2.01.2011

there's no place like a non-static setting

Something to be conscious of while writing: setting is more than where a story is set.

The arc of any good story is intertwined with its setting. In fantasy, setting is like another character. It should grow and change and adapt just like the people-shaped characters. Even contemporary stories make use of adaptable setting; it can be as simple as the main character developing new views on their unfamiliar location and its traditions.

(A much more informative post on the most important elements of setting can be found here! Read it!)

Examples:
For Harry Potter, at first Hogwarts and the wizarding world (which has its own set of rules and customs) is strange and unknown, but it quickly becomes his home.
In Anna & the French Kiss, Anna grew into Paris as the story progressed, and she might just have fallen in love with the city a little, too.
As Katniss & Peeta work their way around the country on their Hunger Games victory tour, the secret revolution in the Districts becomes even more turbulent.

So what do you think? Is it ever okay for the setting of a story to remain static?

Okay. Now I’m off to make my fantastical setting even more menacing and moody!

1 comment:

  1. I'm big on settings, which I treat as an additional character in my novels. It's another way to enhance the story that is being told.

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