In writing workshops and courses, setting is often overlooked. Merriam-Webster defines setting as the time, place, and circumstances in which something occurs or develops. Sounds pretty vital to a story, right?
However, many writers focus on developing captivating plotlines and engaging dialogues leaving setting off to the wayside. This results in the dreaded “white room syndrome”– lifeless scenes where characters speak to each other in a void.
How bland!
On the other hand, some authors overwhelm their readers with extensive setting descriptions, dedicating several paragraphs to depicting landscapes, elaborating on flora and fauna, describing cloud shapes, and detailing how sunlight shimmers through the blah, blah, blah, blah, BLAH….Zzzzz.
But what if I told you that by implementing five straightforward strategies, you can turn dull setting descriptions into magical paragraphs that not only evoke atmosphere and suggest themes but also transport your readers into the heart of your story?
Let’s get into it.
1) ENGAGE THE SENSES
Let your POV (point-of-view) character experience your fictional world as you do in your very real one, using the senses.
smell
RAYNE HALL’S WRITING VIVID SETTINGS emphasizes the importance of immersing your readers into your story using the sense of smell. Smell, as it happens, has the strongest psychological effect. (HALL 2014, 4)
Smells trigger emotions. For one thing, just reading about them can conjure up memories, both pleasant and unpleasant.
If we want our readers to have a pleasant experience try adding the scent of roses, fresh laundry, or vanilla…
If we want our reader to recoil, try adding the scent of mildew, rotten eggs, or sour milk…
If we want our reader to have a sense of hunger, add savory smells like chocolate, cinnamon, lemon, or butter, etc…
You get the idea.
To keep descriptions fresh, vary the sentence structure and wording. Here are some suggestions:
The scents of XX mingled with smells of YY.
The odor of YY failed to mask the stench of XX.
The air was rich with the scents of XX and YY. (Hall 2014, 5)
Examples:
“she smoked so much she smelled like tobacco even after a shower, like if she slit her skin, menthol vapor would ooze out. He’d come to like it, it smelled like comfort and home to him, the way warm bread might to someone else.”
“Bill could smell Its breath and it was a smell like exploded animals lying on the highway at midnight.”
TOUCH
Tactile descriptions can really sell your scene. Again, the devil is in the details when it comes to describing setting.
If your character has just arrived on a sub-zero icy planet, does the cold air sting her cheeks? Does the frigid wind toss her hair every which way?
In contrast, if your POV character has just arrived on a desert island. What does the hot sand feel like between her toes? What do the sun’s rays feel like beating down on her skin?
Say a mom just came home from work and has found her kids left the kitchen a mess. As a result, does her shoes stick to the tile floor?
If you are a romance writer and have an understanding partner, bring a notepad to the bedroom. What does it feel like when his/her hands trace along XX and brush against YY?
TASTE
The obvious way to use taste is when your POV character is eating. Clearly, that’s all well and good. But also think of ways to immerse your reader with taste in other ways such as a fight scene (i.e., tasting blood after being punched).
Or tasting salty sweat dripping down his face after a scorching hot day.
Or tasting the spearmint gum on a lover’s tongue.
Examples:
“in her dreams, blood tasted like fizzy strawberry soda. If you drank it too fast, you got brain freeze. When she was older, after she’d licked a cut on her finger, the taste of that became the taste in her dreams: copper and tears.”
~ Holly Black (The Coldest Girl in Coldtown)
“Pinching his nose, Harry drank the Potion down in two large gulps. It tasted like overcooked cabbage.”
~ J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2))
SIGHT
Our most relied upon sense, is our sense of sight. However, what happens when we want to describe a setting we’ve never seen?
Additionally, what happens when what we want describe a setting that doesn’t even exist?
Using visual aids from Pinterest, magazines, or even AI generated artwork will aid in providing source material for crafting better setting descriptions.
MasterClass suggests choosing a few vital details to go on rather than overwhelming your reader with adjectives. (MasterClass 2021)
SOUND
Adding sound unrelated to the action yet characterizes the place can be perfect for adding atmosphere. (Hall 2014, 8)
Think of a crowded city, any city. What sounds come to mind? Fire truck sirens, a soda can rolling on concrete, dogs barking, people talking loudly?
Furthermore, action sounds can also come in handy when describing what a noun is doing. Words like rustled, clicked, buzzed, etc.
Lastly, using onomatopoeia can also be useful (i.e. bang, oink, hiss, clang, bark, meow, etc).
Author and Writing Instructor Rayne Hall suggests creating a Setting Descriptions Bank – a document to record your sensory experiences at specific settings to use as a reference when they are needed.
2) study great screenplays
I first read this tip in Writer’s Little Helper by James V. Smith Jr.
A movie director doesn’t have the luxury of spending paragraphs informing the audience of every nuance about a creepy old house. The director only has few shots to convey the mood and tone of a story.
Observe the emotional impact of this excerpt from lines from the Netflix’s hit TV series, ‘Stranger Things’:
INT. HAWKINS LABS – SUB-LEVEL CORRIDOR
We are now inside the laboratory… SLOWLY CREEPING down a long windowless corridor toward a STEEL DOOR. Fluorescent lights flicker… a SIREN WARBLES… And we continue to HEAR that LOW-END RUMBLE…
We DRAW CLOSER to the door… and closer… and… WHOOM! THE DOOR EXPLODES OPEN. THE HINGES SHRIEKING. A SCIENTIST staggers out. Terrified.
He sprints down the corridor. Running for his life. Faster, faster, faster —
INT. HAWKINS LABS – SUB-LEVEL CORRIDOR & ELEVATOR
He rounds a corner. Up ahead: a FREIGHT ELEVATOR.
He mashes the CALL BUTTON. As he waits for the elevator to arrive, he keeps looking back over his shoulder… down that long corridor. Terrified.
The elevator arrives. The doors grind vertically open.
The scientist leaps inside. He hits the button for the top floor. As he waits for the doors to close, he hears:
A STRANGE RUMBLING NOISE. COMING FROM ABOVE HIM.
Can you feel how visceral this scene is? Can you feel the creep-factor?
Read the entire script here. This technique is a game changer for anyone wanting to create immersive scenes.
3) USE FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Sometimes, to create a strong visual impact upon your reader, you must treat your setting as if it, too, is a character. Try using metaphors or similes to convey an image. (MasterClass 2021)
Examples:
Bland Description:
The old house seemed out of place. Something about the large, dusty windows and broken shutters gave her the creeps.
Figurative Description:
Unlike the other house on Dreary Lane, this house stood out. This house had no color, no life, no soul. The dusty windows overlooked the neighborhood with a cold stare. Like her heart, this house was broken and beyond repair.
4) Don’t Info Dump, Layer it In
Rather than creating long blocks of paragraphs describing setting – everything from the cracks in the concrete to the colors of the autumn leaves, layer it in with action, with dialogue. Make it read more naturally. (MasterClass 2021)
Examples:
Info Dump:
The vibrant autumn leaves crunched beneath her brown leather boots while strolling through Oakbrook Park. Crisp, cool air brushed her cheeks, and the sun dipped low, casting blues that transformed into warm, sangria hues. Elegant women with petite dogs leisurely passed by. A police siren blared on a nearby street, startling a baby into tears. A brisk breeze caused leaves to rustle and tumble above her head. She soon encountered a man with a remarkable mustache selling churros from his cart, compelling her to stop and indulge in one.
Balanced Description:
Leaves crunched under her feet as she strolled through Oakbrook Park. Nothing like a cool autumn day to take her mind off things.
Her nerves were wound up so tight she could just scream. A siren blared past, and a startled baby cried, and she wanted to cry that hard. She envied the baby’s emotional freedom.
She wished she could be cool, calm, and collected, like the elegant woman strolling past her with their designer miniature dogs.
A brisk wind brought down a flurry of vibrant colored leaves and the scent of something sugary sweet. A man with an impressive mustache strolled towards her with a cart of churros. Now, this will cheer me up, she thought.
Do you see how the second example felt more dynamic and less stuffy?
Bottom line – don’t stop your story to describe stuff. And sometimes less is more.
5) utilize deep pov
If your story is told from multiple POV’s. Consider tailoring your setting description to your individual characters. (Hall 2014, 42)
Consider…
What does your POV do for a living?
What are your POV’s hobbies?
What are your POV’s obsessions?
For example, in both the book series and Showtime TV series, Dexter, the main character Dexter Morgan, is a forensics’ blood splatter expert. He observes the stories the blood patterns leave behind. Furthermore, he is also sensitive to the sociopathic behaviors of others, since he himself is a sociopath.
In summary, crafting better setting descriptions can be achieved by engaging the senses, studying screenplays, using figurative language, layering in details, and diving into deep POV.
By implementing these five techniques, your work in-progress is guaranteed to become more dynamic and immersive – your readers will feel as though they are living vicariously through your characters or at the very least a fly on the wall. If you need to practice these techniques more extensively, Reedsy.com is an excellent resource for more setting description’s writing prompts.
In conclusion, the key to mastering the art of setting description is to practice, practice, practice. So, what are you waiting for? Get to it.
If you found this content helpful, or if you have some setting description tips of your own, please feel free to leave a comment down below.