Setting Scale

The size of your setting is entirely up to you! Be warned that readers probably only want details of the places that affect the main characters. It's great that there is some small jungle island, full of danger and peril, braved by explorers only for its world renowned peaches; but if the main characters are surfers who couldn't give a damn about peaches, there's no reason to bring it up; unless the North beach has some gnarly swells dude.

Here is some sort of reference scale for setting size:

• house - probably enough for a short story. not necessarily a house, but a house-sized area with several details. (could include stores, playgrounds, classrooms, offices etc.)
• neighborhood - usually enough for a single novel. think maybe a 3 mile radius, probably a few "houses" included. there may be some theme to the "neighborhood". (could be a school campus, dorm, hospital, office building)
• city - might be enough for a series. a "city" includes a collection of "neighborhoods." could be several miles in radius. (perhaps a castle and surrounding farms, or a settlement on a new planet)
• country - while a "city" may have its own culture, a country most likely does. a country also is likely friends and enemies with other countries. settings this scale and larger are usually recognized when war/espionage/grand  adventure is the binding plot. 

Sure we could go on to global, interplanetary and interstellar scales, but I'm hoping you understand my meaning.

Setting the Scene (finally)

All right! we're finally around to the main topic of this blog!

The scene is very important for any story, whether it be in book, game or video form. It lets the audience know what to expect from the characters. Language, culture, topography, civil engineering and interior design are all good things to know a little bit about.

As important as using descriptive and vivid adjectives is, it is equally important to know when you've used enough. Some stories require very little setting.

We lived in the house on the hill, the one with the tire swinging by a rotting rope from the old oak out front.

This is more than enough setting for a brief story about someone driving by their childhood home.

While an epic three novel series about the civil war of Arimythea may need a bit more. Who led the two sides, what were they fighting over, will the terrain hinder the armies, will civilian homes and mansions get caught in the crossfire? All good questions that could be answered as the novel requires.

Three major questions we'll be talking about this month:

1. What scale does your setting need to take place at?
2. When does the story happen?
3. What cultures will your setting be patterned after?