future fiction will be pitching in with posts on how to research settings for these genres.

Understand How the World Works

Before I went to college, my writing reflected my ignorance about how the world works, from basic physics to political engines. After I went to college, I started creating fantasy worlds build on my knowledge. The result was a much richer construction. I’m not saying everyone has to go to college and take three years of pre-med science in order to know how to write fantasy. But if you understand the basics in most fields, you will be able to create a world that reflects the basics. For example, a story world created by someone without a basic understanding of biology might contain a huge gap in the food chain of the creatures living in the world. It might not ruin the story, but imagine how much more realistic and transportive a world with a complete food chain will seem to the reader.

Do Your Research

Every book needs to be researched. For a long time as a fantasy writer, I sort of assumed that I got to skip this step. After all, I’m creating the fantasy world, right? The research is in my own head.

Wrong. “It’s fantasy” doesn’t actually give you the right to blatantly disregard reality. Here’s an example: A lot of fantasy stories feature a bold warrior swiftly drawing the long-sword from its sheath strapped across his back. If you think there’s nothing wrong with this, I want you to find a sheath of some sort (a carry bag for a folding chair will work nicely) and strap it across your back with something long in it (like broom handle, for instance). Now, imagine a fire breathing dragon bearing down and swiftly draw that broom handle. 

Yeah. It gets stuck in the sheath, and there’s a good chance you’ve nearly strangled yourself. Simply doesn’t work. And while only an extremely obscure group of ancient weapons enthusiasts, boffers and LARPers will know this, chances are those are the same obscure groups of people who will want to read your stories. 

So do your research, especially on those obscure details. Know what you’re talking about. Know the rules of reality, and follow them.

Discover How to Plan Ahead

Perhaps other people don’t suffer from this problem, but for me one of the biggest challenges about setting was trying to figure it out through discovery writing. I have a lot more success conveying setting if I know it thoroughly before I start writing. And that comes back to setting being more than a backdrop. A backdrop you can throw up at any time. Setting, though, should be pervasive in every gesture and movement of the characters, every flash of color, every smell wafting by, and in the very plot–what is driving the conflicts of the story? Politics? Geography? Climate? Dangerous Animals? All parts of setting.

So know before you write, if at all possible. If it’s not possible, stop frequently and assess what you do know. Keep records.

Logical Consistency

If things are out of place in setting, the reader is skyrocketed out of the story. The setting should be pervasive, yet invisible. A willow tree in the desert or a wild penguin in the middle of the tropical city are inconsistencies your read will not forgive. These are extreme examples, yet there are more subtle ones. Perhaps your society uses work elephants in a land where there is not enough food to support them. Subtle, but if the reader stops to consider it, they might just stop reading. Think every single detail out to its logical conclusion. Think in terms of metabolism. Where does everything in the story get its materials? Where does it get its energy? What does it do with its waste? Ask this question for buildings, cars, people, pets, plants, everything.

“You are a product of your environment.” ~W Clement Stone

Likewise, your characters are a product of your setting. Make sure it shows. Everything about the character should reflect their culture (or their opposition to it, as in a rebellious teen). Characters that are out of place in their setting, without justification, are just as distracting as any other inconsistency in setting. Characters with values that don’t match those of their peers are suspect. It can be all too tempting to portray your hero as a peacenik rebelling against a violent culture, but you have to justify their difference to the reader. What makes them different from their peers?

Now that we’ve revealed some of the problems with setting, let’s move on to solutions in tomorrow’s post: 101 TIWIK #33: Worldbuilding I: The Importance of Asking Questions

This post is part of a series of 101 Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Wrote My First Book. Start reading the series at the beginning. 

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