Elements of Setting

December 6, 2009 by Chris
Filed under: Writer's Life

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While writing my current mystery, I’ve tried to follow the adage, “Show, don’t tell.” Instead of telling readers that my main character love wine, I describe his house, with its wine glass racks. Right away, the astute reader will catch on that this is a character that knows wine, at least enough to buy the right glasses for the right wine. The reader will also notice how the character uses wine as a design element with a hanging wine glass rack. A picture forms of a man with good taste.

I use these elements of setting in the mystery’s murder scene. When viewing pictures of the scene, the protagonist is quick to notice the curiosity of the stemware racks. You’ll have to wait until the book is on the shelves to learn about that one.

Setting just as much as character adds dimension to a novel. So much can be learned about a character by his possessions. Each one tells a story about the character. Why did he buy it? How does he use it? I like to refer to these elements as passive character traits. They do some heavy lifting for character development.

As you develop your scenes, think about what possessions you can add to a setting that will reveal back story for your characters. So much can be learned by a single item.

Tags: setting

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