tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post1929239072883710504..comments2024-03-28T19:36:39.783-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Mary Buckham on Active SettingJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-47684056356540300122011-03-30T23:24:13.869-04:002011-03-30T23:24:13.869-04:00Hi Mary,
Thank you so much for this post! I wish ...Hi Mary,<br /><br />Thank you so much for this post! I wish I'd read it a decade ago, when I started learning the hard way that my characters needed to do a lot more than exchange witty dialog and reflect on their feelings. :P Of course, I was only twenty then, so who knows how quickly I would have realized that active settings were a necessary fixture within my craft. I've changed dramatically in that time, and so has my writing. Now I'm pleasantly surprised when I receive positive feedback for the strength of my descriptions in my current work-in-progress--I know how far I've come as a writer when settings have become a positive attribute of my craft!<br /><br />Even so, your post really reminded me how crucial active settings can be in streamlining my writing. I've found that Lawrence Block's comment on watching scenes grow without getting any closer to the end point is still one of my weaknesses. From what you described, active settings are a great way to corral overly long scenes. I often do a mental layout of any given setting and plot out my characters' actions with each other and their environment like they do in theatrical rehearsals (blocking), and it helps a lot. But I will try to apply the rules of active settings to tackle characterization along with the needed plot acceleration, and see how that changes my pacing. I'm excited to try it differently, so thank you again for the great post!Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13127537942890921580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-67929120605957090922011-03-30T09:37:26.015-04:002011-03-30T09:37:26.015-04:00Wow--what a terrific discussion! And so lovely to ...Wow--what a terrific discussion! And so lovely to see so many new "faces"--come back and visit, okay? <br /><br />And Mary--you're amazing! Thank you so much..Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-68260087241204683732011-03-29T19:23:02.516-04:002011-03-29T19:23:02.516-04:00Ah Margs ~~ thank you for the kind words - Break I...Ah Margs ~~ thank you for the kind words - Break Into Fiction is truly the book Dianna and I wished we'd had to cut years off the learning cruve when we started writing! Thanks for sharing and for touching base today! Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-28511395027587468732011-03-29T19:21:17.286-04:002011-03-29T19:21:17.286-04:00Hi Debbie ~~ delighted to see you here and to know...Hi Debbie ~~ delighted to see you here and to know we get to work together come May!! Setting to create mood is very powerful as it is to use Setting to reflect the changing moods of a POV character from loving broad open empty spaces to realizing later that same space means no help is at hand :-) Thanks for swinging by today and sharing ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-67788925874580692392011-03-29T18:42:11.617-04:002011-03-29T18:42:11.617-04:00Since I've taken all your classes Mary, I feel...Since I've taken all your classes Mary, I feel like asking a question is cheating. And naturally, I'm biases but "Break into Fiction" is a FAB book for any of you who want to know more about setting and plot. :)<br /><br />MargsMargarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14911861208039948707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-57267053940841887692011-03-29T18:02:50.720-04:002011-03-29T18:02:50.720-04:00I'll be in your Active Setting class in May, M...I'll be in your Active Setting class in May, Mary, and cannot wait. <br /><br />Setting for me is all about mood. I want description of a location to tell me what the setting looks like through the specific mood of the character. If there are mountains, I want to see them as they are yet have them slightly colored by a twist of fear/awe/whatever the character feels at that moment. Not sure if that makes sense, but that's what I look for in setting.Debbiehttp://www.deboradale.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-49597997718179162352011-03-29T17:48:31.914-04:002011-03-29T17:48:31.914-04:00Hi Rhys ~~ I've always loved Hillerman's w...Hi Rhys ~~ I've always loved Hillerman's works in large part to his crafting of a Setting so real it was hard to step out of it when I'd put one of his books down. Sigh! A master craftsman and great role model to emulate! Thanks for sharing ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-44056105636424508112011-03-29T17:46:49.467-04:002011-03-29T17:46:49.467-04:00Hey Pat M ~~ how fun to see you here!As the writer...Hey Pat M ~~ how fun to see you here!As the writer who officially showed me the NJ Turnpike I can see how it could make a compelling character :-))Too fun!! Thanks for stopping in and your kind words!<br />Cheers till we meet next at a Dunkin Donuts!<br />Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-90097394981873166382011-03-29T17:31:52.300-04:002011-03-29T17:31:52.300-04:00Deborah ~~ You've nailed it in understanding h...Deborah ~~ You've nailed it in understanding how versatile Setting can be -- I love it!! Especially since as readers we don't necessarily pull apart a sentence and say - wow - did you see how she/he pacted so much into a line or two of setting :-)<br />Thanks for sharing and stopping by today!<br />Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-62752008194185583422011-03-29T15:35:23.126-04:002011-03-29T15:35:23.126-04:00PJ ~~ LOL! Ah yes -- of course I feel that way abo...PJ ~~ LOL! Ah yes -- of course I feel that way about almost anything British -- I love watching PBS British Mysteries to see how they can change the mood, tone, theme of a series by what they choose to fous on in setting from bleak and gritty to wamr and cozy. Lots to learn from what is portrayed visually. Thanks for stopping by! ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-26122746683085478572011-03-29T15:31:44.481-04:002011-03-29T15:31:44.481-04:00Ah Ann ~~ thank you for your kind words!! Don'...Ah Ann ~~ thank you for your kind words!! Don't you love finding an author that so pulls you into a Setting that you can hardly wait till you return. I especially love when I get sucked into a Setting that is the last place in the world that I'd think of visiting and I comeb away adjusting my must-see list. Now that's great Setting!<br />Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-88943811334274563352011-03-29T15:28:15.410-04:002011-03-29T15:28:15.410-04:00Kelly ~~ Your description tells me I'd feel ri...Kelly ~~ Your description tells me I'd feel right at home in your house and your sister in law and mine must be related :-) A perfect example of showing characterization through what is or isn't in the setting description and the absence of details also shows so much. Thank you for sharing!!!<br />Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-74858983080584096412011-03-29T15:24:36.114-04:002011-03-29T15:24:36.114-04:00Sarah ~~ what a great way to approach setting. Tak...Sarah ~~ what a great way to approach setting. Take away the assumed - sight -- and explore the other possibilities. I also like to step out of a Setting and 'see' it through other POV characters who may never come on scene but just to mentally notice what they might notice and why -- it can make for a richer, more three-dimensional Setting. Thanks for sharing ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-62281955791153227692011-03-29T15:22:10.784-04:002011-03-29T15:22:10.784-04:00Hi Meg ~~ thanks for swinging by here today with a...Hi Meg ~~ thanks for swinging by here today with a great question. The reader needs to quickly be oriented into the setting and that can be done as the character moves through it, notices details, sensory details that place the botique into a larger context -- the one place that readers allow us to slow the story is when we are first introduced to new characters or a new place in order to get a stronger sense of where we are in space. Without that we remain removed from the story - waiting to get anchored. The longer that happens the less committed we are to reading. Not good. So I recommend studying authors you love -- look specifically at how they weave in setting in the first page or two of the story -- what kinds of details they use that lets you feel in the space. I think you'll be surprised at how simple a few sentences can pull a place together! Hope this helps ~~ have fun with the process! Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-44648904867746315112011-03-29T15:20:21.458-04:002011-03-29T15:20:21.458-04:00Sorry, just saw when this posted that my dyslexia ...Sorry, just saw when this posted that my dyslexia kicked in. Should be taken and highly.Pat Marinellinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-39190737337037568422011-03-29T15:16:26.226-04:002011-03-29T15:16:26.226-04:00Hi Roberta ~~ Thank you so much for having me gues...Hi Roberta ~~ Thank you so much for having me guest here today --- I love chatting with writers who are always looking for ways to ratchet up their writing! If your pov character knows the setting well when you show the reader the setting do it though deep pov -- the specifics that character would know -- type of tree or comparing the weather change to the norm or even wondering how another character who's not familiar with the area might see details. There are so many opportunities. Our biggest challenge as writers is we want to get on to the story so race the characters through place with a vague sense of there was water and buildings and Mo's Chowder House. We don't have to add a lot of Setting but filter through a specific sentence here and there when the setting changes to let the reader be in on the knowledge your character has -- for example your pov character may not see Mo's Chowder House but could smell it mingling with the outgoing tide --a scent of bull kelp and razorback clams -- those specific details that are not secifically about place can still anchor a person solidly into the place without seeing buildings and the shoreline. Make sense?<br />Thanks for asking and thanks again for having me visit today!!<br />Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-51275309432697218252011-03-29T15:11:29.964-04:002011-03-29T15:11:29.964-04:00One of my proudest moments was when I received a c...One of my proudest moments was when I received a critique from a reader who said The New Jersey Turnpike was the third character in my short story, "Terror on the Turnpike.". (Hi Mary, you can stop laughing now.)<br /><br />You don't have to put me in for Mary's book, I have it. I've also talken her classes as well as attended her workshops...Impressive and will change the way you tell a story. I hihgly recommend any and all of them.Pat Marinellinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-1107922796540385152011-03-29T15:07:31.291-04:002011-03-29T15:07:31.291-04:00Hi Norma ~~ great questions and one many writers s...Hi Norma ~~ great questions and one many writers struggle with. As readers we need to get oriented within the story quickly -- enough to have a sense of where we are and how that setting matters, what it reveals about the character and is the setting going to work for or against the character's most immediate goals. If you have a pov character who is NOT familiar with the setting you can expand on how much they see and the reader goes along being introduced to a place that's new to both parties -- but if the reader knows this place is familiar to the pov character often times they will allow a little more time to develop the setting as long as they're privy to the changes the pov character is seeing. The part that is frustrating IMO for many readers is when generic or vague setting is used, particularly early in the story -- the broad ocean, the deep blue ocean, the Saragosa Sea -- none of this information is working hard enough and leaving the reader to guess. My recommendation is to read authors that nail setting so well - and study their introduction of new setting - as this is the one place readers will allow you to slow the pacing enough to orientate them -- but make sure every sentence is vital to understanding what's happening. I hope this helps a little -- I could go on and on beause this is what I find so fascinating about learning how to do just this ~~ orientate, inform, entertain and all in a few <br />lines :-)) Piece of <br />cake -- not :-) Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-58814519102323225352011-03-29T14:58:44.894-04:002011-03-29T14:58:44.894-04:00Hi Hank ~~ so fun to see you here though I know al...Hi Hank ~~ so fun to see you here though I know all the cool people hang out at this blog :-) While an item in a setting should matter in some way to the story I like to look at the bigger picture -- for example is the setting reflecting the emotions of the pov character, is the setting adding a complication to the story, how does the setting change depending on pov character so what one person sees can be a clue the other person overlooked but the reader is pulled deeper into the story because they know an important piece of the puzzle. All sorts of fun juicy ways to maximize setting :-)) Thanks for stopping by -- always delightful to see you! Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-33841817557443346092011-03-29T14:43:59.345-04:002011-03-29T14:43:59.345-04:00Great stuff. Big reason I read is to go somewhere ...Great stuff. Big reason I read is to go somewhere else. Like Bertram's Hotel.Pj Schottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-63033021879424953422011-03-29T14:33:50.319-04:002011-03-29T14:33:50.319-04:00Mary Ann ~~ Thank you for your feedback on my clas...Mary Ann ~~ Thank you for your feedback on my classes. I do like to dig deep and discover why something works or doesn't. Many times when we read only published authors we don't see all the sweat that goes on behind the scenes to pull the individual elements of story together. But if you judge a lot of contests or work with very new writers -- sometimes poor setting, or setting that's flat, jumps out a little more. So here's to raising the bar on powerful settings! Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-39576308255539733232011-03-29T14:30:06.657-04:002011-03-29T14:30:06.657-04:00Julie ~~I adore books where Setting is a character...Julie ~~I adore books where Setting is a character in part because the story expands as a result -- and as a reader when we set the book down that sense of place can be so strong that we are still there. Must add a whole lecture to the class to explore the topic -- so fun :-)) Thanks for getting the creative juices flowing!! Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-9834975852011597582011-03-29T14:26:11.830-04:002011-03-29T14:26:11.830-04:00Ah Ray ~~ So nice to see you here and thanks for t...Ah Ray ~~ So nice to see you here and thanks for the nice feedback. I'm having as much fun really digging into the subject of Setting as I have in Pacing and I love those ah ha moments -- the more the merrier! Thanks for sharing and swingin by ~~ Mary <br />B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-11330375447880344532011-03-29T14:24:11.874-04:002011-03-29T14:24:11.874-04:00Hi Jan ~~ don't you love seeing the lengths th...Hi Jan ~~ don't you love seeing the lengths that some shows can go to get the product active? The concept is the same though as what we can do on the page -- not highlight products :-) but looking at what are characters are doing in a setting that adds or doesn't add to the story. Nice observation!Thanks for sharing ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-63385777898038239222011-03-29T14:21:48.045-04:002011-03-29T14:21:48.045-04:00J ~~ Delighted to have the penny drop on how setti...J ~~ Delighted to have the penny drop on how setting can show characterization -- it's so much fun to see how our words can work harder :-)<br />Thanks for swinging by today and have fun rethinking your setting opportunities!<br />Cheers ~~ Mary B :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com