{"id":4954,"date":"2014-07-20T07:00:29","date_gmt":"2014-07-20T06:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=4954"},"modified":"2014-07-20T07:00:29","modified_gmt":"2014-07-20T06:00:29","slug":"its-all-about-the-place-and-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=4954","title":{"rendered":"Its all about the place and time."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The lovely Fiona Harper took this shot of me – in full swing… although somewhat dwarfed by the projector screen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

I was at the fabulous RNA conference last weekend \u2013 where I delivered a workshop on how to use settings more effectively in a book.<\/p>\n

My workshop was at 9 AM the morning after the Gala Dinner \u2013 but despite the late night party, a large number of hearty souls were up and about early \u2013 thanks for coming.<\/p>\n

A few were still not actually able to focus well enough to make notes, so for those and for anyone else who might find it useful \u2013 here are some of my notes.<\/p>\n

Setting is three things \u2013 time, place and reality.\"\"<\/p>\n

Time and place are easy to understand – reality refers to the world you create – especially a\u00a0 sci fi or fantasy world.<\/p>\n

Your setting frames the story \u2013 and also puts the reader in the right frame of mind for your book.<\/p>\n

Choose a setting appropriate to your theme \u2013 many themes can be set anywhere, but some themes can be more clearly illustrated in a particular setting.<\/p>\n

Look for the obvious and appropriate setting \u2013 then look for the opposite. Sometimes that will work even better to highlight your theme.<\/p>\n

The setting should throw focus onto the characters and help give them depth. When you meet your key characters, fill in their surroundings. A reader can learn a lot about a character from the places they inhabit. And also fill their backstory with places \u2013 especially childhood places as these help define the adult.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A perfect example of setting contributing to the book – a dark and violent setting adding depth to a dark and violent novel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Always remember the negative \u2013 places can reveal your characters\u2019 strengths \u2013 or their fatal flaws.<\/p>\n

Settings can help develop plot. Taking a character out of their comfort zone can prompt an emotional or unreasonable reaction. A setting can give one character dominance over another if they are in their own place. And think of the possibilities of placing your character in a setting they cannot control.<\/p>\n

Settings can help create a mood. You can use settings to manipulate not just your characters\u2019 emotions \u2013 but also those of your reader.<\/p>\n

To make the most of your setting, you have to bring it to life on the page with just the right amount of description. Use all the senses \u2013 hearing, sight, touch, small, taste \u2013 so the reader feels as if they are really there. Use settings to generate emotions. Fear, frustration, relief, uncertainty, excitement, impatience, joy, awe can all be caused by a place.<\/p>\n

Use all the properties of a setting \u2013 the weather, the physical characteristics of the place, the reaction of the other people in that place. All this will add layers to your scene.<\/p>\n

If you get it right, the setting itself can became a character in its own right. One of the reviews of Flight To Coorah Creek said \u2013 I wish this town was real. I want to go and live there. That\u2019s just what I was hoping for.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  I was at the fabulous RNA conference last weekend \u2013 where I delivered a workshop on how to use settings more effectively in a book. My workshop was at 9 AM…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7g6jm-1hU","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4954\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}