The Power of Setting – Tim Harris

Hi WestWorders,

One of my favourite books is The Loner by Ester Wier. There is a terrifying scene where the main character, David, stumbles into an abandoned mine and falls down a mineshaft. Thankfully, David lands on a plank of wood and it stops him from tumbling into the pitch-black waters below. It’s completely dark, David is on his own, and the wood creaks precariously under his weight. The setting is perfect for tension.

Note: I chewed my nails HEAPS when reading that scene.

Another one of my favourite books is Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle, which is set in a Lilliputian world – everything is miniature. People are so small that they harness ants and beetles to do heavy carrying. Their world is a giant oak tree. The setting is perfect for curiosity. What if everyone were this small? What if a tree were home to humanity?

Wendy Orr’s masterpiece, Dragonfly Song, is set in the time of the ancient Greeks, around 1450 BCE. The reader is sucked into an old world, where slaves, goddesses, ships and rituals are commonplace. It’s a time so unfamiliar to our own that we can’t help but be intrigued.

Then there is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Who wouldn’t want to explore the moving staircases or the countless mysterious corridors?

When planning Toffle Towers, I made sure that the main setting – the hotel – made room for lots of adventures. There are hidden passages, locked doors, a gravity-free dining room (yippee!) and an ever-busy lobby filled with fascinating guests.

Story settings can pull a reader deep into a world. Settings undoubtedly give us lots of freedom as writers. We are free to build worlds as we like!

How will you use setting to hook your readers? Do you have a favourite type of setting? Let me know in the comments.

Tim

 

20 Comments

  1. Stephanie

    I would use setting to hook my reader by describing the area where the character is in and make it sound unusual so the reader could keep reading so they can learn more about that certain setting. My favourite type of setting is environmental because it is more open and you could describe more about it.

    Reply
    • Tim Harris

      This is a very thoughtful comment, Stephanie. I like writing environmental settings too.

      Reply
  2. Sri Darshna

    Hi Tim,
    One of my favourite books is Clementine Rose and the Farm Fiasco by Jacqueline Harvey, which is set in the farm. There is a funny scene when Clementine’s teacher was chased by a goose and the teacher’s rival, aunt Violet, who chased the goose, in order to save the teacher got lost in a chaotic chasing battle. Precariously, the students of Clementine’s class went and looked for the missing adults and got lost themselves. The setting is perfect for humour and a little bit of tension.

    Reply
    • Tim Harris

      Hi Sri,
      What a beautifully-written description of the scene from Clementine Rose. Thanks for sharing those thoughts about the humour and tension in the setting.

      Reply
  3. Sophia Chen

    Hi, I would use setting to hook my reader by describing the setting I have chosen, detailing each thing I see that is interesting so the reader will keep on reading. My favourite type of setting is actually anywhere, any setting always have something interesting!

    Reply
    • Tim Harris

      This is very true, Sophia. Any setting can have a cracking description when we find the right words. Nice one!

      Reply
  4. Harry

    Hi,
    I would use as much detail as possible in each setting I describe, I would also leave out a few certain aspects of the environment to create suspense for the reader to keep them reading.

    Reply
    • Tim Harris

      Hi Harry,
      I like the idea of leaving space for the reader to imagine. This is a really great way to write. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  5. Joshua

    I would like to set the setting of the story wherever it is more appropriate to write in. For example, if the title is “The Dungeon”, then a more appropriate place would be a castle or any place where you would get punished in a dungeon.

    Reply
    • Tim Harris

      This is a very thoughtful response. Thanks for sharing, Joshua!

      Reply
  6. Shawn Ng

    Hey Mr Harris,

    I really enjoyed reading this blog!

    Personally, I would write my setting on a few things:

    1. The atmosphere (The weather, and the impact it has on the character.)

    2. The physical structures in the area.

    3. What is ahead of the character. (What can he/she expect next?)

    I would also sometimes let the reader infer what the environment is about. For example, ‘Giants with pointed edges showered in clouds of white frosting loomed in the distance, and increasingly get bigger as I approach them.’

    Reply
    • Tim Harris

      You make some great points here, Shawn. It’s fantastic to see you reflecting on the power of setting.

      Reply
  7. Leila

    Wow! I will definitely be thinking more about describing the settings of my story since this has shown me how much impact the setting truly brings. This has made me realise that settings can do so much more than just ‘set the scene.’

    Reply
    • Tim Harris

      That’s great to hear, Leila. All the best for your setting creations!

      Reply
  8. Angela

    Hi, I would use setting to hook my reader by using a character’s perspective. What he/she is seeing, hearing, touching … well basically all the five senses from the character’s view. I would write as much description in and make the reader keep reading on.

    Reply
    • Tim Harris

      Some excellent reflections here, Angela. I’m glad you reminded us about using the five senses.

      Reply
  9. Collin Hao

    In the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the Little Prince lives on the asteroid B 612. The setting is richly described as having knee-high volcanos, an extinct volcanos and a rose. First of all, the author chose a very original place to begin hsi story, and secondly his description made me feel like I was actually there. I will try to use the same techniques in my writing.

    Reply
    • Tim Harris

      That’s so cool that you felt like you were actually there. It goes to show the power of setting – and language!

      Reply
  10. Evan Rusli

    One of my most favourite settings is from the book, Divergent, which is set in this dystopian establishment. Which I really like because it allows using the 5 senses really easy and smoothly.

    I think this dystopian setting also hooks in the reader really well as it is usually always out of the ordinary actions or events.

    Reply
    • Tim Harris

      Divergent is a great read. I agree.

      Reply

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