Settings
The Transformative Power of Writing Dialect
There are plenty of reasons against mimicking dialect when writing ... but are there any in favor? Author Ed Davis discusses.
4 Tips for Setting a Novel in a Place You Don’t Know Well
You want to write your story in a place you're not familiar with, but how can you do it justice? Kim Hooper, author of No Hiding in Boise, has some tips.
Writing Multiple Timelines and Points of View
YA author Natalie Lund gives her top reasons why writers who might be afraid to play with multiple timelines and/or points of view should jump in feet first.
Beyond the Five Senses: Six Powerful Tricks to Enhance a Sense of Place
In this article, author Jonelle Patrick shares her expertise on how to create settings that will bring your reader in and make your characters shine.
Learn Better World-Building Strategies Through World of Warcraft and the New Shadowlands Expansion
WD editor and fantasy writer Moriah Richard shares five unique ways in which writers can use World of Warcraft to better build their worlds—without playing the game.
The New Greek Mythology and Writing Retellings
Author Annie Sullivan delivers expert advice on how writers should handle making myth new and intriguing for readers.
Why I Write Jewish Historical Fiction
Novelist Michelle Cameron explain why she's driven to write Jewish historical fiction and why it's not about the Holocaust.
Writing Strong Settings: Writing Prompts for Socially-Isolated Authors
How are writers supposed to write settings when we're supposed to stay at home? Christine Meade offers writing prompts and tips for writing strong settings during social isolation.
5 Thoughts on How to Use Place to Move Your Story Forward
Author Jane Bernstein shares five thoughts on how to use place to move your story forward by showing how setting affects characters and characters affect setting.
5 Tips for Building a House or Setting That Comes Alive for Readers
Author D.M. Pulley shares her five tips for building a house or setting that comes alive for readers based off her experience working as a structural engineer.
Location, Location, Location: Discovering the Perfect Place for Writing Your Novel
Richard Kirshenbaum used his experience working in advertising to tell the story of two rival beauty industry icons in his novel Rouge (St. Martin's, June 2019). Here, he reveals how he also channeled inspiration from the places he's traveled to tell the story.
World-Building Tips from the Masters
Five celebrated speculative fiction authors give their best world-building tips, demonstrating how different approaches can work.
Old and New: Merging Memory and Research in New Zealand
Call Me Evie author J.P. Pomare shares how his research trips to the town where his suspense novel takes place influenced his writing.
8 Best Settings in Literature for Writers
Here are the eight best settings in literature for writers according to Senior Editor Robert Lee Brewer, including Overlook Hotel, 221B Baker Street, and more.
7 Research and Writing Tips for Setting a Book in Another Country
If you're setting a book in another country from your own, it's critical to learn as much as you can about the culture, climate, architecture, and other aspects to make your story more believable. Here, author Sejal Badani offers tips for researching and writing about foreign countries.
Maximize Your Setting: Bringing Locations, Eras and Worlds to Life on the Page
When the reader can feel as if they are physically in your story's setting, they will be more inclined to let themselves experience what the characters are seeing and hearing. Here, author Curt Eriksen offers considerations for bringing the locations and eras in your fiction to life.
Beloved Settings: Considerations for Fictionalizing a Favorite Place
Laura Oles discusses her considerations for transforming her favorite weekend getaway, Port Aransas, Tex., into a setting for her mystery novel.
The Importance of Story Setting For Writers
A simple setting, but one that pulls readers in, makes them want to be part of your story and actually resonates in their soul. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
How to Set a Novel in an Unfamiliar Location
For a fiction writer, weaving a real historical incident into my narrative posed an interesting challenge. Here's what you should know.
How to Write Vivid Descriptions
Author Eli K.P. William offers advice on how to write vivid descriptions while still being mindful of pacing and plot in a novel by using examples of the balance between the two.
How to Use Setting to Challenge Your Characters (& Make a Better Story)
Here are some ways to infuse your manuscript with meaningful and unexpected details that keep the reader turning pages.
How To Make Your Setting a Character
Powerfully portrayed settings seem to have a life of their own, but how is that effect achieved? Here are five keys to teach you how to make your setting a character in your story or novel that goes beyond invoking the five senses in description.
David Morrell On the Key to Settings
In his CraftFest session at ThrillerFest, “Setting: How to Make Your Novel Go Places,” David Morrell (author of First Blood) riffed on how to produce fantastic settings that become characters in their own right.