How to Write Effective Settings

Hi I'm Suzie Carr. Thanks for tuning in to my Writing Insights video series. In this video, I'm going to talk about how to effectively describe settings. The goal of writing the setting is to place your reader smack dab in the center of this world you are creating. You want the reader to taste, smell, feel, hear and see the space your characters occupy. To do this right takes a bit of balance. On one hand, you don't want to over describe and risk boring your reader. And, on the other hand, you don't want to under describe and take for granted your reader can feel taste, smell and see everything that your character is experiencing. How can you do this? First step is to allow yourself a few minutes to get lost in your imagination. Close your eyes, listen to music, sit outside and enjoy the breeze, whatever it takes to get you into a state of mind where you can visualize the setting and let it tickle your senses. Once you've got a mental image, you'll want to paint this same image for your readers by writing it out in a way that'll tap into their senses. Here's an example of what I mean by painting a clear picture using the senses: You could say, "It was a spring morning." Or you could make this really stand out by saying this instead, "The air smelled like a fresh sliced cucumber." This uses the sense of taste and smell. Which brings me to my next point. Use more than just the sense of sight. Add in another one or two senses to layer the realism. I would also caution against describing trivial parts to the scenery. This will just drag out your setting paragraphs and bore the reader. Leave out the obvious things like green leaves, black road, or brown mulch. Instead choose to go beyond the natural with the goal to create a sense of awe and belonging to that place. An example: The dog's yelp echoed through the lush, moist forest, competing only with the squawk of birds weaving in and out of the canopy of banana trees." Do you see how this paints a clear picture? If you found this video helpful... I have 19 others videos in this free writing series as well. To get more go to authorinsightsbysuzie.com. Thank you for listening. And please feel free to comment below to let me know how you made out. Good luck!