Q&A for How to Describe the Setting in a Story

Yes, and that's usually called "fanfiction."

There are many rich details you can go into for a village. The time period it's set in as well as the location. How big is it, what are the houses made of - unbaked bricks and aluminum shutters, mud houses with thatched roofs? What's the climate like and how does that determine the terrain - arid with dry sand patches and dull looking plants, spotted in lonely patches, or a lush tropical climate with rich, dark mud, and tall, imposing trees? What's the population; what are the people like, is there a social hierarchy - respected village elders? Tyrant feudal lord? Friendly, caring, community-feel, or hungry, greedy, always competing with one another, etc.?

Yes, you can. By using a real town, it makes the story or setting sound real. Just be careful to not say anything bad about people that could identify them for real or they may claim that you have defamed them.

You could describe the place where the person died, and perhaps match the scenic mood to the sombreness of the death, such as grey skies, howling wind, flooding, wilting flowers, etc.

Consider how the rain feels against your characters skin, how the atmosphere was filled with happiness, tears of joy, heavens opened up to celebrate in.

Considering that this is a poem, stretching out parts is easily done without boring the reader, so don't feel like you have to provide a long, detailed description of the setting immediately (or at any point, really). Speak with metaphors if you want your poem to sound a little more artsy. If you need inspiration, try reading some classic or famous poetry to see how those authors described their settings.

To describe a storm in a story, use harsh, strong, and powerful adjectives. Swirling, furious, and striking are some examples.

Depending on how you've started, you can introduce characters in different ways. "Though the bandanna kept the dust from her mouth, her eyes were exposed to the sting of sand. Eyes watering, Fiara Collsa looked out over the desert of Lehrga. This was not only the largest desert in Enjuromni, but also the hottest." This is the beginning of a story I'm writing. But you can also say something like, "Geromy's back ached from hard work, and his arms were heavy from hoeing the field of his farm." It's mostly based on your personal preference.

Fog. Use the word "ominous" to describe the atmosphere, and have your characters get the chills. A few wolf howls thrown in there wouldn't hurt either.

Yes. Writers use the landscape to convey mood all the time.

It would be best to do both at once. Start by introducing part of the setting while also introducing characters, themes, etc. Build the setting as you build the story.

Do some research into words/adjectives that best describe your setting. If you're describing a haunted house, you'd want to list all adjectives that help convey a mood of gloomy, spooky and mysterious. Once you've got these descriptive words, all you have to do is find an engaging first sentence! After that just go with the flow.

If you're question is how to make a desert adventure, make it a survival/stranded story, treasure hunting story, or even apocalypse story. If you want to know how to describe it, say things like dry, barren, wasteland. Describe your character as feeling parched, lost, exhausted.

Start with the things your character sees: the atmosphere, the sky, the trees and slowly start to describe them. Build your pace and move carefully with structure around the atmosphere you have placed your character in. Don't just list out the things your character might see. Describe. Start from the top, or the main attraction of the atmosphere and gradually go around from there. Don't forget to use the five senses to really immerse the readers. Remember, its quality not quantity. Try not to drag out details or repeat them either.

Pick a setting that plays along with the mood. If it is a happy scene, don't pick a graveyard unless that is a key component of your story.

Most of the time, you will need paragraphs to describe the setting, but it really depends on your writing style.

You can describe it by telling the readers about the layout of the house as soon as you walk in the door, as well as anything you can see. Is there any furniture moved in already? Any moving boxes scattered around the empty living room and kitchen? Share the anxious and excited feelings you have while walking in the front door of your new home, hopeful, nervous, and excited for your new future!

Think about a city you've seen or look at pictures of cities online for inspiration. How tall are the buildings? What are the streets like? Narrow or wide? Busy or low-traffic? What kind of people live there? What does it smell like? What does it sound like? Brainstorm!

Compare it to something alive, something moving. Mist often has a sense of mystery and eeriness that goes along with it, so try to incorporate these aspects. Make your mist special. Is it dense or light? Is it more fog like or more of a precipitation?

"High up behind the leaves, you wouldn't know there was a house that stood strong on a thick branch of an oak tree. Decorations hung around the painted house, but little do they know the secrets that held it high up from the ground..."

The Avengers has many settings, for example, stark tower in the first movie with the whole city of New York in the end.

Use words that evoke the sensation of being at the beach. For example, you could describe: The feeling of sand between your character’s toes, the saltiness in the air, the sound of the waves (splashing against the rocks) and the feeling of the the warm sun hitting the face.

When describing any scene, it’s important to focus on the six senses. I personally like to focus a lot on sounds and scents as they help bring life to the scene. You could describe it as astir with life—explain the greenery, like the moss, leaves, plants, etc. And animals, like the sound of birds twittering above, rabbits feet cracking twigs, etc. And the scents, like damp soil, flowers, tree sap etc. Try to add interactions between your character(s) and the forest to make readers feel like they can touch it. Here’s a example; The sun peeked through the thick canopy of branches. *insert character’s name* took a deep breath—crisp air with a lingering scent of damp pine.

Focus on the six senses. Decide which scent would be present (like damp soil, spring flowers, etc.), then explain it. Think of the sounds animals, insects, rivers etc. and describe them and their distance. Picture the plants that may be growing, or the frosted undergrowth, or how the sun shines through the trees, describe this in detail. Is it cold? Is it hot? Tell us how the character feels. These are all important details that help connect readers with the world. My tip would be to avoid lack of action. All of these senses should be described in a manner that always shows us what the character is doing. For example: "She could hear dried out twigs cracking sharply from behind her as she neared the river’s edge and hoped that the sound did not travel too far."

Every author does this differently. Some start off by saying the date, whether it be the exact or just the year or day. You can explain where it’s set multiple different ways, as well. Example; The sky was washed with the typical London gloom. You could try to blend the date in or make it stand out, same with the place. As for introducing a main character—I usually start my books off explaining an action. Whether it’s something simple like driving in a car or something major like running from a threat. And then, gradually explain more about the character. Not through direct words but through actions. Show us don’t tell. Keep the explanation of their appearance somewhat brief.

Rainbows and unicorns would be good you could add fairies and maybe it could all just be a dream.

Yes, many authors have made up imaginary places. For example, in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings, "Middle-Earth" is made up. It's a place where hobbits (small creatures with hairy feet) live. Another example is the world of Oz, in the children's book and movie, The Wizard of Oz.