The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting.

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1 SETTING FYI The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting. a) place - Where is the action of the story taking place? b) time - When is the story taking place? c) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc? d) mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening? Examples: That very night in Max's room a forest grew and grew and grew until his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around and an ocean tumbled by with a private boat for Max and he sailed off through night and day and in and out of weeks and almost over a year to where the wild things are. Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendack Setting Elements: time, place The emergency sirens hadn t faded before the hum of another engine rumbled into the square. The market s silence was split by feet thumping on the pavement and then someone spitting commands. Someone else s guttural response. Slinging her messenger bag across her back, Cinder crept across the dusty floor of her booth and pushed past the tablecloth that draped her work desk. She slipped her fingers into the gap of light beneath the door and inched it open. Pressing her cheek to the warm, gritty pavement, she was able to make out three sets of yellow boots across the square. An emergency crew. She peeled the door open farther and watched the men all wearing gas masks as they doused the interior of the booth with liquid from a yellow can. Even across the square, Cinder wrinkled her nose at the stench. Cinder, Marissa Meyer Setting Elements: A half hour passed. Neither Thomas nor Minho had moved an inch. Thomas had finally stopped crying; he couldn t help wondering what Minho would think of him, or if he d tell others, calling him a sissy. But there wasn t a shred of self-control left in him; he couldn t have prevented the tears, he knew that. Despite his lack of memory, he was sure he d just been through the most traumatic night of his life. And his sore hands and utter exhaustion didn t help. He crawled to the edge of the Cliff once more, stuck his head over again to get a better look now that dawn was in full force. The open sky in front of him was a deep purple, slowly fading into the bright blue of day, with tinges of orange from the sun on a distant, flat horizon. Maze Runner, James Dashner Setting Elements:

2 Describing Setting WHEN (Time) early spring mid Summer early morning this century last year yesterday today last month in 1999 March 26, o clock WHERE (Place) the Swiss Alps in Montana in the valley Western USA near the mountains on the lake on the peak in the meadow at the mountain base beside the water snowy peak WEATHER balmy breezy clear cold cool crisp icy sunny windy MOOD peaceful quiet cold calm crisp serene welcoming tranquil refreshing proud dreamy

3 When (Time) Where (Place) Weather Mood Write a setting description based on the notes above. Be sure to include all four elements of setting.

4 SETTING A great writing trick is to use setting to reinforce your characters. For example, if you are writing about a mysterious person, you might place him or her in a dark mansion on a hill outside of town. Or, if one of your characters is feeling trapped in his or her life, they might live in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Description of Larry: Larry was having a hard time. He felt sad and trapped. He was once a famous author, but he hadn t written a word for years. Describing Larry through his apartment (setting): Larry's apartment was less of a living space than a glorified closet. The bathroom was just big enough to sit on the toilet without having his knees touch the sink, and the window was more like a ship's porthole. The bed was so small his feet hung over the edge, and there was really not much to do but watch static on the television. The place did not have a kitchen, so he bought a camping hotplate to make his single-serving meals. He ate the same thing every night, but like a house cat, he did not seem to mind the monotony of his repeated dinner of rice, wilted spinach, and baked beans. Nothing hung on the walls of Larry s place, but old framed photos of family members he no longer spoke to cluttered his small desk. An old dusty typewriter and a stack of blank paper took up the rest of the space there. He hadn t written a word in years. Larry doesn't even have to speak for himself; his apartment speaks for him! Highlight the words in the paragraph above that were used to show: Larry is having a hard time. (yellow) Larry felt sad and trapped. (blue) Larry once was is a famous author, but hadn t written a word for years. (green)

5 For each of the following characters, try to come up with a setting that will reflect or reinforce what you imagine about them. As you write, try to be as detailed as possible. Don t forget colors, sounds, and even smells. The shy new girl in town: A criminal on the run: Adapted from