When I’m doing a macro edit, the last big picture story element I work on is my setting. The setting for your story isn’t just, “modern day Kansas City,” or, “1920s Chicago,” or a fantasy world of your own creation. You might find it helpful to think of the “milieu” of your story rather than just the setting. Milieu refers to surroundings, “especially of a social or cultural nature.” (Dictionary.com)
You want to capture what it feels like to live there, not just what it looks like or where it’s located geographically. With that in mind, here are the 3 main questions I ask myself about my settings in the macro edit:
Have I captured how it feels to live in this time and place?
Often in my first drafts I’ve captured physical details. Weather, street names, buildings, etc. What I haven’t always captured is how he or she feels about where they live.
What does it feel like to live on a space ship in the future?
What does it feel like to be an orphan girl in 1930s rural Iowa?
What does it feel like to grow up as a prince in this specific fantasy world?
Our readers want to enter into our settings through our characters, and I’ve yet to meet a person who is neutral about where they live. Just like you have opinions, your characters should too. Do they dream of living in different places? Does how they feel about their home change over the course of the story? These are your decisions to make and capture on the page.
How robust are my places within my settings?
In my initial draft, I’m often so focused on dialogue and character development that I overlook the details of the places my character frequents. What does her favorite park look like? Her classrooms? The coffee shop she frequents?
Remember, your “budget” for designing your set has no limit. It’s not like a set designer for a movie who has to deal with financial restraints. Whatever you imagine, you can put it in there!
This is sometimes a detail I focus on when I’m doing line-by-line editing, but you can be thinking about it in the macro edit too.
Does my setting make sense?
Your readers may not realize it, but they’re always looking for what makes sense and what doesn’t in your storyworld. While illogical settings and situations certainly happen in contemporaries, this is mostly an issue for historical, fantasy, and science fiction writers.
If you’re fantasy/sci-fi writer, Jill’s Storyworld First is an absolute must read for you. The Kindle version is a steal at .99. She will help you to think through every aspect of the world you’re creating.
For historical fiction, often the issue is making sure you’ve done your research. Does it make sense for your female main character to travel alone or is that unacceptable in her world? Would your main character have progressive views on racial equality? What was public school like in this city at this point in history? These are the kinds of details you can skim over in your first draft, but that you must pay attention to in edits.
Do you have a favorite kind of setting or place to write about?
Thanks for this post, Ms. Stephanie! When I get to the portion of editing my setting, I’ll be sure to refer back to this post. I love writing about different areas in a more medieval context, but I’ve been writing a book that takes place in the Caribbean, and that has been a really fun setting to write. What is your favorite kind of setting or place to write about?
Oh, that sounds really fun!
When the story allows, I like to write about towns and cities that don’t often show up in stories, like Kansas City. But I think data shows books set in places people love tend to sell better, so I try to consider that too.
Thanks for another great post! I love writing about things in the middle ages. I’ve done tons of research about that time, but, surprisingly, the story I’m working on now takes place in our world instead.
It’s fun to change things up sometimes!
I often make up my setting, because Iām all about fantasy creatures and magic powers. The thing about fantasy settings that I like so much is that, if you feel like adding a bright pink moose-chicken with purple spots who speaks Gibberish, drinks milkshakes through his left nostril, and goes around playing the harmonica in dolphin glasses; you can just… do that. Because fantasy. (Grammar is fun?)
Right?? I’m SO jealous of that with fantasy authors!
I’ve got to start focusing on setting for my current WIP, I’m very close to the macroedit stage. This post is about to be very useful to me! But to answer the question, I’ve always wanted to write a dystopian/post apocalyptic setting. Those books are always lots of fun to read!
I love those too!
I’m glad this post was timed well for you!
I like writing fantasy worlds and I actually got inspiration for one part from a dream, which was really fun. (I so wish I could have that dream again!) I haven’t thought about location much for contemporary stories but I’d probably set them in a place similar to where I live. That would probably work well since my contemporary ideas are pretty much based off my own experiences.
I’ve never had a dream that inspired a story, so I’m always fascinated when people say that. I’m jealous!
Thanks for the post! I try to keep setting in mind since it’s something I really like in books. I’ve recently started writing in the future. I love it, although it’s been kind of weird to figure out. I get to invent and name technology, which is fun and super hard.
I also want to write an ancient fantasy. I really like making up a ton of stuff that doesn’t have to make sense in our world.
I’ve written one book set in the future, and I think I would have to be way more of a tech nerd to really enjoy that aspect of it. I love reading books set in the future and seeing the author’s creativity with where technology will go!
I haven’t read much ancient fantasy, but that sounds really fun!
Such great tips, especially the first one. Sometimes I forget how important setting really is in bringing a story to life, but I’m working on improving my descriptions and integrations of setting in my writing. My favorite setting to write about is medieval, probably because I know the most about it! š