A Reader's Question About Setting

LUCY BURDETTE: A friend of JRW (name suppressed to protect the innocent, LOL) wrote me recently with a question about setting. She wondered how the Reds would answer, but I thought lots of you might like to weigh in. So here goes...

Here's the dilemma: suppose you come up with a whole story that you like, pretty high concept. BUT for some reason in your head it is based in a place you don't know very well. Would you develop the character in a setting you knew better, assuming the plot points would work the same (and adapting to do so) or would you stick to the way it plays out in your head and research the area? Boy, I hope that makes sense. It feels like such a fanfic question. 🙂 But I suspect the reason the setting is stuck in a place I don't know is the idea came to me while watching TV. Not the same character, but loosely based on one.

LUCY again: I use real settings, including of course Key West, and find the more I immerse myself in them, the easier it is to write. But there are drawbacks such as what if reality doesn't work for the story? And what if you get something wrong? And what if reality changes?

What do you all think?

Mary Buckham on Active Setting

 LUCY BURDETTE: Today we are so lucky to have one of my favorite writing teachers visit Jungle Red. She'll answer your questions all day. And she's giving away a copy of her ebook WRITING ACTIVE SETTING. Take it away Mary!

MARY BUCKHAM:  Remember the last novel you read where you were so deep into the world of the story you didn’t want to leave it? Where you felt you could hear and taste and touch what the characters heard, tasted and touched? I call this Active Setting and something that some writers do so well and others, not so well.

What is Active Setting and how can it make a difference in our novels? 

Setting can add so much to your story world or it can add nothing. When creating Active Setting we’re looking to add subtext in our writing, a deeper way for your reader to experience your story. Instead of simply describing a place or thing for the sake of description, look closely at how to maximize what we are showing the reader.

    It’s amazing what Active Setting can do to enhance a story or, with the lack of it, flatline your novel.  Elements of Active Setting can include:

 *  Details that matter. Don’t focus your reader on something that isn’t pertinent to your story.  Setting should show characterization, or conflict, or emotion, or foreshadow, or be there for a reason, instead of simply to describe placement of objects in space. 

*  Our role as a writer is to create the world of our stories so that the reader not only sees it but experiences the details that matter.

*  As writers let your POV characters interact with the setting, move through it, pick things up and brush past them, etc. 

* Whenever there's an introduction of a setting that’s different for the POV character, or for the reader, spend a few words of description to orient  the reader, don’t make them guess where the characters are.  

Make your Settings matter and your whole novel can benefit.

     So what about you? What does Setting mean to you as you write?  As you read?  Feel free to comment and out of those who do comment one name will be drawn for a free Kindle copy of WRITING ACTIVE SETTING: Book 1 Characterization and Sensory Detail. 

For more information on the book it’s available now on Amazon for less than the cost of a latte, or Mary will be teaching a two-week course on WRITING ACTIVE SETTING in February.



Mary Buckham is an award-winning fiction writer,  author of the recently released WRITING ACTIVE SETTING: Book 1,  co-author with Dianna Love of BREAK INTO FICTION: ™: 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells from Adams Media, co-founder of  www.WriterUniv.com and a highly sought after instructor both on-line and at live workshops around the country. To find out more about Mary, her workshops and writing projects visit  www.MaryBuckham.com

Mary Buckham on Active Setting

ROBERTA: Every once in while we like to invite Mary Buckham to JRW--she's such a terrific writing teacher. I've taken several of her online writing classes and recommend them highly. Today she's here to talk about active setting--and she'll be stopping in to answer your questions so don't be shy!

MARY: What is Active Setting and how can it make a difference in our novels? Active Setting involves using narrative description of a place to do so much more than simply describe an environment. Active Setting means instead of describing a room, or town, or landscape we use that specific Setting to show characterization of the POV character or another story character, add sensory detail to the page, show emotion or create complications. Active Setting can also reveal back story, orient the reader as to the where, when and who of the story and it can impact story pacing.
It's amazing what Active Setting can do to enhance a story or, with the lack of it, flatline your novel.
Details must matter for Active Settings. Don't focus your reader on something that isn't pertinent to your story. Example --- you're showing the reader a room in a house. That room, and the details in that room, should show characterization, or conflict, or emotion, or foreshadow, or be there for a reason instead of simply to describe placement of objects in space.
One thing to remember is to let your POV characters interact with the setting, move through it, pick things up and brush past them, etc. Whenever there's an introduction of a setting that's different for the POV character, or for the reader, spend a few words of description to orient the reader. Make your Settings matter and your whole novel can benefit.
So what about you? What does Setting mean to you as you write? As you read? Feel free to comment and out of those who do comment one name will be drawn for a copy of BREAK INTO FICTION(tm): 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells or one-on-one help with a Query letter. For more information on Active Settings, Mary will be teaching a two-week intensive online class called ACTIVE SETTINGS: For All Genres in May at www.WriterUniv.com.

Mary Buckham is an award-winning fiction writer, co-author with Dianna Love of BREAK INTO FICTION: (tm): 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells from Adams Media, co-founder of www.WriterUniv.com and a highly sought after instructor both on-line and at live workshops around the country. To find out more about Mary, her Manuscript, Synopsis and Query help, her Lecture Packets, Workshops and Writing projects visit www.MaryBuckham.com