SETTING – FYI
The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting.
a)
b)
c)
d)
place - Where is the action of the story taking place?
time - When is the story taking place?
weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?
mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and
frightening?
Examples:
That very night in Max's room a forest grew and grew and grew until his ceiling hung
with vines and the walls became the world all around and an ocean tumbled by with a
private boat for Max and he sailed off through night and day and in and out of weeks and
almost over a year to where the wild things are. – Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendack
Setting Elements: time, place
The emergency sirens hadn’t faded before the hum of another engine rumbled into the
square. The market’s silence was split by feet thumping on the pavement and then someone
spitting commands. Someone else’s guttural response.
Slinging her messenger bag across her back, Cinder crept across the dusty floor of her
booth and pushed past the tablecloth that draped her work desk. She slipped her fingers into
the gap of light beneath the door and inched it open. Pressing her cheek to the warm, gritty
pavement, she was able to make out three sets of yellow boots across the square. An
emergency crew. She peeled the door open farther and watched the men – all wearing gas
masks – as they doused the interior of the booth with liquid from a yellow can. Even across
the square, Cinder wrinkled her nose at the stench. Cinder, Marissa Meyer
Setting Elements:
A half hour passed.
Neither Thomas nor Minho had moved an inch.
Thomas had finally stopped crying; he couldn’t help wondering what Minho would
think of him, or if he’d tell others, calling him a sissy. But there wasn’t a shred of self-control
left in him; he couldn’t have prevented the tears, he knew that. Despite his lack of memory,
he was sure he’d just been through the most traumatic night of his life. And his sore hands
and utter exhaustion didn’t help.
He crawled to the edge of the Cliff once more, stuck his head over again to get a better
look now that dawn was in full force. The open sky in front of him was a deep purple,
slowly fading into the bright blue of day, with tinges of orange from the sun on a distant, flat
horizon. Maze Runner, James Dashner
Setting Elements:
Describing Setting
WHEN (Time)
early spring
mid Summer
early morning
this century
last year
yesterday
today
last month
in 1999
March 26, 2001
10 o’clock
WHERE (Place)
the Swiss Alps
in Montana
in the valley
Western USA
near the mountains
on the lake
on the peak
in the meadow
at the mountain base
beside the water
snowy peak
WEATHER
balmy
breezy
clear
cold
cool
crisp
icy
sunny
windy
MOOD
peaceful
quiet
cold
calm
crisp
serene
welcoming
tranquil
refreshing
proud
dreamy
When (Time)
Where (Place)
Weather
Mood
Write a setting description based on the notes above. Be sure to include all four elements of
setting.
SETTING
A great writing trick is to use setting to reinforce your characters. For example, if you are
writing about a mysterious person, you might place him or her in a dark mansion on a hill
outside of town. Or, if one of your characters is feeling trapped in his or her life, they might live
in a small town in the middle of nowhere.
Description of Larry:
Larry was having a hard time. He felt sad and trapped. He was once a famous author, but he hadn’t
written a word for years.
Describing Larry through his apartment (setting):
Larry's apartment was less of a living space than a glorified closet. The bathroom was just big enough
to sit on the toilet without having his knees touch the sink, and the window was more like a ship's
porthole. The bed was so small his feet hung over the edge, and there was really not much to do but
watch static on the television. The place did not have a kitchen, so he bought a camping hotplate to
make his single-serving meals. He ate the same thing every night, but like a house cat, he did not seem
to mind the monotony of his repeated dinner of rice, wilted spinach, and baked beans. Nothing hung
on the walls of Larry’s place, but old framed photos of family members he no longer spoke to cluttered
his small desk. An old dusty typewriter and a stack of blank paper took up the rest of the space there.
He hadn’t written a word in years.
Larry doesn't even have to speak for himself; his apartment speaks for him!
Highlight the words in the paragraph above that were used to show:
Larry is having a hard time. (yellow)
Larry felt sad and trapped. (blue)
Larry once was is a famous author, but hadn’t written a word for years. (green)
For each of the following characters, try to come up with a setting that will reflect or reinforce
what you imagine about them. As you write, try to be as detailed as possible. Don’t forget colors,
sounds, and even smells.
The shy new girl in town:
A criminal on the run:
Adapted from http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/files/ywp/ywp_10_ms_setting_character.pdf