When it comes to constructing and publishing a wow-factor novel, there is no denying that the setting of a story is one of the most vital foundations you nail in order to paint the picture-perfect storyline. What is the setting of a story exactly? All in all, setting elements is the process of homing in on the time, place, and vibe the scene is occurring; it is the detailed undertone of setting the mood, how your characters behave, and can have massive impacts on the emotional responses of your readers. In short, the setting of a story acts as your background, your anchor that grounds everything that happens in your story from cover to cover, no matter what genre or style you are passionate about.

And you guessed it; with the setting of a story being such the cornerstone factor of a hooking and engaging book, knowing how to get it right with the perfect cocktail of details is what can be the make or breaking point of an accentuating reader experience. No pressure. And because we here at 48 Hour Books are committed to seeing you succeed, below is a comprehensive guideline to ensure your setting elements will be nothing shy of statement-making.

Understanding the setting of a story: choosing and conveying a powerful setting

It can be enticing to dive straight into your plot and describe characters. But don't forget that those said characters and situations need a place to exist, which is where learning the intricacies of 'what is a setting of a story' comes into play. Now, instead of merely saying someone is in a dark forest or describing every little pebble your character steps on, it is important to note that there is actually a healthy balance between too much information and not enough – which brings us to our first point:

ü  Choose setting and keep the description simple – Choosing a setting for your story can come about through a number of aspects. It should be in alignment with your characters’ backgrounds, supports their intended goals, helps build your desired plot, and steers you in the right direction whether it be real-life places or fictional ones. If real-life locations, be diligent about doing extensive area/surroundings research to depict it accurately and double-check it again during the proofreading/editing process.

Now touching on part two of this point, regardless of the setting angle you are closing in on, be sure to not overshare the setting. The goal is to give enough information to deliver a coherent picture, but open enough so that your readers have wiggle room for imagination. With that being said, carefully parse out the most interesting details when describing the setting of a story, leave the minor stuff out to avoid boring your readers, and be careful not to overload them with too many adjectives.

ü  Show, don’t tell – The best story settings do not actually describe the setting in detail at all, but rather list sensory descriptions that make them feel as if they are there themselves. For example, if your setting has a factory nearby, don’t say that directly. Instead, indicate it through how the setting smells or how the smog looks in the sky. Are you chilly? Do you feel a breeze? What can you hear? How far can you see? Is the grass wet? In general, answer these kinds of questions and deal in the details, as linking your readers in through setting elements that they can see, taste, hear, smell, and touch is the key to solidifying setting success.

ü  Use figurative messages - As another quick tip, using strong comparative metaphors is a powerful settings element that nearly all authors leverage to gain more impact on reader imaginations. Let’s say that you described the essence of an erupting volcano down to the last imaginative pixel, but still need to convey just how loud the setting is. In this case, you could compare the volcano to that of a vengeful, fiery dragon to give that visual effect. Nonetheless, figurative messages can work wonders at creating compelling images than simply describing the senses themselves.

Excellent Story Setting Examples:

When Harry Potter sees Hogwarts for the first time

Dickens Describing London in Oliver Twist

The scenic setting of Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings

Nora Roberts describing Ireland in The Dark Witch

Summary – Create an attractive setting

What is the setting of a story? In summary, it is the backbone of your entire book. Without the setting of a story, your characters are just floating there with no reason to act/react or more importantly, have a reason to care. Because the fact of the matter is that without a place, there is no story to tell.

Overall, the setting of a story serves more than just indicating a time and place for your plot/characters to unfold; it is what pulls your readers in and sets the entire tone and vibe from start to finish. This is the very reason why setting elements are such an intricate part of the world of book publishing and an even more critical aspect to get right to ensure your book is positioned for success. And when you eventually perfect your story setting, as we know you will, have the peace of mind knowing that our 48 Hour Books team is on standby to help you finally share it.