Practical Advice for Setting the Scene

Set the Scene

A reader must engage with a novel to experience the adventure. As writers, we create worlds for people to explore. The settings must engage the imagination, the emotions and the senses.

It takes work and practice to develop the skills to tell a great story. To become better writers, we must be able to recognize our specific deficiencies in order to address them.

I am skilled at writing dialogue and my narrative can take a backseat to that. I've worked at refining my ability to incorporate descriptions by studying what makes me write better descriptions. It's great knowing what is a good description but it's even better to know how to write that. It's the difference between knowing what a great pitch looks like and being able to throw a strike.

Passion

Love the scene you are writing. Be dark, devastating, bright, colorful and lovely. Be anything but basic.

Basic: John didn't need to go to the bar. He had just gotten his 30 day chip. He walked and ordered a drink from the bartender.

Passion: John stumbled into the dank bar. His breath stunk of turpentine and tooth rot. The bartender poured him a shot. He sipped it and the trembling stilled. He pulled out a bill. His 30 day chip clattered on the bar-top.

The first description gives action but the details are basic. The second description explains John and conveys much the same information.

Purpose

Offer important information. A setting can convey characterization through the character's reaction to their location. It can give clues to future revelations by evidence in the scene.

Revelation: Ginny sat at the empty desk and wondered where Julian was. She rubbed a dark spot on the desk. She looked in surprise at her red fingertip. She peeled up the desk pad. Her stomach turned at the sight of the dried puddle.

There are horrifying implications in the setting even if there are no answers.

Point

What is the purpose of the information? Why does it matter what your character is wearing?

If Betty is wearing a tank top and feather boa in a snowstorm, she's going to be cold and she's facing the threat of death.

Push

The details can shatter the momentum of the plot. Keep the action moving even as you're describing the scene. Don't overload the setting with extraneous information.

People

Translate the image in your head so readers can appreciate the feeling you are trying to convey. Every person has a different life experience. The key is to create a story that connects on an universal emotional level. A reader doesn't need to have experienced a similar situation to be able to understand a story. But you need to give the reader a point of familiarity to connect with in the novel.

Connect with your audience by choosing the right words. The word boat conjures a different mental image for every person. The word yacht can be associated with the conveyance of champagne swilling rich folk. The word tanker can be paired with the name Exxon and sloshing oil in the cargo hold.