forum How to write settings??

Started December 24, 2017 by Eryn

tune

I have trouble describing the setting my characters are in, either I can't word it right or I end up with WAY too much description of it. Any advice?

Well I'd suggest trying to figure out what exactly the setting is outside of the story. Just…describe it, and let it be as overly-wordy and verbose as it wants to be, and then set all of that description aside into your notes. And then describe only what's absolutely necessary to get the scene/mood working.

Also remember, it's easier to edit something bad than something that doesn't exist at all. Just write, and worry about perfecting it later!

And good luck!

The way I go about it is to describe what it would be like for my character to get from their home to their work (or what have you). Do they drive? Do they walk? Are there houses? Tents? Skyscrapers? When do they get up? What does the sky look like? Just formulate this walk and hopefully this helps! Also, remember to keep to what the character would see. Don't describe blades of grass, focus on the glint from my Ms. Doe's window, or how much you hate traffic, etc.

Each item you describe should have a purpose to it. For example, if you want to describe the house of someone who is a gruff hunter, be sure to describe the stuffed animal heads on his wall and the ash tray. You don't need to describe the color of the wallpaper or the type of wood he used to make his table, unless he cut the wood down and built it himself.

This is an amazing video on worldbuilding. The main point it makes is that you should be writing your setting to convey how it FEELS to be there. Only write what is necessary for that. Sights, sounds, tastes, smells, atmosphere, mood, etc. So I'd say approach your setting and scenes in the same way. There is plenty of bad worldbuilding out there that puts in TONS of details but fails to actually feel real.