Many authors pay the most focus on the development of their characters and plot when building their stories. When readers consume these stories, they pay more attention to the characters and the plot – as if these are the only elements of a story or the only ones that matter. What about the setting?
It is no secret that readers love the characters and the plot and are blown away by the scenes and dialogues between characters. However, they forget all about the setting, treating it as if it never ‘exists’ in the story. They never know that a story, whether character-driven or plot-driven, will never stand ground without a solid setting.
The setting is one of the five essential elements of a story. (The other four parts are the plot, characters, conflict, and theme. Setting establishes the mood, reveals the characters and conflict, gives clues to a story’s theme, and provides context. It gives us the ‘where’ and the ‘when’ (because a story’s setting also refers to time elements). If it is to be personified, it will exist mainly in the background as a recurring character – and an important one too.
A story’s setting might be more important than what many readers thought. In many stories, the setting often gives meaning and even more information surrounding a character’s emotions, physical movement, or state of mind. Settings will usually match the characters and the type of problem they, particularly a detective of a protagonist, are trying to solve. A setting can be anywhere, real or made-up.
Discerning and well-read readers will know how essential settings are in stories and how they help beef up the narrative. The murder mystery novel Mystery at Pima Point by JB Clemmens will serve this example.
The story revolves around the disappearance of a Ph.D. student and entrepreneur, who was the fiancé of the protagonist’s nephew. The bride-to-be, Christa, disappeared from a cave above the Pima Point Resort (“in the Phoenix area”) where the protagonist, NYPD Homicide Lieutenant Eli James, was vacationing.
As with several fiction stories, the characters, events, and stories are fictitious, but the resort – the setting – is based on a real one. JB Clemmens did well in this department; she gave Mystery at Pima Point a familiar setting. When deciding on a setting for your story, it is easy to write about places you are familiar with, have visited in person, experience the culture and atmosphere, and talk to the residents. The author even began the story with a brief description of the day’s weather, “Despite the brutal afternoon sun in the Phoenix area…”
Later in the story, the author briefly described the cave Lieutenant James was investigating with his nephew, Drew. She wrote, “Most of the caves he’d even been in were damp inside, but not this one. Arizona’s lack of groundwater and the hot, dry sun kept this cave almost moisture-free. There were no muddy footprints to follow.”
Perhaps for the benefit of readers who love food, the setting is also spiced with the mentions of foods that reflect the southwest’s Hispanic culture.
Mystery at Pima Point took place in one of the states that comprise the Southwestern United States. The said region is dotted with endless networks of caves and a myriad of abandoned mines. Christa disappeared from a cave above the resort where Lieutenant James was vacationing.
It should be noted that the region has been the site of countless mysterious disappearances. One such case involves the eerily bizarre vanishing of an experienced hiker Kenny Veach in November 2014 in Nevada. Despite searches by family, friends, and the state’s search and rescue team, no signs of Kenny Veach were ever found except for his cellphone, which was discovered while investigators searched the area. In Mystery at Pima Point, Christa’s camera was found on the ground in the cave.
Settings also reveal the character. In the novel, the cave showed Lieutenant James’ character as a homicide investigator. JB Clemmens wrote:
He looked at the rock carvings and saw nothing unusual at first. Then he noticed that most of them had faint outlines due to weathering. But there was one on the left of an Indian pointing up. The lines were deep-set and probably much more recent than the others.
“I’m no archeologist, but doesn’t this one figure appear newer than the rest.” He asked Drew.
For discerning readers, it is difficult to dismiss the importance of settings. A story’s setting is as important as the characters and the plot. All elements of a story go together as they all help tell the story. A setting is not just ‘where’ and ‘when’ but is also key to the plot and conflict.
The Damsel’s Files 
Yup, setting is pretty interesting. I read one book lately, The Windup Girl, that was all about setting in the first two chapters. Like seriously nothing was happening. But it taught me how a well-written setting can also be an awesome addition to a story. Thanks for sharing!
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