How to Write the Setting of a Story: 11 Key Tips for Writers
As a writer myself, I know that the setting is one of the most important elements of a great story. You’ve got to fully develop your story’s setting before you really get into writing that story!
When I think of my favorite books and movies, a lot of them have unique or interesting settings, and I’m sure that’s partly what drew me to them!
And as a writer, I always strive to make my settings stand out in some way. From the harsh desert landscapes and deserted town in Iron Dogs to the bustling inner city and working-class neighborhoods in my screenplay Bare Knuckle Days, the setting is to me as important as the characters.
In a great story, it is so much more than just the time and place of the narrative. The setting can help to create mood and atmosphere, and it can also help to establish the tone and even the genre of the story. In many ways, it is a character unto itself as it influences everything and everyone.
This article will discuss what setting is, how to write a great setting, and provide examples of great story settings from literature and film!
What is the Setting of a Story?
The setting of a story encompasses all elements apart from the characters themselves, including time, place, culture, weather, and surrounding objects. Think of it as the backdrop to where all the action and character interactions unfold.
A vivid setting can transport readers, making them feel as if they’ve stepped right into the world you’ve created. But it’s more than just a backdrop – the setting is a literary element that can influence the story’s tone, hint at what’s coming, and even reflect the genre you’re diving into.
Think about a haunted house in a horror tale. Those creaky floorboards and shadowy corners aren’t just there for decoration—they ramp up the suspense. Imagine a love story set in Regency England, where societal norms can cause conflicts between characters.
The setting is a powerful storytelling tool – think of the difference in the tone of a calm beach town or a futuristic space station. It’s not just where the story happens—it’s part of the story itself.
How To Write a Story Setting: 11 Tips
If you want to create an immersive experience for your readers, it’s important to consider the setting of your story carefully.
Check out these eleven pointers to make your story’s world pop off the page!
1. Set the Mood and Tone
The setting of your story is a character in its own right. It should reflect and amplify the emotions and themes you want to convey.
Characters actively engage with the story world through various actions and dialogue, which helps to deepen their connection to the setting and enrich the narrative.
If you’re writing a suspenseful thriller, a dark, stormy, and isolated setting might be perfect. On the other hand, a romance might flourish in a vibrant city during springtime. Try to make sure that the mood of your setting complements the overall tone of your story.
Pro Tip: Every place has a past, and so should your setting. I try to make sure my story’s setting has its own backstory, just like my characters.
I like to add little hints of history or hidden secrets. There could be an old legend about the spooky mansion up on the hill or maybe the quaint bookstore in the city is a front for a secret society. I find that these little stories within my main story give it more depth.
2. Embrace Creativity
Trying something different can result in one-of-a-kind and memorable environments. Explore world-building, be it a floating city, a subterranean civilization, or a planet with two suns.
Remember, even if you base your setting on a real location, adding your own creative twists can make it stand out!
Pro Tip: I like to ask myself “What if?” questions to come up with interesting ideas for my story’s setting. What if there was a place where people could fly, or a world that’s all desert? T
hese kinds of questions can help you think of unusual places that make your story different from others.
3. Time Period Matters
The era in which your story is set will significantly influence its ambiance. Think about societal norms, technological advancements, and even the political climate of the time. A story set in the roaring ‘20s will have a different vibe than one set in the distant future.
Think about the level of technology used during your chosen time period and how the people look, dress, speak, and interact based on that time and place.
Make sure you do lots of research if you are exploring a historical period and its cultural surroundings to make sure that your setting is authentic!
Pro Tip: Consider the daily life of your characters based on the time period. Think about their routines from sunrise to sunset. How do they start their day? What kinds of things are available to eat? What kind of work do they do? What do they do for fun?
4. Weather and Climate Impact
Nature plays a big role in setting the scene in many stories. A sunny day can turn sinister with an approaching storm, or a winter evening can become cozy with a warm fireplace.
The weather and climate can also be symbolic, representing a character’s internal struggles or the overall theme of the story.
Pro Tip: At times, try using weather events as pivotal plot points. A blizzard could trap characters together, forcing confrontations or bonding. A scorching drought might be the backdrop for a struggle over resources. I try to think about how significant weather events can drive the story forward.
5. Introduce Conflict and Contrast
A setting can be more than just a place – it can be a source of conflict.
A character might be at odds with their environment, struggling to adapt or longing for something different. Contrasting busy cities with calm villages can highlight differences in character personalities or societal issues.
Pro Tip: I use the setting in my stories to turn up the tension. Take a relentless winter, for instance, where the cold and snow push my characters to their limits. Or a bustling city, where the constant noise and crowd make everything more stressful. I think about how the setting can almost become a character itself.
6. Details Make the Difference
While you do need to give readers a broad sense of the setting, it’s the little details that truly make a world come alive.
The sound of gravel underfoot, the scent of fresh bread from a nearby bakery, or the soft glow of lanterns at dusk can paint a vivid picture and make readers feel like they’re right there with the characters. Think about questions like:
- What kind of furniture is in the room?
- Are there any knick-knacks on the shelves?
- What kind of clothing does the character wear?
- What’s it like outside?
Pro Tip: Use everyday moments to add interest to your setting. The way a shopkeeper greets people, the sound of local music drifting from an open window, or the taste of a traditional dish can all provide insights into the culture and atmosphere of your world.
7. Engage the Five Senses
When describing a setting, don’t just focus on what it looks like. Think about how it sounds, feels, smells, and even tastes. Maybe the air tastes salty near the sea, or the streets echo with distant laughter and music. Engaging all the senses makes for a richer literary experience. Think about:
- What do your characters see around them?
- What do they hear?
- What can they touch or interact with physically in their environment?
- Are there any distinct smells in the air?
- If your main character is eating in the story, use descriptive words to convey the taste of the food.
Pro Tip: Use sound to set the atmosphere. The distant roar of a waterfall or the soft whispers of leaves in a forest can deeply influence the feel of a scene.
8. Introduce Characters and Setting Together
Instead of isolating character introductions from the setting, merge them. Show your characters interacting with their environment. This gives readers a sense of place and offers insights into the characters’ personalities and histories.
Pro Tip: Use the setting to highlight character traits. If a character is meticulous, they might straighten disarrayed items in a room. An adventurous character could be found scaling a cliff or exploring an unknown path.
The way characters engage with their environment can subtly show readers their personalities without outright stating them.
9. Remember the Passage of Time
As days turn into nights and seasons change, your setting should evolve too! This change can reflect character development, symbolize transformations, or highlight important plot events in the story.
Pro Tip: Use time to symbolize change. A harsh winter giving way to spring can represent new beginnings for a character or the resolution of a conflict. Another example is the transition from day to night, which might reflect a character’s journey from ignorance to enlightenment or the deepening of a mystery.
10. Stay True to Your World’s Rules
Consistency is key. If, in your world, the skies are green, then they shouldn’t suddenly turn blue without a reason. Establish rules for your setting and stick to them. This helps readers trust you to maintain continuity.
Pro Tip: Keep track of your setting’s characteristics. If certain plants only grow in your world or buildings are made from a unique material, make note of these details and ensure they remain consistent.
11. Revisit and Refine
Writing is rewriting. As your story progresses, you might find new ways to show your setting or realize that certain details are unnecessary. Don’t hesitate to go back, refine, and polish to ensure your setting is vivid.
By paying careful attention to these aspects, you can skillfully create fictional settings that serve as vibrant backdrops to your story. These settings will play an active role in advancing the story’s plot, capturing the desired mood, and conveying your chosen themes.
Pro Tip: Ensure your setting actively contributes to the story. During revisions, assess how your setting influences the plot, mood, and themes. Make adjustments to ensure the setting serves as a backdrop and actively affects the story or character development.
The Importance of a Story’s Setting
The setting of a story is important for several reasons. Here are a few ways that your story setting contributes to your story:
- Establishes the mood and atmosphere of the story. A dark and foreboding setting can create a sense of suspense, while a bright and cheerful environment can develop a sense of warmth and happiness.
- Provides essential clues about the character’s motivations. A character’s clothing, for example, can reveal a lot about their social status or occupation and how they fit into their world.
- Drives the genre of the story. The geographic location and time period can drive the genre of the story. For example, a remote prairie town in the late 1800s typically indicates a Western, while a starship on the brink of a faraway star is generally science fiction.
- Symbolizes story themes. Finally, the setting can also be used to symbolize specific themes or ideas. For instance, a bleak and desolate physical landscape might indicate the protagonist’s feelings of isolation and despair.
In short, the setting is an important component of any story and should be carefully chosen to suit the story’s and the main characters’ needs.
What To Include in the Setting
Readers should be transported to another time and place when they open a book. For this to happen, the author must describe the setting clearly and evocatively.
Using multiple settings in storytelling can create contrast and opportunities for character development, keeping readers engaged and providing variation. Gradually revealing these settings helps avoid overwhelming the readers with details.
Every story has a geographical location, including the time, place, and environment where the action occurs. The author should provide enough detail to give readers a sense of the world where the characters live without bogging down the story with too much description.
In addition to the physical setting, the author should also describe the social and cultural context of the story. This includes the customs, values, languages, dress, appearance, and beliefs that help shape the characters and their actions.
How To Use Imagery in A Setting
To create a believable story setting, use great written imagery. By using descriptive language, you can transport your readers to another time and place and make them feel as if they are truly experiencing the story along with your characters.
Make your fictional settings as memorable as real-life places in your reader’s mind!
When using imagery, use all five senses.
- What do the characters smell?
- How does the local food taste?
- What do the air and surfaces feel like?
- What does the character see around them?
- What sounds do they hear, both close by and in the distance?
When you think about the answers to these questions, start by choosing key details that will help set the scene.
For example, if you are writing about a forest, you might describe the trees as majestic and leafy, with dappled sunlight filtering through the branches.
You might also include the sounds of birdsong and rustling leaves, with a bubbling brook nearby, as well as the smell of damp earth mixed with lavender and thyme and the feel of rough tree bark to the touch and the crunch of deadfall underneath.
Setting as A Character in the Story
In many ways, a story’s time period and physical location are like another character in the narrative.
A particular setting can provide both obstacles and opportunities for the characters, shaping their choices and decisions in exciting ways.
For example, imagine a story set in a prison in the middle of nowhere. The characters might be trapped in their routines, never changing or growing. Or, the story setting could starkly contrast the characters’ desires for escape and freedom. In either case, the setting would be essential in shaping the story.
Similarly, the choice of setting can also reveal something about the characters themselves. A character longing for excitement and adventure will likely feel out of place in a quiet, rural setting. Conversely, a character content with a simple life is expected to feel uncomfortable in an urban environment.
In both cases, the setting would serve as a reflection of the characters’ inner lives.
Role of Setting in Story Structure
In terms of story structure, the setting of a story is where and when the story takes place. The setting should be introduced early on in the story, preferably during the introduction phase. By doing so, the reader will better understand the events that occur later in the story and certain motives of the main character.
The setting can also symbolize specific themes or ideas within the story, highlighting a particular theme that the author wants to convey.
The environmental setting can shape the characters and events of a story. For example, if an entire story takes place in a small town, the characters will likely be close-knit and supportive of one another.
On the other hand, if a story takes place in a big city, the characters might be more individualistic and competitive. In either case, the setting helps to create a unique and believable world for the reader to explore.
Use AI to Brainstorm a Setting For a Story
AI (artificial intelligence) story-generator tools have come a long way. If you are struggling to come up with good descriptions for your setting, or you are not quite sure what your story’s setting should be, try using one of these programs for ideas!
While AI story generators cannot yet write complete stories without humans, they can sure make story writing easier.
To check AI’s abilities, I devised a story idea and inputted it into Jasper.ai.
Here’s what it gave me as ideas (I asked for two different ideas to be generated):
Here’s a second example of an AI-generated setting, about the room of a young girl who lives in a castle far away from society. This time, I used the AI novel writing software program Sudowrite.
As you can see, using AI can be a shortcut to creating fantastic story settings. It can also be used for other aspects of storytelling, such as describing characters, story plot points, and events. I have used both Sudowrite and Jasper for AI storytelling, and Sudowrite is my favorite!
Great Setting Examples in Film
A good setting can be as individual as a good character. Settings and characters are connected in many ways, with the setting providing a physical and emotional landscape for the characters to live in. Here are a few unique and well-written setting examples from literature and film:
Stephen King’s The Shining
The Shining is set in the early 1980s at the fictional Overlook Hotel in Colorado. The hotel is isolated and cut off from the outside world, especially during the winter off-season, creating a sense of unease and foreboding.
Most of the story takes place within the Overlook walls, making it feel like a prison for the characters. This is amplified by the roads being closed due to increasingly heavy snow, making escape virtually impossible.
The setting is key to creating a feeling of claustrophobia and dread, making the story’s events all the more horrifying.
JK Rowling’s Harry Potter Series
The setting of a story helps to create a sense of atmosphere, mood, and tone.
In the Harry Potter Series, for example, the ancient and imposing setting of Hogwarts Castle helps create a sense of suspense, danger, majesty, and splendor. The mystical setting of the Forbidden Forest also adds to the sense of wonder and mystery in the story.
In contrast, the bright and cheerful setting of Hogsmeade village helps to provide some light relief from the tension of the main story.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is set in a world of elves, dwarves, hobbits, and humans. This setting of Middle-Earth is important for several reasons.
First, it allows Tolkien to create a unique world with its own history and mythology, as well as customs and languages for each race within it.
Second, the setting provides a rich backdrop for the story. The Lord of the Rings takes place in a time of great conflict, and the various races must band together to defeat the evil forces that threaten their world.
Third, the backdrop setting gives the story an epic scale. The Lord of the Rings is a grand tale of good vs. evil, and the sprawling setting provides the perfect stage for this battle.
Fourth, the setting allows Tolkien to explore loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice themes. The characters in The Lord of the Rings are faced with difficult choices, and their actions echo the story’s themes.
The imaginative setting is one of the many reasons that readers have fallen in love with this classic tale.
James Cameron’s Avatar
The fictional world of Pandora in James Cameron’s Avatar is exquisitely realized, down to minor details.
The expansive landscapes are filled with strange and beautiful creatures, while the floating mountains loom majestically in the sky. This otherworldly setting is the perfect backdrop for the film’s story of humans struggling to come to terms with an alien world.
The fortified military complex that serves as the base for the human characters is a microcosm of this conflict, as the humans try to repel outside dangers while simultaneously learning about the ways of the native Pandorans.
In other words, the film’s setting is not just a backdrop for the action but an integral part of the story. By immersing viewers in this alien world, Cameron allows them to experience firsthand the challenges and conflicts that arise when two cultures collide.
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner
The film Blade Runner is set in a future Los Angeles that has been conquered by pollution and crime. The city is dark and dangerous, and it is clear that the people who live there are struggling to survive.
This setting helps to create a sense of dread and despair, which is appropriate for a film about a group of people trying to escape from a life of slavery. It also helps to establish the film’s themes of technology and humanity, as the city is full of both humans and artificial beings.
The setting is an integral part of the story and helps create an oppressive and fascinating atmosphere in the movie.
Final Points
So, what is the setting of a story? It’s everything in the natural world that isn’t the character. The time, place, culture, weather conditions, and objects around the characters all make up the story setting.
And it’s not just good for fantasy stories – even slice-of-life pieces and short stories need to set the scene well so readers can understand where and when the action occurs.
If you want to write good fiction, start by thinking about your setting and bringing it to life for your readers!
Love learning about great storytelling? Check out these other great articles!
What is Rising Action in a Story? [Definition and Examples]
What Is the Climax of a Story?
What is The Resolution in a Story? [Definition and Examples]
