Setting

A snowy day in Arkansas today.  

The setting of a story is the time and place in which the story is taking place. There should be a sense of a specific somewhere or a total environment - physical, cultural, historical, etc. The setting must be related to the plot because, through the setting, the plot is able to progress. When you are describing a setting, remember to use all of your five senses. You don't just see a setting. You experience one.

Examples of Setting

The following are three different examples of the same setting based on a particular theme:

Nostalgia

The wedding pictures hung on the wall surrounded by photos of a smiling family. The smell of fresh baked bread clung in the air. The fire that blazed and cracked in the hearth warmed my heart. I was finally home.

Torment

She was gone. The room spun around me. The smiling faces on the walls brought tears to my eyes. My heart ached at the faint smell of her perfume and the emptiness that once housed all of her treasures. My heart sank. My wife was gone.

Mystery

The shadows painted the walls shades of black and gray. All was quiet except for the thud-thud, thud-thud. I peered through the darkness and my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. I saw nothing. Again, thud-thud, thud-thud. My heart race violently as the shadows began to dance around me.