2.3 Writer's Workshop: Short Stories

Setting is the WHERE and WHEN a story takes place, and the resulting MOOD.

Where - Location

This can be anywhere on Earth, from the top of mountain to the bottom of the ocean. The story can be set on another planet or even another plane of reality!

Where something happens is important because it helps you visualize the setting. If the story is about a Sherpa climbing Mount Everest, you think of cold temperatures, dangerous ice, and high altitude difficulties. If the story is set in a mermaid castle under the ocean,  you could visualize the pressure of the water, dangerous sea creatures, and mermaids having gills to live under water.   

When

WHEN can be any time period at all. It can be in the past, present, or the future. It can be morning, noon, or night. It can be in summer, spring, winter, or fall.

When something happens is important because it also helps to you visualize the setting and to understand the story. If it is happening in modern day times, then you will visualize people having the same clothes, products, and problems that people have today. If it is set in the past, you might be more dependent on the text details to visualize how they dressed, ate, and interacted.

The mood or feeling of the story

  • is it a happy place? A sad place? A scary place?

    Authors carefully choose their settings in order to create a certain mood. For example, a story set in a haunted house on a dark, stormy night would be rather frightening. Another story set on a tropical island with a gentle breeze and waves lapping against the shore would be peaceful and relaxing. Skillful writers often take you through many different moods as they tell their story.

Example of "Setting"

Here is a passage from a sample short story. Notice how the location, time, and mood are developed in this passage. Word Choice: Think about the word choices: 

Which words paint a picture in your mind as a reader? Do you think he chose (this word/phrase) on purpose?

Example:

The old barn is cool and cavernous. Its walls offer shelter to many creatures. Particles of straw and dust dance in the shafts of light that pierce the gentle gloom. Earthy smells drift by. In the distance a dusty road winds uphill through a tunnel of maple trees. The scent of lavender perfumes the air, and the early afternoon sun glitters on the wings of bees.

Can you identify the location, time, and mood? Here are some ideas:

Location

    • An old barn, probably out in the country somewhere. In the distance is a dusty road that winds through a tunnel of maple trees.

Time

    • Early afternoon. It probably takes place in the summer (the scent of lavender and presence of bees hints at this).

Mood

    • Very peaceful and quiet.

Writer's Notebook Open your Writer's Notebook and complete 3. Setting.