*** Special Feature - July 2015 ***
Chapter 7: Setting, Details & Research
Where Are We?
Creating a Setting
Details
You Can Write—Really! by Author Kelli A. Wilkins
Hi everyone!
Have you always
wanted to write?
Are you looking
for an extra boost of motivation?
Do you have a
great story idea, but don’t know how to develop it?
Then I have the book for you!
Today, I’m sharing a look at the making
of my non-fiction writing book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to
Writing Fiction.
You Can Write—Really! is an easy guide designed for beginner writers who need a boost
of motivation and simple instructions on how to get started.
As
an author of 95 short stories and 19 romance novels, I’m often asked: Where do
you get your ideas? How do I get published? How do you write a book? What
advice do you have for writers who are just starting out? Do you have any
writing tips?
I’ve
answered these questions many times in interviews and addressed them in guest
blogs, but I always wanted to say more. One day, I started thinking about
everything I’ve learned over the years, and inspiration hit me: Why not write a
book on how to write? The result? You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing
Fiction.
This
fun and practical book walks you through the story-creating process
step-by-step: from getting a great idea to meeting your characters, developing
a plot, and on to writing, revising, and submitting your work.
Each
easy-to-read chapter is based on my experiences as a writer, advice I’ve
received over the years, and practical knowledge I’ve gained in writing classes
and workshops. I also included helpful tips all writers can use, plus easy
writing exercises to get you motivated.
Once you have the basics down, you can write—really! Here’s
the book blurb along with an exclusive excerpt from Chapter 7 - Setting,
Details & Research.
Enjoy!
Kelli A. Wilkins
You Can Write—Really! A
Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction
If you’ve always dreamed of writing and getting
published, but have no idea where or how to start—THIS is the book for you!
You
Can Write—Really! is an easy guide designed for beginner writers who
need a boost of motivation and simple instructions on how to get started.
Award-winning author Kelli A. Wilkins takes you
step-by-step through the writing process, covering the basics of plotting,
editing, revising, and submitting. In addition, she explores ways to get your creativity
flowing, explains where
authors get ideas, and shows you how to create interesting characters for your
story.
Helpful tips and fun writing exercises throughout
the book get you started!
Chapter 7: Setting, Details & Research
Where Are We?
Setting and
details are two necessary elements for your short story or novel. They give
readers a firm idea of when and where the characters are. (They don’t exist
randomly floating in space.)
Take a second
and look around. Where are you reading this? In your living room? A park? While
walking on a treadmill? Wherever you are is your setting, and your story’s
setting needs to be as realistic as the one you see around you. How do you do
that? Through realistic sensory details and a little bit of research.
Creating a Setting
Setting is when
and where your short story or novel takes place. It can be a historical setting
(ancient Egypt), contemporary (present day Florida), futuristic (Earth Colony
Vega in space year 2513), or anywhere you can imagine. But no matter when (or
where) a story takes place, readers have to be comfortable in the setting and
“buy into” the fact that the story is set wherever it is. In short, you need to
make the setting so real the reader forgets he or she isn’t in a Medieval
Scottish castle.
And if your
historical romance takes place in a castle, describe the castle to the reader
through your hero’s and heroine’s points-of-view. Each character will notice
(or not notice) different things. The hero has lived in this castle for years,
so he’s used to it. He’s not going to notice the portraits on the walls or want
to investigate a closed-off wing.
However, to your
heroine (who has never been there before) everything is new and a bit
overwhelming. She can’t wait to explore and naturally gets lost, is awestruck
at the grand hall, and becomes curious about a locked tower room. As you write
each scene, show readers what each character is seeing, smelling, hearing, etc.
so they can imagine they’re in the castle, too.
EXERCISE 1: If you already have your story idea,
you probably have a setting. If not, ask yourself: Where does the story take
place? When? Why is it set there? For what reason? You need to know the answers
to these questions because the setting is the backdrop of the story; it’s where
the characters live. Write down everything you know about the setting and start
dreaming up the locations you will need.
The setting you
choose for your short story or novel adds to the overall mood of the piece. If
you are writing a mystery, perhaps the setting is a gloomy, secluded mansion. A
moonlit graveyard is a fantastic location for a horror story, and a
contemporary romance is perfectly at home set in a California beach town.
Settings can be
broad (Small Town, USA) or specific (room 13 of a haunted hotel). If you are
writing a short story, you could limit the setting to one place or have the
action occur in several locations, it’s up to you. Novels are generally set in
a number of different locales as the characters move through the story and take
readers along for an adventure.
TIP: Look at magazines and photos online to get
descriptions and ideas for your settings. If you find an unusual piece of
furniture, a fancy dress, or a cool castle you could use in a story, save it
for ideas and inspiration.
The clothing
your characters wear helps establish setting. If the hero is wearing a ruffled
shirt and breeches, readers will know he is not in contemporary times (or he
has time traveled). A long-haired guru is wearing a Nehru jacket, denim
bellbottoms, and six strings of beads? Welcome to 1968.
Weather can be
an important setting element. A rainy, gray day can reflect a character’s
depressed mood. Kids will be running out the door to play on a sunny summer
afternoon. See if the weather could be used as a source of conflict. An
earthquake, flood, or tornado causes trouble for your characters, or maybe the
witch in your paranormal story can conjure storms with her mind.
No matter how
simple or exotic the setting is, make your characters at home there. Describe
it so readers know exactly what’s in the room and where the story is taking
place. How do you do that? Through details.
Details
Think back over
your day today. What did you see? Hear? Smell? Taste? Touch? Those are your
five senses at work, giving you impressions of everything around you. When
writing, you need to engage these senses in the reader and in your characters.
If LouAnn smells roses, the reader should smell roses. If your cop hears the
screech of tires and a blaring horn, readers need to hear it, too.
Try to
incorporate each of the senses into every scene. They will add another
dimension of reality to the story. Yes, it’s hard to add “taste” to your scene
if your character isn’t eating anything, but another character could notice his
breath smells like tuna, peppermint, or garlic.
Colors,
smells, taste, the weather, food, (or anything) can be used to make a character
or a setting stand out. Here are a few examples: The living room smelled like a
combination of wet dog and rose-scented perfume. Steve licked his lips,
savoring the zingy taste of strawberries. Only Aunt Patty would wear a hot-pink
polka-dot dress with lime green shoes.
Color helps set
the mood or tone of a story and can be used to reveal more about the characters.
A pastel pink bedroom with white furniture and lace curtains probably belongs
to a young girl (or a very romantic heroine). A basement room painted red with
black velvet curtains could be home to a vampire or the neighborhood Satanist.
A brown and orange living room with an avocado shag rug tells me your story is
set in the 1970s. Readers don’t want a bland story, so add some color and life
to the character’s world.
EXERCISE 2: Write a three to five paragraph
description using some of these prompts:
Location: bathroom, office, bar, car, park
Sight: a dead mouse, trees, a lost child, a torn letter, broken bottle
Smell: vanilla perfume, urine, candy, cigarettes, mold
Hearing: crying, yelling, traffic noises, music, whispering
Touch: rough, soft, wet, sharp, hard
Taste: sour, sweet, minty, bitter, coppery
Location: bathroom, office, bar, car, park
Sight: a dead mouse, trees, a lost child, a torn letter, broken bottle
Smell: vanilla perfume, urine, candy, cigarettes, mold
Hearing: crying, yelling, traffic noises, music, whispering
Touch: rough, soft, wet, sharp, hard
Taste: sour, sweet, minty, bitter, coppery
Keep in mind
you’re not limited to the physical senses when it comes to adding details.
Don’t forget about the calendar and the clock. What time of day does your
opening scene take place? What season is it? Work the season and time of day
into the story through dialogue, details, or background.
If you’re ready to write, order your copy here:
About the Author
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 95 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books.
Her newest book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction was released in February 2015. This fun and informative non-fiction guide is based on her 15 years of experience as a writer, and is available exclusively on Amazon.
Kelli published three romances in 2014: Dangerous Indenture (a spicy historical/mystery), Wilderness Bride (a tender historical/Western/adventure), and A Secret Match (a gay contemporary set in the world of professional wrestling). Her romances span many genres and heat levels and yet she’s also been known to scare readers with a horror story. In 2014, her horror fiction appeared in Moon Shadows, Wrapped in White, and Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine.
Connect with the Author
Website I Blog I Newsletter I Facebook I Twitter I Amazon I Amber Quill Press Author Page I Goodreads I Pinterest
Other Books by the Author:
(Click on the Cover to know More)
Giveaway
PDF copy of either A Secret Match or Dangerous Indenture - Winner's Choice. Open Internationally.
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