Today, we’re going to dive back into our series focusing on the Five Elements of Fiction, but first things first!

Yesterday, my newest book, REBEL, BRAVE AND BRUTAL, hit shelves! It’s the sequel to my 2020 release, WINTER, WHITE AND WICKED and it feels so right that it’s finally out in the world. FINALLY!

I have several tour stops planned throughout the month of January to celebrate this release, but there is one very special event crafted with the Go Teen Writers crowd in mind. We’re working to make it a special time, and I truly hope to see you there! Registration is required, so tap the graphic below for all those details.

OKAY! Now! Back to the Five Elements of Fiction. To catch you up, here are the previous articles in the series:

The Five Elements of Fiction

The Five Elements of Fiction: Style

The Five Elements of Fiction: Character

Today, we’re going to take a look at Setting. What is it exactly, and what role does it play in our stories?

Author Ruth Ann Ridley says this:

Setting is the soul of your story . . . Improve up on it and it will take your writing to the next level.

I love that! When I think about the books that have stayed with me over the years, they each have a setting that contributes meaningfully to the story. The setting isn’t merely a backdrop, it’s a active player in the plot and in the lives of the characters. And while there’s no right way to pen a story, capturing your setting purposefully is of the utmost importance.

So what is it? How exactly do we define Setting. At its root, Setting is the when and where of your story. What era does your story take place in? And where–in our world or in another–does it play out?

We have to dig deeper than this, don’t we? Because the truth is, many books take place in our world, but their settings are vastly different from one another. So, let’s break it down some.

I like the way they do this over at the ReedsyBlog. They break setting down into three components, all of which must be developed within our stories.

1. Temporal: When is the story taking place?
2. Environmental: Generally, where is the story taking place?
3. Individual: Specifically, where is the story taking place?

As an example, I’ll break down my first book Angel Eyes for you:

Temporal: Angel Eyes takes place in November and December of 2011.

Environmental: Generally, Angel Eyes takes place in the Pacific Northwest, in the small, fictional town of Stratus, Oregon, as well as the real life city of Portland, Oregon.

Individual: Specifically, Angel Eyes, takes place in Brielle’s house, Brielle’s car, Jake’s house, the shed on Brielle’s property, Stratus High School, Jelly’s Diner, Miss Macy’s ballet studio, a warehouse in Portland, the Stratus Cemetery, the Maelstrom Bridge, the Celestial Realm, and the throne room of God.

See? It’s not enough to just say the book’s setting is “The Pacific Northwest,” because although that’s true, I don’t work to develop the PNW, I work to develop each individual location in light of the temporal and environmental factors that come with being in the Pacific Northwest. If I don’t, the setting won’t ever be real to the reader. It’ll just be an idea. And setting can carry a much heavier workload than that! In fact, it must.

As you work to develop each individual setting, ask yourself these questions:

Discomfort: Which setting will make my protagonist most uncomfortable? Generally speaking, putting your characters in comfy situations is not in the best interest of your story. Not if you’re trying to generate conflict and tension. Instead, look for ways to create individual settings that will increase the odds of discomfort. Allowing your character to feel like an outsider is a good way to increase conflict and tension in your story. As an example, here’s a quick excerpt from my book, Winter, White and Wicked.

Tone: What tone or atmosphere would suit my story best? The tone of a story can make or break it. If you’re hoping to generate a bright, hopeful storyline, setting your tale in the black of night in a haunted house might not be the way to go. But if you’re Edgar Allan Poe, and you’re trying to show madness and the power of conscience, a dark, creaky house at midnight would fit the bill perfectly. Check out this excerpt from Poe’s short story, The Tell-Tale Heart:

I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it–oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly–very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha!–would a madman have been so wise as this? And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously–oh, so cautiously–cautiously (for the hinges creaked)–I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights–every night just at midnight–but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

Logistics: What logistical needs does my story have? How do people get around in your story? Do you need to craft a spaceship or a boat or a hoverboard? What about the plot of your story? Do you feature law enforcement? You might need to research police stations or FBI offices. Erin A. Craig’s House of Salt and Sorrow, features the untimely deaths of several sisters, one after another. In order to tell this story, she needed to create a burial place for them, and because her environmental setting is an island, everything about the crypt is influenced by that. If you like darker fantasies, this is a good one to study for setting purposes.

Without the press of people in the crypt, the air felt colder, settling over me like a second cloak. Sickly-sweet incense still danced through the room but couldn’t quite block out the tang of salt. No matter where you were on the island, you could always taste the sea.

Assets: What unique assets can my setting provide? If I need my characters to lay hold of a cactus, I should consider placing them in the desert and not in the heart of a city. Unless of course, a planted cactus will do. If I have decided to set my story in a forest, it would behoove me to take advantage of all that the forest could offer my characters. In Jennifer Donnelly’s A Northern Light, set in 1906 upstate New York, there were steamers, often called Pickle Boats, that floated up and down a string of eight lakes called the Fulton Chain. These boats brought food and supplies to camper, hotels, and small settlements along the banks. For many, it was the only store they ever visited, and it’s a interesting piece of history that not only colors Donnelly’s award-winning historical, but provides a way for her protagonist to receive the tools she would need on her frowned upon academic journey. Here’s a quick excerpt:

The boat is a floating grocery store and serves all the camps and hotels along the Fulton Chain. It is the only store–floating or not–for miles . . . Just as I was about to climb back upstairs, something caught my eye–a box of composition books. Real pretty ones with a hard cover on them and swirly paint designs, and a ribbon to mark your place.

Conflict: How can my setting be used to heighten conflict? In some cases, the location itself is enough to cause conflict for you character. Consider an escaped convict on the isle of Alcatraz looking out over the channel he must swim in order to reach freedom. Conflict and tension aplenty! But oftentimes it’s the location plus the era that does it. Consider Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee. In this historical, set in Missouri in 1849, a Chinese American girl named Samantha commits a crime in self-defense, and in an effort to escape, teams up with an enslaved girl named Annamae in an effort to blend in with the travelers on the Oregon Trail.

Annamae returns, holding a basket of clothes and a saddlebag. She sets the basket on the floor.

“Two girls on the run. Not ideal,” I mutter, jamming my feet into a skirt. 

“I can’t decide what sticks out more, you’s yella face or my black one.” She stuffs a sandwich into her mouth.

I shake out a blue flannel shirt. Too big. I throw it back into the basket. Then a thought wiggles into my head. I press a pair of trousers to my waist. “What if we weren’t two girls, but two young men, off to make our fortunes in the gold fields?”

Tension: How can my setting be used to create tension? Described in just the right way, from just the right perspective, almost any setting can be used to create tension in your story. In some situations, cameras and high gates could indicate security and safety, but when they’re described by a girl who had to live behind them in order to remain hidden, you immediately understand there are some high stakes at play here. Consider this excerpt from Megan Miranda’s The Safest Lies.

The black iron gates used to be my favorite thing about the house. Back when I was younger, they reminded me of secret gardens and hidden treasures, all the great mysteries I had read about in children’s books. 

It was better to see it from this direction . . . A glance over my shoulder as I walked away, and all I could see were the cameras over the entrances. The sterile, boxed walls of the house beyond. The shadow behind the tinted window.

Challenges: What challenges does my setting provide my characters? When creating or choosing individual settings for your characters, it’s wise to consider how each era and locale could provide story fodder. In other words, what challenges will your characters face while in that setting? In Laura Ruby’s Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All, her characters spend much of their time in an orphanage. The distinct challenges of such a place shape the bulk of the plot.

A wash of sleet fell on the buildings of the Guardian Angels Orphanage . . . I passed by the larger building that housed the older children and went right for the baby house . . . I visited each crib in turn . . . When they heard me, their tiny bud lips opened and closed and opened again, as if to tell me how hungry they were. And though I didn’t get hungry in the way they did, I knew hunger . . . Soon, I told them . . . the nuns will come . . . they will feed you and you won’t be hungry anymore. Perhaps it was mean to lie. But they were only babies. They would discover the churning furnace of this world soon enough.

Symbolism: How can my setting symbolize or reflect my protagonist’s journey? My guess is your setting can help you heft the load of messaging and theme in your story. Most settings can. Think of Frodo crossing Mordor to destroy the One Ring in the mountain of fire. If that doesn’t mirror what we must do to the shiny temptations that threaten to That setting was created with symbolism and theme in mind. Definitely a solid choice. But you can also make use of places in the world around us, as Jennifer Donnelly does in her YA timeslip novel, Revolution. In this story, a teenage girl is in Paris attempting to complete a project vital to her high school graduation while wrestling with depression in the wake of her brother’s death. The catacombs running below Paris feature prominently in the story, and several critical scenes take place there. This location and its treatment highlights her always-present grapple with death.

I shake him off. “I can’t anymore. I can’t.”

“Just a little farther. There is still one place I can take you,” he says. “One place they won’t look.”

“Where?”

“The catacombs. It’s a good place to hide.”

Yes, it is. And an even better place to die.

You see what I mean? Setting can and should help you carry both the plot and character development that makes stories so memorable. Yes, it should provide an appropriately atmospheric backdrop, but don’t stop there. Spend time fleshing out the many, many ways the when and where can enhance your story.

Tell me, can you think of a setting that lingers after the book is closed? Are you able to pinpoint why that is?

Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. Its sequel, Rebel, Brave and Brutal is due out January 10, 2023.

Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.

It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.

To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.

For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.