Settings Give You Time and Place

 

In addition to my editing, writing and marketing, I also coach writing for fiction and nonfiction. Many people are unsure how to start. I like to start with characters and setting. When you begin a novel, you have to decide on a setting. It is more than a place. Settings also include time of day, seasons and the year a novel takes place. Settings also could be a state of mind. For example, sometimes, novels are set in people's minds where the main character has created a world. Sci-Fi and Fantasy use people's minds as a setting a lot. Inception or Ready Player 1 are two movies that are primarily in people's minds. 

All my novels take place in Philadelphia in modern day. The times and seasons fluctuate depending on what the story is. Many are near the Delaware River, which is the above picture. In my latest book, The 1776 Soldier, I have two settings, one set in fall of 1776 and one in fall of 2023. This was my first time using two different settings. It was a challenge to be primarily present day, but with a twist. I had to figure out how to convey the things from the past. I did it with letters and a journal. Here are tips for you to get started.

1. Decide Where -- When you know where you want your story to take place, even if it is fictional place, you can develop a plot surrounding that setting. It allows you to develop a structure that becomes a key element for your story. You could set your story in a holy place, such as a holy city or a church.

2. Decide When -- After you know where you want your story to take place, you have to figure out what time period you are setting your story. If it is present day, you don't have to worry about clothing, how a setting looks then compared to now, what inventions were available and more anachronisms. If you choose to set your book in the future or past, these things I mentioned become important to remember. For example, in 1990, we were just getting e-mail. There were no smart phones. Streaming services didn't exist. And, people used fax machines. In the future, you have to create inventions. In Back to the Future II, the team created a hoverboard. After you figure out what time period, then, you have to decide on what season and specific dates.

3. Decide How -- You want to know before you write how your setting will fit into your story. If you are creating a fictional world, that setting will almost be like another character. If you just need a backdrop, the setting is less important. The setting could break your back due to storms or rugged terrain.

4. Keep a Record -- When writing in the past, you have to remember things not yet available and clothing choices. You also have to remember seasons and weather associated with those seasons. Some authors keep a spreadsheet when they are writing about the past of different parts of a setting. That might help you. I haven't needed to do that, but I might for future. It makes common sense.

 5. Use Events -- We recently had Derby Day and Stars Wars Day (May the fourth be with you) on the same day. Doesn't always happen, but it did this year. Both of these bring to mind ideas for unique settings for your novels. For Derby Day, have you thought about setting your historical novel around an old horse track and race? The Kentucky Derby is 150 years old. Therefore, you could go back to when it started. You also could use the Derby as the setting for a modern-day novel. Star Wars is set in a galaxy far far away. In your sci-fi novel, you could set your story about a war on another planet or in another galaxy in the future or past.You could use any events to bring your story alive. I often read stories that start in the spring and end at Christmas. They follow the characters through a year of getting to know each other. Many times, they skip over the summer holidays. We now have four in the summer. I wouldn't skip them. July 4 is a great time to set a romance novel. I think watching the fireworks on a blanket with your loved one is romantic.

Be aware of the technology you use. Artificial intelligence is being tested in the courts. You don't want to have to prove you didn't steal any work you use in your settings. Let me know in the comments how you use settings to tell your stories.