Setting is a matter of point of view

One of the top reasons for why someone reads, according to most reader surveys is, to escape. Escapism is not only found in the fantastical, the things that wouldn’t happen in the reader’s every day life. Escapism is also found in the places stories take their readers.

I’ve talked before about “talking heads” dialogue, not giving enough details for readers to know where a conversation is taking place. Today, I’m going to discuss how to create a unique and detailed setting where your characters live, work, and play, and that your readers will love to escape to.

Description

The first technique for creating a sense of place is, of course, in the descriptions. The danger of info dump, too much description that stalls the plot’s forward movement, is very real. So, how to layer in just enough to bring a setting to life, but not overwhelm the story?

Key details

Describe key details. What makes something key is relevance. Relevance to the plot or relevance to the character. Unless the architecture is relevant to the story, do we need to know the house is a Craftsman or of Victorian design? If we’re in the Victorian era, everything is Victorian style–so such a detail will not be uniquely relevant. You might describe the entire neighborhood at the beginning: grand, ornate homes with steep, complex roofs, asymmetrical facades, and abundant decorative trim. After that, you would write key action for the scene: we approached the fourth house on the left, the one with the sky blue door. Again, choosing one detail that makes the home unique among all these otherwise similar homes.

Intimate interiority

The second element of creating a vivid, engaging setting is to get into the point of view character’s intimate interior thoughts about the space. As with the key details, you are only going to focus on things in the space that the character feels are key. This will entirely depend on the point of view character’s relationship to the space.

If the point of view character knows the space, but the reader hasn’t been here yet, you need to find things to describe, but if the point of view character doesn’t care about something, they aren’t going to “see” it. Don’t show that. Instead, show that they gravitate toward a favorite displayed item. Or a beloved chair. Or the hand-drawn painting on the refrigerator from their absent son. Have them interact with the item in ways that show that favor, that loving, that melancholy. A caress on the statuette, a squeeze on the cushion as they sit, or straightening of the picture. “Have a seat,” I said, directing her to Mother’s chair with its highly polished oak wood and finely detailed needlepoint in the cushions. I settled into the throne-like chair opposite, squeezing the arms, and reluctantly settled in what had been my father’s seat. I was, after all, now lord of the manor.

If the point of view character is a guest in the space, seeing it for the first time, what is chosen to detail should reflect what they care about or value, or seek/need. What they care about will draw their eye to items that are either positive or negative reflections of their value system: The paintings on the wall, in ornately carved frames, seemed to be of family members. One was almost certainly Jacob’s father. Though, I’d never met him, he had the same countenance, strong square jaw, light eyes, broad nose. And the same rare smile, with a dimple in his right, rather than his left, cheek.

To avoid info dump, have the other character move, drawing the point of view character’s attention away. Save the rest of the details for a moment when something in the conversation is too intense to look directly, or they want to prevaricate and not immediately answer. I looked away from his question, wondering how much truth I should share. The natural morning light from the large windows illuminated the space such that there was no need to light the sconces between the floor to ceiling bookcases. I could imagine curling up on the settee by the fireplace with one of the beautifully leather-bound books.

Notice the element of temporal setting included in the last example: “the natural morning light” is connected to the large windows and the sconces between the bookcases. “Traveling” around the room like this draws not only the character’s eye, but the reader’s, around the space. Making the internal thoughts/reactions to the described items also draws the reader into the character’s inner world.

A final note about setting and point of view

Deciding whose point of view to have when you enter a space — because you should not switch POV mid-scene — comes down to whose point of view will reveal details the reader needs to know to further the plot or the characterizations at this point in the story. If a side of a character he wouldn’t intend to show to the world, comes out in this space, then have the guest character hold point of view. If the point of view character will be introspective in the familiar space, then go with them.

Conversely, if you need to hide something from the reader about this space or the character who is familiar with the space, choose the point of view character who would not notice it, or would only notice that the character stiffens up or looks pensive or anxious, but not know why. If you want something to be noted as out of place, then choose the point of view character who is already familiar with the space as it should be.

Happy writing!

~ Lara