Setting

A strong sense of place can enrich every other element of your narrative, transporting your reader to the world in which your story is set as well as adding real atmosphere to your scenes as your plot unfolds. This collection of advice articles bring together a wealth of advice on how to build and develop the setting of a book.

Article

5 min read

Writing In The Past

James Wilson

17th May 2016

Edited

16th September 2020

Anyone writing a novel set in the past faces a number of related challenges. One is the siren call of hindsight: the temptation to litter the story...

Article

9 min read

Writing Within Four Walls

Robyn Cadwallader

17th April 2016

Edited

16th October 2020

Robyn Cadwallader offers advice on how to make a restricted setting compelling.

Article

5 min read

The Currents and Colours of Setting

Louise Beech

29th January 2016

Edited

15th September 2020

For me, the when and where is as important as the who and what. In fiction the actual setting (geography) and the ephemeral setting (historical...

Article

4 min read

The Feeling of a Place

Polly Ho-Yen

17th September 2015

Edited

23rd September 2020

Author Polly Ho-Yen discusses setting in writing, and why it's important to remember that writing is - first and foremost - about living.

Article

6 min read

Unknown History: Bridging the Gaps with Imagination

Simon Turney

28th May 2015

Edited

16th September 2020

Writing in a real historical setting is problematic at best, and some settings are more troublesome than others. Even the most documented historical...

Article

5 min read

The Impact of the Landscape

Cecilia Ekbäck

18th February 2015

Edited

18th September 2020

Writer Cecilia Ekbäck discusses the importance of place in Scandinavian literature and how this has influenced her debut novel, Wolf Winter.