A short and simple explanation with examples of setting.

1. Setting
Painting a picture with words.

2. Setting
• The time, place, physical details, and
circumstances in which a situation occurs.
Settings include the background, atmosphere or
environment in which characters live and move,
and usually include physical characteristics of
the surroundings.

3. Use Sensory
Details • Use all five senses to describe the immediate surroundings
to the reader to quickly immerse them in the environment of your story. The little details of how
your marketplace smells, or what the wood of an old house feels like can make all
the difference in your descriptive writing, and really set
the stage for a vivid reader experience.

4. Show, don’t tell
• Your setting descriptions should be more than just listed off for the
reader. If you have an active or hostile environment, show how the
setting changes or interacts with characters. If there’s a factory
nearby, don’t just tell the reader that—describe what it smells like or
how it changes the way the sky looks. You can also indicate the time
of day or time of year it is in your story by including how the
sunlight looks or discussing weather changes.

5. Use real-life locations
• If you need inspiration, look at the setting around you.
The old church down the road may not be what the
religious center in your sci-fi novel looks like but using
real locations as a basis for the ones you create can help
outline the setting you’re going for. You can also use
pictures and videos from places you cannot visit to get a
general idea of what your own location would be like.

6. Incorporate Figurative Language
• Your descriptions can be literal, but sometimes you can create a stronger image in
the reader’s mind when using metaphors or similes to compare it to something
else visual. For instance, comparing the volcanic eruption in your novel to a fiery,
vengeful dragon can create intense imagery that will have more of an impact on
your readers’ imaginations.
• IMAGERY IS PERFECT FOR SETTING DESCRIPTIONS
• PAINT A PICTURE IN THE READER’S MIND

7. Keep it simple
• Focus on the details that really matter.
• The importance of setting in a book should not be overlooked, however, it is also
important not to go overboard.
• A long list of what a place looks and feels like might feel thorough, but ten pages of
scenery descriptions will be boring for the reader.
• Choose the most interesting and vital details when describing the setting of your scene
to give the reader a sense of balance, and not overload them with adjectives.

8. Examples
• “The cold carved bone deep, fueled by the lash of the wind, iced by the drowning rain gushing from
a bloated sky.” From The Dark Witch by Nora Roberts
• “The lime green patio umbrella flapped happily in the breeze. It covered strawberry slushies,
watermelon pies, and bright, cheerful stacks of donuts.” From Pink Lemonade and Cookies

9. One more example
• My family, who consisted of me, my mother, father, and elder
sister, lived in a Quonset Hut - austere quarters, thrown up quickly
and by the thousands and without ceremony by Army engineers to
house the incoming onslaught of warriors and their families. The
buildings were made of corrugated, galvanized steel that were
shaped like a tin can cut in half - a semi-circle of Army
efficiency. They screamed grey, unlimited coldness. Insulation was
a problem because the huts were placed on concrete slabs. Our
home was the opposite of a Hobbit house where warm fires and
colorful decor created a cozy, welcoming atmosphere. A place
where bright flowers, lush grass covered roofs, and cobbled paths
set in a landscape reminiscent of a scene from a Thomas Kinkade
painting. Bitterly cold in the winter, swelteringly hot in the
summer, my mother struggled to make these tin cans a
home. From An Unfulfilled Life by Donna Moreau