Sometimes Monday just comes way too fast. That is how today has been and I have spent most of the day in catch-up mode. However, I did take a little time revisiting descriptions of setting to see if my characters were coming through. Setting should be more than just a description of place. We should understand how our protagonist feels in the setting and how they relate to it.
In my middle school manuscript it was important that I show how the settings have changed, not physically but through her eyes. Her home is different now, her pink wallpaper doesn't feel the same, school isn't the same, even her clothes feel weird because she has changed that is part of the uneasiness of adolescence.
How do you communicate your setting in terms of your characters, how important do you think it is to show this?
I'm trying more and more to filter setting through the characters, but there are definitely times when it is important to give some quick orientation to readers from a more neutral and objective vantage point.
ReplyDeleteI write historical fiction for 10+ so setting is everything, but I make sure I don't describe it, it has what my little characters are seeing, feeling and experiencing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great point--and something I need to do better.
ReplyDeleteHello! Thanks for leaving such a lovely comment on my blog - and from your pic I would never believe you are fifty! Looking good, girl!
ReplyDeleteGreat point about setting. I like to view it through my characters although I think there is a place for descriptions as well, depending on the scene!