Setting and Details

A frequently asked question is about setting; specifically, how do authors choose their settings. Since I write realistic fiction, my settings need to be plausible and found in the real world to enhance the storyline of the book.

In the picture book, A Walk with Grampy, the setting is based upon the park my grandfather and I walked through as we went ‘downstreet’. The setting is not identical, but the most important elements, the trees, ducks, and fountain, are present in the story.

The middle grade story was easy as I recalled the schools I attended when I was younger. I still remember the steps going up to the third floor and the dim light when going down into what technically was the basement to go to the library or band room. The middle school wasn’t built until I was in 8th grade, so 6th and 7th grade shared the high school through double sessions. Because of this, the setting of the school described in book two is based off my old high school.

Settings are not just a backdrop to the story. Many times, they are integral to the plot and often become almost like a character in a story. Science Fiction and Fantasy writers have the joy of building brand new worlds for the reader to explore. Think of when a child reads about Diagon Alley for the first time, the same for reading about Hogwarts’s Castle for the first time. All the details and excitement bring the setting to life; which enhanced the story. Historical writers have the onerous task of making sure any elements used in the story belong in the specific time period to avoid becoming an anachronism. World building through setting helps not only engage the reader, but it helps to connect with the reader.

My next two picture books have very specific settings. One that is about an octopus that is set on a Caribbean reef. My research helped me to consider what would make the setting a believable world through the inclusion of the correct corals, fish, plant life, and even how much sunlight reaches the seafloor. It was important to make sure the main character was a type of octopus who lived in Caribbean reefs and even what steering currents affect the reefs. Another picture book about a dandelion, has a setting that needed to be in a specific U.S. region, as well as, what flowers would be found in that region and bloom in the spring. While most children would accept any pretty flower in a flower garden, a lilac or a lady slipper, would not thrive in a Florida flower garden. As a writer, I want to make sure the story setting makes sense with the plot and the characters. For the Dandelion story about a Spring flower garden, temperature and frost needed to be considered. South Florida rarely gets cold enough for a true frost, but Central and North Florida had frost many times this year. The details help make a story believable and they help to accentuate plot points.

Therefore, today I leave you with a few thoughts on setting and details.

            “Places are never just pieces in a piece of writing. If they are, the author failed. Setting

            Is not inert. It is activated by point of view.” ~ Carmen Maria Machado

            “Details matter. They create depth and depth creates authenticity.” ~Neil Blumenthal

Cheers to the storyteller in all of us!