Making the World a Character

Last week, we explored the character archetypes of found families in your stories. This week, let’s explore how to make your setting a vibrant character in its own right. Whether your tale unfolds in a quaint small town, an enchanted woodland, or the grand ballrooms of historical high society, the setting can significantly enrich your story, influencing mood, character development, and plot.

Making the Setting a Living Character

A well-crafted setting does more than describe a location—it evokes emotions, influences actions, and interacts with the characters. Here are some tips and writing exercises to help you breathe life into your settings.

Sensory Details

Dive deep into the sensory experiences of the setting. What does the air smell like in your small town? How does the ground feel underfoot in a dark, ancient forest? What sounds fill a grand ballroom during a lively ball?

Choose a scene and rewrite it focusing exclusively on incorporating all five senses. Describe the scene from the perspective of a character who is experiencing this place for the first time. How do these sensory details affect their mood or decisions?

Historical or Cultural Significance

Give your setting a past or cultural nuance that can impact the story or the characters' lives. For instance, a haunted Victorian mansion could influence the story's mood and provide a background for the ghostly happenings within.

Create a legend or a historical event that occurred in your setting. Write a short story or a scene where this legend/history is being recounted by one character to another, influencing the current events or the perception of the place.

Dynamic Environment

Allow the setting to change and react to the events of the story. A city might evolve from bustling and bright to desolate and dark as the narrative progresses, mirroring the protagonist’s journey.

Select a pivotal event in your story. Describe how this event changes the physical appearance of your setting. Does a celebratory parade brighten the streets, or does a catastrophe leave ruins?

Interactions with Characters

Have your characters interact with the setting in meaningful ways. Maybe a character has a favorite hidden spot where they go to think, or perhaps an old battlefield serves as a place where a hero learns about bravery.

Write a scene where your character has a conversation with another character while they are physically interacting with their environment (e.g., climbing a hill, repairing a broken window). How does the setting influence their interaction?

Symbolism and Themes

Use the setting to reinforce the themes or the symbolism in your story. An oppressive cityscape can symbolize entrapment; a wide-open frontier might represent freedom and possibilities.

Choose a theme in your story—freedom, isolation, renewal, etc. Now, craft a brief description of a setting in your book that embodies this theme. Reflect on how this setting can be seen as a metaphor related to your protagonist’s journey.

By integrating these elements, your setting will transition from mere scenery to an essential, living component of your narrative. Remember, the goal is to make the setting so integral that your story would change fundamentally if it were to occur anywhere else.