Our second installment in the Creative Writing Elements series will discuss how to draw your audience into a truly capturing setting. Nearly every work of fiction and nonfiction rely on some form of setting. According to the ever-reliable Mirriam-Webster dictionary, setting is defined as "the place and conditions in which something happens or exists," or more specifically, "the time, place, and conditions in which the action of a book, movie, etc., take place," (merriam-webster.com). Essentially, setting is the world in which your writing lives. It 's the universe your characters inhabit and the location of the breath they breath. Setting is also extraordinarily important in our lives as it gives us context on where we are and how to behave. You wouldn 't go to the Met Gala wearing last-week 's spaghetti-stained pajamas and fumble through all their refreshments...or then again, maybe you would. But that 's beside the point...so back on topic!
Primarily, there are four …show more content…
This is going to be what 's going on behind the scenes and can include everything from social and cultural to political and, if pertinent, media. Are you in the middle of the French Revolution? Perhaps your character is a spy who must blend in seamlessly with foreign culture. Bring it to life! If you 're writing a political thriller, give it some grit, some realism. An undeniably important aspect of this is research. Research, research, research. Trusted sources only at this point. (It goes without saying that Wikipedia is not and never will be your best friend. Wikipedia is more like the terrible friend that gives you false answers to an exam the day before you take it and tells you not to study...Anyway, I 'm deviating, back on track.) Research is absolutely necessary for all of your writing, especially when it comes to political and sociocultural matters. Get creative, but don 't lose touch with what makes it feel