Effectively writing about setting is one of those skills that takes students from “meets standard” to “exceeds standard”. That’s basically the difference between 14 and 18. The SEA holistic marking scheme actually has this as the second line of description in the 9-10 mark range: “Setting is effectively developed with both time AND place vividly established.”
So what does that mean, exactly? Well, for one thing, it means that readers should be shown time and place. They need to know when things are happening, and where they are happening. And all of this should be shown and not simply told to readers.
For more information on setting, check out our other blog post 5 Ways Young Writers Can Write About Setting (Like A Boss.
The trouble is that even when young writers know what to do, sometimes they have a challenging time getting it done. How exactly do you get time and place “developed” and “vividly established”? There are actually three tricks to getting that done.
TIP ONE: Have characters notice things about setting. This means that characters could observe the weather, objects in their environment, or special features that impact on them and the story. So, a child walking home from school might notice the trees, wind, sky, or whatever they may see along the path. The key to making this work is to ensure that whatever is observed is relevant to the story in some way. So the sky is relevant if it looks like it’s going to rain because that will affect the journey. Trees might be important if they look scary or beautiful or remind the main character of something.
TIP TWO: Have characters interact with the setting. We mentioned this in the first article, but it’s so important it’s worth mentioning again.So, that child walking home could pick some flowers, stumble over a rock, or have to fight through thick bushes in order to discover something.The interaction gives writers an opportunity to add details about the setting. That way, writers don’t have to dump all the details about setting in one place.
TIP THREE: Keep an eye on time, and don’t just tell time, describe it. Ok, so maybe this one is a two-for one special, but these are connected so we grouped the ideas together. Knowing when events are happening in a story helps readers relate to the circumstances in a more effective way. The situation becomes instantly more realistic when readers can envision the time actions are taking place because time affects everything we do.
We engage in certain activities at certain times, the time of day affects what happens in the sky (sun movement, stars etc.), and those changes affect what we do and say. But it’s not enough to tell readers, “It was 9 a.m.”. Think about what happens at 9 a.m. and describe it so readers can get a better understanding of the significance of the time.
NOTE: If young writers pay attention to these tips, what they will find is that they’re not able to give all the description in one place, in one paragraph. They will have to spread out the description over the entire essay as characters will interact with different aspects of the setting in each paragraph. And THAT is how setting is developed throughout an essay.
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