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Karen (Karenika) Grunberg

Set Me Up

You've decided to write a short story. You've picked your characters, have a good idea for the plot and you're ready to begin. Are you ready to begin? Well, you've got your people and your story; what more could you need?

Let's think. You have the answers to the who, the what and maybe even the why, but what about the where? The setting of your story is just as crucial as the people living there and the things that take place there. Some people start out with a mysterious setting and interesting characters and then lead into an enchanting plotline. Others begin with a different combination. Either way, the location of your story cannot and should not be avoided. It can change everything.

Here is an example:

I walked over to the couch and sat down. My hand quickly reached my mouth, and I continued the chewing I'd begun that morning. I couldn't screw it up this time; I had too much to lose. This promised to be the beginning of a new life for me.

Where do you think this story takes place? It could be a waiting room for a doctor (maybe she's expecting) or an interview for a job. It could be that she's at her boyfriend's parent's house, waiting for them to come downstairs. She could be at home, waiting for her husband to come home and she's going to tell him that she's leaving him for another man. The possibilities are endless.

In each of the settings I mentioned, the dialogue would be different. For example, at an interview, it would be formal and curt. During dinner, it might be respectful but personal. At the home scenario, she could be hysterical or calm and collected. The context changes the entire story and part of the context is setting.

Think of a story and a set of characters, for example:

Story: boy wants girl, girl is already taken
Characters: John, the boy, is a thirty-four-year-old man, and Jane, the girl, is twenty years old, works for him, and has been married since she was fifteen and has a three-year-old child.

Take these characters and the story and put them in New York City. He works for a famous advertising agency and she's his secretary. Write a paragraph of your story.

After completing that one, take the same people and story, but place them in a small farm town. He runs the local grocery store and she helps him out. Did your story change? The dialogue would change, as would the costumes. Even the characters' appearances might alter, simply because you moved them from the city to a small town. (If you're complaining that I made him a grocery store manager, go ahead and make him run the local advertising agency and have her be his secretary; the story would still change.)

A setting defines not only your descriptions of the surroundings but also what your characters wear, how they would talk, and even what jobs they have. A setting helps your reader put the story in context.

Take a look at some of your stories and see what would happen if you changed the where. Maybe that's the spice you've been missing. Who knows?

Next time you write a new story, pay attention to the environment in which it takes place. Show the details to your readers. Make the story come alive.

As always, don't forget to have fun, fun, fun!

Karenika

This month I received no sparkling ideas. If you have any, please email me so we can all use them to help our writing!