What is Setting?

1. The main purpose of a setting in our writing is to establish a time and place. Each scene in a story has one setting. When the setting changes, the scene changes. What is Setting?

2. “I went down that way on my way to school one spring morning. It was out of my way but I wanted to see if Walter was there.” Excerpt from “Stolen Day” Author- Sherwood Anderson Can you find the time and place?

3. “I went down that way on my way to school one spring morning. It was out of my way but I wanted to see if Walter was there.”

4. A really great setting also accomplishes the following things: • It creates a mood through the use of sensory images (these are descriptions that make us see, hear, smell, taste, or touch something in our minds) and use of details.

5. “Lewis Raycie was up the next morning before sunrise. Unlatching his shutters without noise, he looked forward over the wet lawn merged in a blur of shrubberies, and the waters of the Sound dimly seen beneath a sky full of stars.” Excerpt from “False Dawn” Author- Edith Wharton Can you see, hear, taste, touch, or feel something in your mind? What words help you to imagine?

6. “Lewis Raycie was up the next morning before sunrise. Unlatching his shutters without noise, he looked forward over the wet lawn merged in a blur of shrubberies, and the waters of the Sound dimly seen beneatha sky full of stars.” What is the mood? In other words, what emotion does this make you feel?

7. A strong settingputs the characters into the context of the story

8. “The crevasse was about six feet wide at the top and narrowed gradually as it went down. But how deep it was, Rudi could not tell. After a few feet the blue walls of ice curved away at a sharp slant, and what was below the curve was hidden from sight.” Excerpt from “A Boy and A Man” Author- James Ramsey Ullman Where is the character? How does he fit into the story?

9. A strong setting often gives us a hint of upcoming conflict in the story. This could be something as big as “the boom of a cannon explosion” in a war or as small as “the cruel arch of an eyebrow.”

10. “Below them the town was laid out in harsh angular patterns. The houses in the outskirts were all exactly alike, small square boxes painted gray. Each had a small rectangular plot of lawn in front, with a straight line of dull looking flowers edging the path to the door.” Excerpt from “A Wrinkle in Time” Author- Madeleine L’Engle Do you feel like some sort of problem (conflict) might happen? Why?

11. Settings usually occur at the beginning of a scene, but details and description are often revisited throughout the scene and are a cohesive thread. Each time there is a new setting, it is a new scene in the story.

12. Just remember • A story’s setting is very important to make the plot believable- details is needed to make the picture come alive. • Do not assume that the reader can see through your eyes- give as much details as you can about the setting.

13. Your job now is… • Create 4 detailed settings for your character and story. • Describe each setting with words and phrases, giving as much details as possible. • Give more than a time and place- describe these places with the idea that your character will have some kind of conflict in one of them. • Use your details to create your intended mood. • Keep all of this information in your folder with your other story parts.