My Writing Guide

The Two Types of Setting

Every story contains two types of setting, each with its own elements. This isn't a pick-one-and-ditch-the-other kind of situation. Both of these types of setting are essential to your story, so make sure to read up on both.

Story Setting

A story setting is the overall environment of your entire story. Here are a few questions to ask yourself about the elements of your story setting:

1. What country, region, and town is my story set in?

2. What part of town does my story take place in?

3. What is that place like? Who are the people that live there?

4. What is the culture like in my story setting?

5. What time of the year or season does my story take place in?

6. What is the political atmosphere of my story?

Keep in mind, your story may have multiple story settings, especially if you have multiple POV characters or your characters do a lot of traveling. I do suggest limiting yourself to no more than five, however, since story settings involve a lot of exposition. Try to consolidate your settings as much as possible so that the reader doesn't become confused.

Scene Setting

Your scene setting is the environment in which each scene of your story takes place. Here are a few questions to ask yourself about each scene in your story:

1. What town is my scene set in?

2. What building and room is my scene set in?

3. What time of day is it?

4. What month and day of the week is it?

5. What is the weather like?

6. What items of particular note are in the surroundings?

7. What kind of mood are the characters experiencing in this scene?

An average novel has 60 scenes, so you very well could have up to 60 scene settings. However, I suggest revisiting a scene setting more than once so that your readers better connect to the places in your book.