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Wednesday, 29 July 2015

Making your settings spectacular so setting becomes a character.

Hi  there!

I've been hooked on settings ever since I read the contraband Mills & Boon romances handed to my sister and I in a big cardboard box by a romance-struck aunt and stored under our bed for our reading pleasure. Being 12 years old, and already an avid reader, I devoured them for their exotic settings--truly! These little stories took me to the Greek Islands, the Isle of Capri, and Spanish haciendas--firing up my insatiable urge to travel which remains a strong motivation to jump on a plane any time I have a free few weeks.

Over at Write...Edit...Publish today I've posted about Spectacular Settings, our first prompt since Yolanda Renee and I jump started the bloghop. I'm hoping to fire up minds with the importance of settings in stories--of course we need all the other givens--plot, characters, conflict etc. My favourite stories are those where the setting is so well done it becomes a character...think Maycomb County for a start...more on Maycomb and To Kill a Mockingbird over at WEP.


Thanks for stopping  by. Click here to go to WEP. We'd love you to think about joining us on August 19! The sign up will be posted on August 1!!

  • Is setting important to you when you write or read stories?
  • Do you rock at setting, or do you struggle with it?





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33 comments:

  1. Alex J. Cavanaugh29 July 2015 at 22:12

    Me? Struggle. World building and setting do not come naturally.

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  2. Yolanda Renée29 July 2015 at 22:36

    You are the master, and I look forward to tackling the first challenge. See if I can't capture the reason I fell in love with Alaska in that first hour. :)

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  3. Hilary Melton-Butcher29 July 2015 at 22:55

    Hi Denise - that was a mistress-stroke of your aunt ... to two sisters becoming entangled in writing and romance ... did you the power of good! Settings - yes so important ... cheers Hilary

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  4. Crystal Collier30 July 2015 at 00:23

    I adore stories that transport the reader too. In fact, it's probably WHY I read. Can't get out of the house with the littles, but that doesn't mean I can't travel.

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  5. D.G. Hudson30 July 2015 at 02:34

    The anticipation of WEP is killing me. Actually, it's the moving and settling in that is killing me. . .

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  6. Anonymous30 July 2015 at 03:45

    I enjoy settings that are super-ordinary, where unusual things start happening. I don't necessarily mean otherworldly, just unusual in that they may be sad, funny, horrifying or whatnot.

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  7. VR Barkowski30 July 2015 at 04:28

    Setting is very important to me both as a reader and writer. I love to visit places I’ve read about, and I almost always set my own stories in real locations. I do struggle with getting the setting right. It was a significant challenge for me when asked to rewrite and fictionalize a real life setting (a school) in one of my stories.

    VR Barkowski

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  8. Michelle Wallace30 July 2015 at 22:40

    I've read some novels where setting is a character - it's a skill.
    I'm not sure that I'm good at setting...

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    Replies
    1. Denise Covey 31 July 2015 at 16:59

      Yes, I love setting as a character Michelle.

      Delete
  9. Misha Gerrick30 July 2015 at 23:13

    Setting is usually very important to me, and I think I'm pretty good at it. :-)

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  10. Unknown31 July 2015 at 18:21

    I did the same as you - I devoured romances between the ages of 12 - 14. Then I branched off into mysteries, SF, and horror. I also loved Harlequin Romances that took place in a foreign land. A great setting is a must for any story and atmosphere/tone are important too. Have a great Friday! :)

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    Replies
    1. Denise Covey 1 August 2015 at 10:00

      I branched off into everything except fantasy and sci fi and horror. But now I write horror at times. Go figure!

      Delete
  11. Nilanjana Bose1 August 2015 at 05:53

    I read a pile of M&B's too as a teen, and I loved those exotic places the action happened in :) Setting *is* a character for me as a reader, though I don't know how well I do settings as a writer. Looking forward to the challenge!

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    Replies
    1. Denise Covey 1 August 2015 at 09:40

      Looking forward to seeing you at the WEP challenge Nila! Glad all the M&B readers are coming out of the closet! Not just me then! :-)

      Delete
    2. Nilanjana Bose4 August 2015 at 22:42

      Oh no, not just you definitely I'd say! :-)

      Delete
    3. Michelle Wallace5 August 2015 at 15:27

      I also 'cut my teeth' on M&B.
      During my teens, I devoured these stories.
      This happened just after the Anne Of Green Gables phase...

      Delete
  12. Ann Bennett2 August 2015 at 02:54

    Setting can make a lukewarm story. Sometimes I read a book by a writer in a different country or region just to get the flavor of the place.

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  13. Carol Riggs2 August 2015 at 04:05

    I love it when setting is a vivid part of a story, but I think there are also great stories where the setting doesn't play such a big part. Yes, setting can definitely be a character of its own!

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    1. Denise Covey 3 August 2015 at 07:55

      All my favourites definitely have awesome setting treatments.

      Delete
  14. Nas3 August 2015 at 05:46

    I love reading about far flung lands. Setting if treated as a character in itself is fantastic to read!

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  15. Carol Kilgore4 August 2015 at 01:16

    I totally agree about the importance of setting. I'm smiling about your contraband romances. At about that age, I used to sneak my dad's private detective books and read them :)

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  16. Debbie D. 4 August 2015 at 02:37

    Settings often make the story! As a youngster, I was hooked on Agatha Christie and Ian Fleming (James Bond) novels. They fuelled my wanderlust, among other things. :)

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  17. Jemi Fraser4 August 2015 at 02:43

    Settings can be so intriguing! I'm not as strong a writer as I'd like to be in developing settings, but I'm working at it :)

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  18. Stephanie Faris4 August 2015 at 07:40

    Setting is my weakness. I never slow down and describe the surroundings. I always envy writers who remember to incorporate all of the senses into their scenes. I just focus more on the characters for some reason and my editor/agent always has to remind me, "Hey, could you tell us a little about where they ARE?"

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    Replies
    1. Denise Covey 4 August 2015 at 22:50

      That's quite funny Stephanie. I'm the opposite.

      Delete
  19. Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy4 August 2015 at 10:00

    setting has been crucial in the last two stories I wrote. One of them I actually began with setting and built the story around that.

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