I have tried to do a few blogs this year that explore some of the basics I thought might help someone who is starting out in writing stories, whether for fun or with a more serious intent. So today, let have a look at some of the basic things to consider when setting the scene. I’m going to try and make the tips applicable whether it is an opening scene, middle or end scene.

What do we mean when we say ‘setting the scene’

This is about creating a sense of time and space for the reader, establishing the anchor points from which you do the ‘telling’ of the story.

However, this is where advice such as ‘show don’t tell’ comes into play, you have to walk a delicate balance of making sure the reader has this information without being overly expositional, ‘i.e. John sat on the large stool, the large stool was black. It was sunny. John was nervous.’

1. Establishing the when, where (and why… but I talk more about that later)

When in this case not only refers to the time of day the scene is taking place but also when in the narrative and when in your character’s life, because, even if this is your opening scene, the character needs to feel like they were a living and breathing being before.

Where, is an obvious one but no less important, you can’t set the scene for the reader if they can’t even picture where the hell they are. Plus, we need to know where in the action we are appearing, are we in the middle of battle? End of a long working day? The start of the action that will take place?

A rough example

John squinted against the noonday sun, wiping away the sweat beading on his forehead as he paced the length of his driveway for the fifth time. His brother may only be ten short years younger than him but John didn’t remember being this flippant about being late when he was in his twenties.

– this is a bit rough and obviously I’m trying to cram a lot in to demonstrate for y’all but can you see how I’ve established not only the time of day but John’s age too. I’ve also shown how he has been waiting a while and where is doing the waiting.

2. Description- how can we engage our reader’s senses?

Again, this may seem a little basic but your character is human too, so you have to think about what information your senses would be sending you about the situation they are in. Saying they are in the middle of a grizzly battlefield is a lot less impactful than talking about the smell of blood, the feel of mud and sweat on their skin and the sound of swords clashing. Using senses like touch etc also helps to immerse your character in the scene, it makes them literally a part of it and helps make them feel real. How does what your character is doing/ feeling/ seeing affect the world around them?

A rough example (building on my last one)

John squinted against the noonday sun, wiping away the sweat beading on his forehead as he paced the length of his driveway for the fifth time, his feet grinding a path into his carefully raked gravel. The strong, fragrant smell of the lavender Carol had planted when they’d first moved here was becoming overpowering. The flowers had grown out of control, spilling from every bed, humming with bees and insect life, nearly loud enough to drown out the ever- present sound of traffic he never seemed to be able to escape completely.

His brother may only be ten short years younger than him but John didn’t remember being this flippant about being late when he was in his twenties.

3. Make it character centric

By this I mean, what is your character’s emotional state? What would they/ do they feel about the scene we are entering into? How does the affect how they perceive the location etc they are in? How this is achieved is dependant on what point of view you’ve chosen to narrate your story from but you can still convey the emotions behind the scene no matter what position you choose.

(by the way, I wrote a post explaining Points of View <- )

Using my rough example to show you how I’ve started to establish emotions (highlighted in bold)

John squinted against the noonday sun, wiping away the sweat beading on his forehead as he paced the length of his driveway for the fifth time, his feet grinding a path into his carefully raked gravel. The strong, fragrant smell of the lavender Carol had planted when they’d first moved here was becoming overpowering. The flowers had grown out of control, spilling from every bed, humming with bees and insect life, nearly loud enough to drown out the ever- present sound of traffic he never seemed to be able to escape completely.

His brother may only be ten short years younger than him but John didn’t remember being this flippant about being late when he was in his twenties.

– here John is pacing, which conveys he is impatient and then I build on that by using his senses to create this feeling that he stressed, as is finding these strong sources of sensory input overwhelming. Because I have implied that the flowers have been in place for a while, it conveys this idea that they have a sentimental value and if they’ve been there years, there must be an external reason why John is suddenly finding them stressful.

4. Your character’s purpose in the scene- the why

What is their intent? What are they going into this moment hoping to achieve? This might feel a bit ridiculous to have to sit and think about what your character wants in each situation but in order for your reader to feel connected to your character, you want them to root for them, whether consciously or un-consciously. Something needs to drive your character, even if it is just that they want a glass of water.

For example, in my rough scene, John is nervous because he doesn’t have a good relationship with his younger brother and he was hoping this meeting would fix it but now he’s late and it’s ruining the picture John had in his head of how the afternoon should go- hence his impatience and general stressyness.

5. The conflict

Again, this is about making sure your readers roots for your character. So we need to create a point of conflict, what they are striving against in this scene, even if it’s just that they are in a crowd, which is preventing them from reaching a person. There must be something they are trying to overcome, something which affects change in them or the narrative, even if it’s their own internal flaws. It this sense of otherness, of an outside force (even an internal conflict can be made to feel other) working against them which we will make this scene interesting.

So, in my scene, John is already struggling against his own impatience, his nervousness and we have conflict against the brother for being late and putting our pal John in this situation. But can I build on that?

Rough Example

John squinted against the noonday sun, wiping away the sweat beading on his forehead as he paced the length of his driveway for the fifth time, his feet grinding a path into his carefully raked gravel. The strong, fragrant smell of the lavender Carol had planted when they’d first moved here was becoming overpowering. The flowers had grown out of control, spilling from every bed, humming with bees and insect life, nearly loud enough to drown out the ever- present sound of traffic he never seemed to be able to escape completely.

His brother may only be ten short years younger than him but John didn’t remember being this flippant about being late when he was in his twenties. John’s pacing came to a sudden stop and he rubbed at his face and eyes, taking deep, calming breaths. Carol would not have wanted him to stay hidden away in this house forever. He could almost picture her in the doorway tutting and shaking her head at him, could almost hear her lecture about the importance of family, even one as messed up as his.

– can you see what I’ve tried to do there?

Where is Carol? Why isn’t she here to tell John these things? Why is his family messed up? Does that mean John and his brother are estranged? Does this explain why John is so impatient because he wants this meeting to go well? is this why his brother is late, because of family drama?

So now I’ve been able to show you, the reader, the secret purpose/ motivation I’d invented for John, by putting it against the conflict.

These two short paragraph help to set me up to explore these ideas and conflicts as they narrative continues. Now, the reader has all this information before we’ve even gotten into the brothers car and began the story. We’ve created a mystery that needs to be solved.

I realise my example isn’t overtly interesting (in my defence it’s 1am when I’m writing this) but I hope it gives you and idea of how these building blocks can be used to get you started.

If you’re looking for more building-blocks type advice, I also recently did a post on Planning your book, what to consider

Anyway, I hoped you’ve found this helpful! If you’re an experienced writer, please feel free to drop your own tips in the comments below!