The setting of your story is the location and time period in which your story takes place. Setting is only as important as you make it. You can leave it simply in the background, or you can make it fundamental to the story.
In this chapter, we will briefly discuss background settings, fundamental settings, and changing settings.
7a: Background Settings:
A background setting is not important to the story or characters in a way that will decide any outcomes within your story. In other words, it has no real bearing on the plot.
Here are some examples of background settings:
Four friends discuss what they want to do after they graduate from college. The setting here can be anywhere mundane, as these four friends can have their discussion anywhere that isn’t a distraction. They can be talking in a café, riding around in a car, or standing in a college hallway.
Amanda and Greg are best friends. Amanda really wants to tell Greg that she wants something more out of their relationship. This example is similar to the first, as these two characters can discuss Amanda’s feelings anywhere. The difference here, however, is that Amanda’s location can be made important if the author feels like it. Unlike the first example, where the friends would probably not discuss their future plans in a dangerous or interesting setting, Amanda’s confession could happen somewhere ordinary or somewhere more meaningful.
Joe wants to visit his three friends and discuss old times. The setting here is only mildly important, as it can create a different situation for each conversation. If one of Joe’s friends is in the hospital, this would be a different situation than if Joe’s friend was at home.
7b: Fundamental Settings:
A fundamental setting is one in which the story will not work anywhere else. The characters must interact with the setting in order to keep the plot moving along.
Here are some examples of fundamental settings:
Demia is a fighter pilot for the United Planets. Most of her storyline takes place in space. Her story involves deeply detailed space combat and would not work in any other setting.
Brinn and her four friends are trapped by a madman in a locked room filled with traps. This is an escape-room scenario, and the story is all about the setting. Without the room full of traps, there is no story to tell.
Marcus wants to climb Mount Everest. Most of his story is about surviving the dangers of the climb. As you can see, Marcus’ story would not be the same if he were anywhere else. His story is about climbing Mount Everest, and he could not accomplish this if he were stuck in his living room.
You will use fundamental settings quite often outside of normal dialogue. Just remember that an interesting setting is usually part of the story and not just a backdrop for the reader to ignore.
7c: Changing Settings:
Novels and novellas will change settings quite often, especially if you have action and adventure in mind. Short stories typically only change settings a few times or not at all, mostly depending upon how you’ve set up your plot.
Think of your story as moving from one scene to another, which is exactly what it’s doing whenever you change settings.
7c1: Familiar Settings:
For longer stories in novels and novellas, characters may come back to familiar settings that are used as background settings for dialogue or certain situations. You may have several settings used for just this purpose.
For example, if your main character is a middle-school student, your character may start at home, go to class, go to the cafeteria, go to a friend’s house, and then end up back at home. Each of these settings may be returned to at some point, and you may rotate between them to move the plot along.
These familiar settings don’t have to be background settings. You can set up situations where a familiar setting is integral to the plot.
7c2: Opening Setting:
Oft times, an opening setting helps set up exposition. An opening setting may be different from the rest of the settings in your story, but it still holds importance because you, as the author, have placed importance on it. An opening setting may explain the origins of the protagonist, the antagonist, or another important character. It may also be important in leading to the conflict of your story.
7c3: Climactic Setting:
A climactic setting is one in which the characters face the climax of your story. This may be a familiar setting, a background setting, or something brand new. That’s up to you. However, your plot may very well depend upon the setting in which your climax occurs, so plan wisely before writing the high point of your story.
7c4: Resolution Setting:
Like the climactic setting, the resolution setting is where the resolution of your story takes place. This is usually a neutral point or a familiar setting used to wind down and tie up all loose ends, but it doesn’t have to be. A resolution setting may be in the same place as the climactic setting, but it may also be somewhere else. Remember, the end of your work is up to you.
7d: In Closing:
Setting is one of those storytelling elements that can be simple or complex depending upon the needs of your story. Sometimes your setting will only be a quiet background where characters talk, think, and make decisions. Other times, your setting will be so important that the story can’t exist without it.
As with plot, genre, theme, and everything else in writing fiction, the important thing is to understand what purpose your setting serves. Don’t make your setting more important than it needs to be, but don’t ignore it when it should matter. Whether your characters are sitting in a café, locked in a room full of deathtraps, climbing Mount Everest, or flying through space, make sure the setting fits the story you’re trying to tell.
The Quick and Easy Guide to Writing Genre Fiction Copyright 1st ed. © 2022 Matthew L. Marlott
TQ&EGtWGF: Chapter 7…Setting Copyright © 2026 bloodytwine.com Matthew L. Marlott
The image for Chapter 7 of TQ&EGtWGF was generated by artificial intelligence courtesy of OpenAI.
