Setting the Stage in Fiction
How do you write the scenes in fiction? I spent quite a few years honing the craft of writing screenplays, which is useful in setting the stage in fiction. It’s natural for me to think visually when I write. I see the scenes—the rooms or outdoor spaces with people and objects in them.
Me painting a landscape from a photo.
However, I also know that too much detail can bore the reader. I used to read James Michener, loved his tales, but skipped over his lengthy descriptions of places.
Because of my own taste in reading, I try to paint the scene with just enough words to give the reader a sense of the place, but just like painting with real paint, I don’t want to overdo it. Picasso said, not only is it hard to start a painting (substitute novel), it’s also hard to know when to stop. I want the reader to see what I see, but I don’t want to give them so much that their eyes glaze over, or they lose track of the story.
In my debut novel, A CRY FROM THE DEEP, I used my imagination but I also used photos to inspire me to set the stage. Fortunately, it wasn’t a big stretch, as my husband, Robert, and I have traveled extensively and to most of the places in my novel—Provence, Miami, New York city, and Ireland.
Killybegs,County Donegal, Ireland at an earlier time
Though we toured Ireland, both the north and the Republic, the one place we didn’t get to was the town of Killybegs, which figures largely in my story. For that, I relied on the internet, both photos and tourist information.
In fact, I discovered that a couple of celebrities, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, share the same love of the place. That information sidetracked me a bit, as any research in any area can.
Because of these visual aids and added informational nuggets, I felt at times that I was walking and driving down the Irish roads in my novel along with my characters. That is one of the joys of writing, to go wherever the people in my story take me. It’s what keeps me in my seat at the computer.
What do you do to set the stage in fiction? Is your imagination enough? Or do you use photos from your travels or otherwise? Do you tear articles or pictures out of magazines or newspapers? Or use the internet as a tool? How about sketching? Anyone try that?
Killybegs looks like the Ireland I picture in my head – I’ve never been, but I’m looking forward to reading about it from your imagination in A Cry From the Deep.
When I’m writing a scene set in a location I’ve never been, I look at maps, photos and anything else the Google god/dess sends my way. If I know someone who’s been there, I take them for coffee or lunch and pick their brains about the things you can’t “see”, like the smell and the feel of the place. For me, it’s the small details that speak volumes.
I’m going to quote you on that – “It’s the small details that speak volumes.” Sometimes, we don’t need much do we to give the gist of a scene? When you mention talking to someone who’s been there for lunch and picking their brains, it reminded me of when my Irish cousins came to visit. I picked their brains about Irish myths and superstitions. Some of the gems they gave me ended up in my story.
Your blog post topic has perfect timing, Diana, as I’m back in Tropea, Italy to do some more research and continue writing the sequel to DEADLY SWITCH. To answer your questions, for my first novel, I relied on personal interviews, photographs, the Internet, newspaper clippings. I ended up publishing the book several months BEFORE I actually got to visit Tropea in person. I agree with JP that it’s the little things (on which my readers consistently comment) that makes the difference.
Love the photo of you painting in your beautiful backyard…gorgeous!
You lucky duck. Saw your photo of where you are, what you look out at, how special. How can you not incorporate that old history into your work? It is interesting that now that we have all these resources at our fingertips, we can do armchair travel and incorporate what we learn from others. Still, there’s nothing like going yourself. If it doesn’t feed your writing, it certainly feeds your soul. I can’t wait to see you after you get back and hear about your exploits. 🙂
Every setting in every book is real. I’ve been there – lived there, spent an extended period of time there, backpacked there… I use real places. I have lived many places so why not make use of my experience?
Nice to know. Even your ghost settings? I agree with you, re: why not use your experiences? That’s why your stories resonate the way they do.
Yes, the ghost settings are based on actual events. 🙂
I guess that’s why they seem so true to life, because they are. Deliciously spiritual and thought-provoking. Just shows once again how being there and writing from that perspective resonates on the page.
Great post! I agree, I think setting can be one of the more difficult things to get right, and find that balance. We need to, as you say, set the stage, but don’t want to drag on either. I think you’ve given some good thoughts about that!
Sarah Allen
(Writing Blog)
Sara, it’s interesting to read other authors’ works and see the difference a setting makes. Some authors focus solely on the interplay with the characters and the reader gets little sense of where they are, so it’s hard to visualize the scene. And others strike the right balance by providing just enough detail to breathe life into the story through setting the stage. Last night I went to see The Crucible at Soulpepper Theatre company. The way the stage had been set, as well as the lighting. contributed to the atmosphere and telling of the witch hunt that took place in Salem, Mass. in 1690. The story needed all the elements, and though the staging was simple, it was more than enough to give the audience a sense of place.
Hi Diana – Terrific post. Love that atmosphere in a story … In most of my novels I try to have visited or, better yet, lived in the locale where the mystery is set.
As for my imagination, I see, and hear, my scenes as scenes in movies. Then I try to translate the sensation into a written form. I guess this comes from my fondness for old movies, and it occurs to me that my dialogue maybe tries to mimic the rhythms and cadences of the speech from that era, in a word : snappy (I hope!).
Bryan, that’s interesting how old movies have shaped your storytelling. Not only the settings but the dialogue as well.
It reminds me of the time I wrote my prologue in A Cry From The Deep. The scenes in that section take place in a different time and in a different land, so the characters have their own rhythms of speech. I sometimes wonder how I fell into writing them that way. Was it the influence of the setting, an old film I’d seen, or the characters themselves? Maybe they all contributed in their way.
I just finish your book A cry from the deep. Diana I wasn’t able to put it down 🙂 I was pleasantly surprised on how captivating it was. I have enjoyed this book immensely.
I have many encounter with ghost as I am a medium and can assure you that your description of her encounter with them where quite accurate.
Thank you for the entertainment!
Sincerely,
Ginette
Thank you for stopping by tell me your thoughts on my story. As a writer, I work hard at being authentic. The fact that you, as a medium, believe that I’ve conveyed these ghostly encounters with accuracy, is heartwarming, indeed.