Comments on Dawn's Rise: Scene Structure Part I: Setting

@JD: Sometimes we focus so much on the characters ...

2010-02-02T09:53:40.005-08:00

@JD: Sometimes we focus so much on the characters and the dialog and the action that we forget to put them somewhere. Think about what would the best setting be for this scene. If the setting is nice and convenient, then consider changing it to somewhere loud and distracting.

@Ann: Thanks!

@Jess: Small towns a rife with possibilities. Local watering holes, empty fields, the soul-sucking Walmart, tiny churches, barber shops, cottage industries, the mansion on the hill...

@Corra: You don't want the setting to slow you down either. Just enough to set the mood and highlight what items will help/hinder your characters' goals. Just enough detail to give your reader something to latch on and get the flavor of the environment. But the more you use a particular setting, the more detail it deserves.

@Simon: Thanks

@Erica: Think of your setting as a character...and make the setting do something intrusive. Weather is always a fun factor. Make sure it's raining at the most inconvenient times. I still remember that it was a torrential downpour for my outdoor wedding ceremony (under a tent). And my bride was delayed because they couldn't find enough umbrellas to cover her, but I didn't know that at the time. Even in real life, the setting caused a bit of conflict when I was standing there wondering where the heck my bride was. And to this day we still talk about that downpour like it was a guest at the wedding. If it was sunny or cloudy, then we wouldn't have remembered the weather at all.

Great informative post - as the others always are!...

2010-02-02T09:08:29.887-08:00

Great informative post - as the others always are! I think this is something I do have a lot of trouble with. I either leave it out, or they're boring. You've given me something to think about - thank you ;o)

Excellent post, good sir. Comprehensive and insigh...

2010-02-02T08:20:46.610-08:00

Excellent post, good sir. Comprehensive and insightful.

Detailed and so helpful - as always! Can't get...

2010-02-02T02:30:59.696-08:00

Detailed and so helpful - as always! Can't get over how thorough you are!

My settings could have greater impact if I noticed them and used them. I'm a very cursory writer because I'm a cursory thinker? I gloss over details. I focus on the big picture. This is quite likely a weakness as a writer and makes plotting exceedingly difficult for me. I want to rush from Point A to Z immediately, and it's hard for me to slowly unveil and unthread. (I already know what happens!)

:)

Thanks for posting. This helps me see how much I overlook.

Corra

from the desk of a writer

Wonderful post. I'm about to begin revisions ...

2010-02-01T20:42:59.781-08:00

Wonderful post. I'm about to begin revisions and reading this, I can see where my small town setting is important. I haven't utilized it as a third main character to the extent I should have. Doing so will definitely strengthen the conflict. Thanks!

This is such good advice, I'm going to have to...

2010-02-01T16:42:32.308-08:00

This is such good advice, I'm going to have to go over it a few times to let it fully sink in.

ann

Okay Running Man, such a great post. I am deep in ...

2010-02-01T14:51:46.722-08:00

Okay Running Man, such a great post. I am deep in the sh** for not doing a good setting workup for the book I am writing now. As I'm sure you know, it is so much harder to marry up all that language later, the context, the feelings, the physicality of the place. You're bound to miss something. I wish I had your list. But now I have. THANKS!!