Setting the Scene by Melissa Snark

Do you recall doing a book report in elementary school? One of the questions was always: "When and where was the story set?"

For years, I wrote in short, succinct answers like: "The Present. New York City, New York."

Honestly, I never gave setting much thought. It was the fast, easy answer on the book report. Many years later when I became a writer, I realized that setting is so much more than a quick answer. So what is setting really?

Setting can be one of the most easily overlooked aspects of storytelling, but with a touch too much enthusiasm, it can also become completely overdone. Setting is more than the backdrop to set your story against. It is the time, the place and the circumstances in which events occur or develop.


Read the rest on Brenda Sparks blog.