Suggestions for Writing Setting
Setting descriptions can make or break a story. Very few people want to sit through three pages of flower details describing a room down to the last dust bunny. On the other hand, moderated amounts of setting can be perfect in enthralling your readers! Here are a few suggestions on how to effectively write setting.
1. Make your descriptions match the mood and genre of your story.
If you're writing a novel that intends to copy the feel of 19th century literature with eloquent words and sentences stretching longer than life, then go all out with your descriptions. After all, it was the mood of the time - a lazier, more relaxed view of the world. However, if you're writing a gritty, fast-paced action story, your characters would likely have little time to observe the world around them. Fully understand what your chosen genre and specific scenes mean in the context of setting.
2. Prioritize certain settings.
If your character's only solace is their bedroom and much of the book is spent there, then take the time to describe it! It'll make the readers feel like they're getting a personal look into the character's life, which will connect them with the story overall. If your character is quickly purchasing some groceries at an unfamiliar store, you don't need to describe it past the few sensory adjectives.
3. Don't describe things without a purpose.
If you're going to harp on a certain element of setting, do it with a goal in mind. Maybe the old, worn couch symbolizes something. Perhaps your character is going to use that frilly lamp to ward off attackers. If you describe something down to the last detail, your readers will - either subconsciously or consciously - be expecting it to make a reappearance. Don't disappoint them.
4. Focus on sensory words.
It would be so much more meaningful to your readers if they read the sentence, "The room's wallpaper was yellowing and peeling around the edges. It smelled of my mother's cigarette smoke," than the sentence, "The room's wallpaper was falling off and it stank." Sensory imagery is your most powerful tool as a writer, besides maybe dialogue. Use it wisely.
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I hope that this little introduction to setting was helpful! These are just some of the things I keep in mind while writing, and they never fail to pay off. Have a good week and happy writing!
