WEBVTT
00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:07.839
Welcome to the Write for a Reason podcast.
00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:09.599
My name is Janet Wilson.
00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:13.839
I'm a publisher of Christian fiction for young people with Dernier Publishing.
00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:28.480
If you're a Christian and new to writing stories for kids and teens, stay tuned for encouragement, creative writing tips, and actionable strategies you can implement immediately to become a better writer and get your books out into the world.
00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:36.640
Today we're going to be talking about settings for your story, how to create compelling settings that will captivate your readers.
00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:41.359
The aim of this podcast is to give you some good ideas for your setting.
00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:46.240
So things that will draw your readers into your story, captivate them.
00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:49.520
So they go to the end and they hear the message of the good news.
00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:52.799
So grab your journal and a pen, get ready to make some notes.
00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:55.840
So why bother to do a training about setting?
00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:57.359
It's in the background.
00:00:57.600 --> 00:00:58.799
Sorry for the pun.
00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:05.280
Your characters and your plot are obviously the most important element of your story.
00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:07.680
But the setting builds up the picture.
00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:12.560
It can enhance emotional engagement and draw your readers right in.
00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:21.200
So you could have Joshua at home, at church, and at school learning about how important going to church is through a series of adventures.
00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:38.640
Or you can whiz him off to a distant planet where he'll meet talking beasts, eat strange foods, experience weird and wacky weather, and perhaps make himself invisible at will, and he can still learn there about how important it is to go to church.
00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:47.359
So you can get the message in that you want to share with your children, with your readers, through a much more compelling setting.
00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:49.519
So what exactly is the setting?
00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:53.280
It's the time and the place where you're setting your story.
00:01:53.439 --> 00:02:00.000
So you may be setting it in the past, in the present, in the future, or something completely fantastical.
00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:02.879
Within that you will have lots of different scenes.
00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:05.760
But let's look first at the big picture.
00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:10.719
When and where could you set your novel for the greatest impact?
00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:13.360
Of course, this is entirely up to you.
00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:17.199
You will have your target readers in mind, of course.
00:02:17.439 --> 00:02:20.400
So what would your target readers really love?
00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:24.560
Would they love a forest on an island with dragons?
00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:27.360
Would you like to set it in China?
00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:31.840
Perhaps you've lived in China for a little while, perhaps you've experienced the culture there.
00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:40.319
And that could be a really gripping setting, a place where you could set your story that will thrill and inspire your readers.
00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:47.520
If you're going to set your story in a historical environment, you will of course need to do lots of research.
00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:52.080
But if you're writing in the present, you may also need to do some research.
00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:55.439
Schools may well have changed since you were there last.
00:02:55.520 --> 00:03:01.680
So if you're not familiar with a school environment, it would be a really good idea to go and have a look.
00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:08.719
You may find that there are some differences which are quite enormous and will make a difference to your story and your readers.
00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:11.039
You really do need it to be up to date.
00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:18.879
It's the same with uh youth clubs, the youth club that you remember when you went to when you were a child may be completely different now.
00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:24.400
So make sure that you do research whether you're setting your story in the past or the present.
00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:29.919
And of course, if you're setting your story in the future, you will need to build your fictional world.
00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:34.560
And I believe that we have a training on that on the Right for a Reason website somewhere.
00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.120
So do hop over and have a look for that.
00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:41.360
Some stories, of course, will be set in various different places.
00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:46.080
Here's a really good example because I'm sure you have read the Narnia stories by C.S.
00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:46.639
Lewis.
00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:50.400
If you haven't, uh get yourselves a copy, you will love those stories.
00:03:50.560 --> 00:04:03.360
So in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and in the prequel and the sequels to that, the Pevensey children go through a wardrobe into Narnia, so they're coming there and back and there and back again.
00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:05.520
So you can have two settings if you want.
00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:08.479
In fact, there are so many different options.
00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:10.960
Your imagination is the limit.
00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:17.920
You can have someone going back and forth into different time zones, perhaps with a grandfather's fob watch.
00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:20.319
All sorts of different things that you could do.
00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:23.040
You can have so much fun.
00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:24.959
Where could you set your novel?
00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:26.399
On a lighthouse?
00:04:26.639 --> 00:04:32.079
A treasure island that your protagonist has to get over by rowing on a boat?
00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:36.079
How about uh an attic or an underground tunnel?
00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:39.120
These are all ideas for your kind of mini settings.
00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:46.560
So pick your big setting and then have some beautiful scenes set in very interesting places.
00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:53.439
Perhaps a tunnel, castles, caves, you name it, you can do it.
00:04:53.680 --> 00:05:01.600
If your imagination will take you there and you know enough about it to write it with conviction, then that is a good setting for you.
00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:05.920
And while I'm here, don't forget to use all the senses as you write.
00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:13.519
So not just what you can see, but think about what the the the smell of the place is like or that particular scene.
00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:15.759
Um, what can you hear?
00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.240
If there's food, what does it taste like?
00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:26.480
If there's weather, you know, have you got the wind whipping hair around somebody's shoulders or blowing things about?
00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:31.120
Use all those senses to make sure that you're taking your characters right there with you.
00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:33.600
And don't forget colour, lots of different colours.
00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:35.199
And atmosphere.
00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.680
Think about the atmosphere of your setting when you're planning your story.
00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:43.600
What kind of emotion are you planning to build with your story?
00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:44.720
Is it a romance?
00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:46.079
Is it an adventure?
00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:50.399
Are you going to have lots of suspense and intrigue and danger?
00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:55.040
So have a think about the atmosphere of your stories and how it will feel with your characters.
00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:59.759
So if you need a creepy scene, get yourself a nice creepy setting.
00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:02.160
With lots of show notes, of course.
00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:16.399
The atmosphere is where your setting can enhance the emotions, whether it's cheery and light, and you'll want some of those, maybe party places or family fun, or maybe you want something that's scary and tense.
00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:21.680
In which case you may need something that is darker and more forbidding.
00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:24.480
So, what experiences have you had?
00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:31.920
Where have you been that has made you feel either frightened or trapped or full of joy?
00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:38.560
Whatever it is that you want to bring out in your story, have a think about your setting very carefully.
00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:40.800
And all the places that you have been to.
00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:49.759
Why not stop now and make a list of places that you've been to where you could have a scene in your story, or you could have your whole setting there.
00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:53.199
So I hope that's been really useful for you.
00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:58.399
Use your setting as a major part of the story rather than an afterthought.
00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:07.759
Plan your setting carefully and all the different scenes, from the sand in your character's toes of a desert to a wide panorama.
00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:09.920
Set your imagination free.
00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:17.920
So if it's raining in your story, when your readers look up, they will be expecting it to be raining outside their own window.
00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:19.839
That is the aim.
00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:33.279
If you'd like lots more creative writing tips, hop on over to writeforreason.com where you'll find many more resources and encouragement to help you write excellent, relevant, fun novels and get them into your readers' hands.
00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:43.439
If you haven't yet done my free course, Gripping Beginnings, you can sign up and start immediately, and this will help you grip your readers from the very first page of your story.
00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:53.759
We also have a membership group and we have a Rightful Reason Academy, a course where you can learn all the things that you need to to write a fantastic book for kids.
00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:55.360
So don't put it off, folks.
00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:58.240
Today is a gift to use wisely.
00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:04.800
Only you can write your book, and if you've been called to write, someone is waiting for it.
00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:07.839
Welcome to the Write for a Reason podcast.
00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:09.599
My name is Janet Wilson.
00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:13.839
I'm a publisher of Christian fiction for young people with Dernier Publishing.
00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:28.480
If you're a Christian and new to writing stories for kids and teens, stay tuned for encouragement, creative writing tips, and actionable strategies you can implement immediately to become a better writer and get your books out into the world.
00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:36.640
Today we're going to be talking about settings for your story, how to create compelling settings that will captivate your readers.
00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:41.359
The aim of this podcast is to give you some good ideas for your setting.
00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:46.240
So things that will draw your readers into your story, captivate them.
00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:49.520
So they go to the end and they hear the message of the good news.
00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:52.799
So grab your journal and a pen, get ready to make some notes.
00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:55.840
So why bother to do a training about setting?
00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:57.359
It's in the background.
00:00:57.600 --> 00:00:58.799
Sorry for the pun.
00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:05.280
Your characters and your plot are obviously the most important element of your story.
00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:07.680
But the setting builds up the picture.
00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:12.560
It can enhance emotional engagement and draw your readers right in.
00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:21.200
So you could have Joshua at home, at church, and at school learning about how important going to church is through a series of adventures.
00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:38.640
Or you can whiz him off to a distant planet where he'll meet talking beasts, eat strange foods, experience weird and wacky weather, and perhaps make himself invisible at will, and he can still learn there about how important it is to go to church.
00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:47.359
So you can get the message in that you want to share with your children, with your readers, through a much more compelling setting.
00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:49.519
So what exactly is the setting?
00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:53.280
It's the time and the place where you're setting your story.
00:01:53.439 --> 00:02:00.000
So you may be setting it in the past, in the present, in the future, or something completely fantastical.
00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:02.879
Within that you will have lots of different scenes.
00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:05.760
But let's look first at the big picture.
00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:10.719
When and where could you set your novel for the greatest impact?
00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:13.360
Of course, this is entirely up to you.
00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:17.199
You will have your target readers in mind, of course.
00:02:17.439 --> 00:02:20.400
So what would your target readers really love?
00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:24.560
Would they love a forest on an island with dragons?
00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:27.360
Would you like to set it in China?
00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:31.840
Perhaps you've lived in China for a little while, perhaps you've experienced the culture there.
00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:40.319
And that could be a really gripping setting, a place where you could set your story that will thrill and inspire your readers.
00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:47.520
If you're going to set your story in a historical environment, you will of course need to do lots of research.
00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:52.080
But if you're writing in the present, you may also need to do some research.
00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:55.439
Schools may well have changed since you were there last.
00:02:55.520 --> 00:03:01.680
So if you're not familiar with a school environment, it would be a really good idea to go and have a look.
00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:08.719
You may find that there are some differences which are quite enormous and will make a difference to your story and your readers.
00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:11.039
You really do need it to be up to date.
00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:18.879
It's the same with uh youth clubs, the youth club that you remember when you went to when you were a child may be completely different now.
00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:24.400
So make sure that you do research whether you're setting your story in the past or the present.
00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:29.919
And of course, if you're setting your story in the future, you will need to build your fictional world.
00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:34.560
And I believe that we have a training on that on the Right for a Reason website somewhere.
00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.120
So do hop over and have a look for that.
00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:41.360
Some stories, of course, will be set in various different places.
00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:46.080
Here's a really good example because I'm sure you have read the Narnia stories by C.S.
00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:46.639
Lewis.
00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:50.400
If you haven't, uh get yourselves a copy, you will love those stories.
00:03:50.560 --> 00:04:03.360
So in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and in the prequel and the sequels to that, the Pevensey children go through a wardrobe into Narnia, so they're coming there and back and there and back again.
00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:05.520
So you can have two settings if you want.
00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:08.479
In fact, there are so many different options.
00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:10.960
Your imagination is the limit.
00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:17.920
You can have someone going back and forth into different time zones, perhaps with a grandfather's fob watch.
00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:20.319
All sorts of different things that you could do.
00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:23.040
You can have so much fun.
00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:24.959
Where could you set your novel?
00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:26.399
On a lighthouse?
00:04:26.639 --> 00:04:32.079
A treasure island that your protagonist has to get over by rowing on a boat?
00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:36.079
How about uh an attic or an underground tunnel?
00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:39.120
These are all ideas for your kind of mini settings.
00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:46.560
So pick your big setting and then have some beautiful scenes set in very interesting places.
00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:53.439
Perhaps a tunnel, castles, caves, you name it, you can do it.
00:04:53.680 --> 00:05:01.600
If your imagination will take you there and you know enough about it to write it with conviction, then that is a good setting for you.
00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:05.920
And while I'm here, don't forget to use all the senses as you write.
00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:13.519
So not just what you can see, but think about what the the the smell of the place is like or that particular scene.
00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:15.759
Um, what can you hear?
00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.240
If there's food, what does it taste like?
00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:26.480
If there's weather, you know, have you got the wind whipping hair around somebody's shoulders or blowing things about?
00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:31.120
Use all those senses to make sure that you're taking your characters right there with you.
00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:33.600
And don't forget colour, lots of different colours.
00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:35.199
And atmosphere.
00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.680
Think about the atmosphere of your setting when you're planning your story.
00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:43.600
What kind of emotion are you planning to build with your story?
00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:44.720
Is it a romance?
00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:46.079
Is it an adventure?
00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:50.399
Are you going to have lots of suspense and intrigue and danger?
00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:55.040
So have a think about the atmosphere of your stories and how it will feel with your characters.
00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:59.759
So if you need a creepy scene, get yourself a nice creepy setting.
00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:02.160
With lots of show notes, of course.
00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:16.399
The atmosphere is where your setting can enhance the emotions, whether it's cheery and light, and you'll want some of those, maybe party places or family fun, or maybe you want something that's scary and tense.
00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:21.680
In which case you may need something that is darker and more forbidding.
00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:24.480
So, what experiences have you had?
00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:31.920
Where have you been that has made you feel either frightened or trapped or full of joy?
00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:38.560
Whatever it is that you want to bring out in your story, have a think about your setting very carefully.
00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:40.800
And all the places that you have been to.
00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:49.759
Why not stop now and make a list of places that you've been to where you could have a scene in your story, or you could have your whole setting there.
00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:53.199
So I hope that's been really useful for you.
00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:58.399
Use your setting as a major part of the story rather than an afterthought.
00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:07.759
Plan your setting carefully and all the different scenes, from the sand in your character's toes of a desert to a wide panorama.
00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:09.920
Set your imagination free.
00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:17.920
So if it's raining in your story, when your readers look up, they will be expecting it to be raining outside their own window.
00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:19.839
That is the aim.
00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:33.279
If you'd like lots more creative writing tips, hop on over to writeforreason.com where you'll find many more resources and encouragement to help you write excellent, relevant, fun novels and get them into your readers' hands.
00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:43.439
If you haven't yet done my free course, Gripping Beginnings, you can sign up and start immediately, and this will help you grip your readers from the very first page of your story.
00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:53.759
We also have a membership group and we have a Rightful Reason Academy, a course where you can learn all the things that you need to to write a fantastic book for kids.
00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:55.360
So don't put it off, folks.
00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:58.240
Today is a gift to use wisely.
00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:04.800
Only you can write your book, and if you've been called to write, someone is waiting for it.
