Every story has to take place somewhere, whether it’s a different continent in the Middle Ages, a planet on the other side of the galaxy, a destroyed nation pieced together in a dystopian future, or you own backyard. Commonly, we call this “setting,” but it’s actually more than that. Think of it instead as the world of your story, your Story World.
The first step to setting up your story world is to describe how it looks. We’ve got to be able to picture it in our heads, right? Fair enough. Unfortunately, many writers stop there, leaving a flat, one dimensional view of the story world. Even worse, the author may describe how the setting looks ad nauseum, until the reader grows bored or skips it entirely.
But the world in which your story takes place should have far more impact on your tale. Your reader needs to be immersed in the story world, to have an experience of what that world is. How does an author immerse the reader? Through the experience and feelingsof the Point of View (POV) character living in that world. Most of the time that character is going to be the protagonist, but in some stories, particularly those with multiple viewpoints, it will be the POV character in the given scene.
When the POV character enters a scene, what is important to him/her? What does s/he notice that no one else would? It can be an object, a spoken word, or a fragrance—your imagination is the limit. But it has to have special meaning to the POV character, something(s) to trigger a thought, memory, feeling, or experience.
So what might be important to your POV character in the story world? How does you character feel about:
Rules. Every culture and community has its own rules. What are the rules in your world? What are the unwritten rules? The hidden rules? The rules people always keep, or the ones they break regularly? Who breaks the rules? How are they punished? What rules apply to some and not to others?
Celebrations. What do they celebrate in your story world? Do they feast, fast, have parades or wakes, dance, sing, sacrifice? Are their celebrations full of joyful mirth or are they solemn occasions? Or do they have both? What are the rituals? How do they observe death, marriage, coming of age, religious or political achievements?
Places. Tibetan mountaintops, seaside villages, sprawling cities all have their special places. What are those special places in your story world? Are there places where everybody congregates or places no one will venture? Legendary places, common places, secluded places? What are the lovers’ lanes, the haunted graveyards, the town centers, the dark forests, the busy ports?
History. What is the history of the story world? What are the legends? What happened before that affects your POV character? That affects the community? That affects the whole world? Does the history inspire them with pride, or saddle them with shame? Does it break their spirit, or kindle their inner fire? Do they carry their past with them, or think of it only fleetingly?
Social classes. Does everyone in your story world share equally, or do some benefit at the expense of others? Is there a strict social hierarchy, or are the social barriers flexible? Who’s the top of the food chain? How can you tell? Who are the decision makers? Who carries the load? Who does the menial labor? Or the skilled labor? Who benefits? At what cost?
Language and symbols. Every occupation has its own language, often common words that carry special meaning to the employee, professional, or artisan. What is the language of your story world? What words carry special meanings? Does everybody know the meanings, or only a select few? Are there special codes, symbols, or regalia in your story world? What do they mean? Who do they apply to? How? Are they meant to communicate, intimidate, perhaps both?
Food. Everybody eats. What do they eat in your story world? Baked Alaska, jellied eels, human flesh, gruel? What does their food say about their world? Do they have foods for special occasions? Do they subsist on what they can find? Do they place special value on certain foods? Roman soldiers ate the same porridge every night; they saw it as something that separated them from the barbarians. What is important about food, or what food is important, to your POV character(s)?
Entertainment and vices. What do people do to entertain themselves in your story world? Dance? Play games? Watch hangings? Go to the theater? Visit brothels? Drink? Smoke? Gamble? Have races? Compete in the Olympics? Joust? Fight animals? Torture people? Are they public events, or done in secret? Does your character enjoy it? Hate it? Addicted to it? How does it affect him/her, his/her relationships, or family, or culture?
Family. Does your POV character have a family? Where does s/he fit in? Who is the patriarch/matriarch? Who does s/he have to please? Who does s/he admire? What relative can’t s/he stand? Who does s/he tolerate? Who rubs him/her the wrong way? Who does s/he love more than any? Who does s/he despise? Why?
Grudges, biases, and prejudices. We all have our biases, whether we admit it or not. What are the biases in your story world? Who are the outcasts? What makes them outcasts? Who holds a grudge? Against whom? Why? Who can offend, inadvertently or deliberately? Does your character actively participate, meekly go along, or stand up against it?
Memorials and monuments. What are the monuments and memorials in your story world? Great structures to honor noble deeds? A simple stone, flower, or wooden marker to mark a lost soul? A granite pillar or marble statue with the names of the dead? Are they ornate, elaborate, simple, handmade, engineered? Do they engender respect, admiration, derision, or hollowness? Are they celebrated? Overlooked? Forgotten? Who remembers them, cherishes them? Who doesn’t care?
These are just a few building blocks on which to create your story world. Your only limit is your imagination, and the memories, experiences, and emotional reactions they evoke in your characters.
Describe a setting and your reader may lose interest. Build a story world and your reader will come to stay.
