How to Build Your Book’s Setting from the Ground Up
Every book, fiction and non-fiction, has a setting that orients the reader. The most common way to define setting is the physical location of the story and the time it takes place. It is a combination of time and place that establishes the world of your book. Some of the most acclaimed books are remembered for their settings.
When you are writing your book, you have to put thought into the setting. The more you think about your setting before writing, the more the reader will become immersed. Building your book’s setting starts from the outlining process and continues until your final round of edits.
As a general rule, the more effort you put into your book will create a stronger book. This article will discuss the basics of building your book’s setting throughout the publication process.
The “When” of Your Setting
One part of the setting of your book is the time in which the story takes place. This situates the reader in the proper time period of your story. Without saying otherwise, the baseline assumption for most fiction books is that the story is modern day. Other types of literature can have different assumptions. For example, autobiographies or memories have to take place in the past by default.
Always make sure that if the time period of your story is important, you make it clear to the audience. If you do not make the time period clear, your readers will be confused, especially when writing for children. Characters’ actions and dialogue have to match with the time of your book. There are exceptions to this, such as when the book is comedic or intentionally historically inaccurate. Any references in your book should match up with the time period as well.
If you are juggling multiple time periods, make that apparent to the reader as well. Without coherent writing, you can lose your reader’s interest. You should also make this clear to yourself from the start of your writing process. You can include years and time periods right in your initial pre-draft outline and storyboards.
The “Where” of Your Setting
The other component of your setting is the physical location of your story. This is crucial in helping the reader understand the world of your book. While reading, knowing the locations in your story allow readers to picture the action from start to finish. If a reader cannot picture the details of your story, they may become disengaged while reading.
As with the time of your setting, you should plan the physical locations from the start. Your outline is a great place to start nailing down the details of your book’s locations. When you have this established early on in the writing process, you can draft with ease. You will be able to write knowing full preliminary details of your setting. It could even be helpful to draw a small layout of any significant locations and write within those barriers. Nothing is set in stone until it is published, but planning can make the process smoother.
Historical Settings
Sometimes, you may want to write a book featuring a historical setting. This can be any material set in the past, often in real-life locations. For example, you may write a historical fiction about the Revolutionary War or a biography of a prominent historical figure.
When writing a book based in history, you want to make sure your writing always makes sense. You should know about the setting you are writing to and plan accordingly. Research necessary details if you are unsure of any part of the setting. Try to write within historically accurate boundaries to make the story as immersive as possible.
Autobiographical Settings
If you are writing an autobiography or memoir, the settings of your book will be personal to you. While you know the details of your life, your reader does not. Make sure you properly convey any important elements of the time and place of your life story. The goal is for the reader to become immersed in your story and not have clarifying questions.
You never have to write and publish alone. There are always resources available to authors to ensure that their writing is clear and professional. The more work you put into your book, the stronger the finished product will be. When you publish with Cloverly Children’s, you will have a designated project manager to guide your writing journey.
