WHERE ON EARTH ARE WE?
Don't get me wrong...you don't actually have to BE on Earth. Write a story on a planet made of bacon if you want! But wherever your story takes place, you need to paint a vivid picture of the setting for your readers, so that they can experience the story more fully.
While your characters may go MANY places, think about the one or two REALLY IMPORTANT settings in your story. What do they look like? What do they feel like? And why are they important to the characters...and the story?
Click on INTRO TO SETTINGS WORKSHEET to begin picturing your setting–literally and figuratively.
SCENTS & SETTING
On the previous worksheet, we heard about some important places in your story. Now, it's time to plop your reader in one of those setting so that we can see, feel, smell, touch, and (maybe?) taste what is so important about this locale.
Pick the setting where something really important happens. In my story WHAT HAPPENS IN THE LOFT, STAYS IN THE LOFT, guess what? The hay loft (in an old barn) is very important to the story. It was important for me to describe what the loft looked like, but (even more importantly) how it made the character feel. The setting can go a long way to creating the tone in your scene/story, so pay close attention to the words you use to describe it.
Click on ADVANCED SETTING WORKSHEET to begin painting a picture with words to immerse our senses in your setting.