I’ve made many posts over the years about setting. A reason for this is because I use a lot of descriptive exposition when writing. I know many don’t like this method and start shouting ‘show don’t tell’. Still, this works for my style and it isn’t like I’m selling books anyway. Finding that it helps my son visual what’s going on as well since he started reading Beginning of a Hero.
A personal belief is that setting works as a hidden character. The reason for that is because it evolves as you progress through the story. It doesn’t stay the same because it grows with every added detail. The setting also influences the characters and can force them to develop. So, it can’t be taken for granted or ignored since it influences almost every aspect of the story. This is why I want to get the thoughts of others:
- What is an important ‘rule of setting’ that you follow?
- How much has your setting usage or preferences changed over the years?
- What is an aspect of setting that most people don’t seem to acknowledge? (Examples: time, various sense stimuli, stars, cultures, etc.)
Legends of Windemere 
I am a fan of show, don’t tell, but it doesn’t often work. You need to put the reader in the scene, with light/dark, smells, textures. etc. I love reading authors who do this beautifully – Pat Conroy comes to mind.
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Great advice!
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Always twitch at the saying because people used it like a general attack. I’ve learned that present tense really throws this idea off too. Showing feels like telling because you’re basically reporting as things happen.
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Why I dislike present tense!
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It’s how I write. Probably why I can’t sell books. People don’t adapt well since most books are past tense.
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I don’t mind reading present tense – I just can’t write in it!
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I wonder if minimal or non-existent setting is a new trend. Designing the world around the characters was always one of my favorite parts, so it’s something I can’t understand. Helps with action scenes too because you have scenery to work with.
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Agreed. Setting is important for action scenes. I wonder if some writers are so used to watching TV and movies that they are unsure of how to describe terrain. In a film, you see the scene. You don’t have to imagine it. I had to remind one writer that they were writing a novel and needed to set the scene.
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Funny. That’s what helps me write scenes. I picture everything as moving images instead of words.
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I always try to work on it. I was accused of white room syndrome years ago, meaning there wasn’t enough setting in my stories.
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Never heard of that. Did you make any changes afterwards?
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#3 just reminds me of how ‘Lord of the Rings’ is sometimes teased for all the walking. Think there’s a YouTube song cartoon with Tolkien telling his publishers about all the walking.
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