Sometimes the best fix
isn’t changing what characters say—it’s changing where they say it.
Before I dive in, I did a guest post on Monday at Writers in the Storm, on "5 Paths to Plotting Your Novel".
Now, back to our regularly scheduled post…
This might be sacrilegious as a science fiction and fantasy writer, but I dislike writing description—especially settings. I’m more of a dialogue and action gal, and my first drafts (okay, sometimes second drafts as well), have a lot of “white room” scenes, where nothing about the setting is mentioned. This was a big problem in my early writing days, since SFF readers enjoy the world building and setting and all the things I had to slog through to write.
I got feedback such as:
- I can’t picture the
setting
- Where is this happening?
Could they interact more with the room?
- I feel unanchored, and
there’s no sense of place
All of it was justified, and after a lot of reading,
learning, and forcing myself to just do
it, I found a way to enjoy writing setting descriptors.
I stopped thinking of setting as decoration and started using it as a storytelling tool.
Setting works best when it does something—not when it just sits there.
A vivid location can add atmosphere, but an active setting can add pressure to a
ticking clock, reveal emotion a character is struggling with, and shape the
choices that character makes. It becomes part of the story, not just where the
story takes place.
A quiet conversation in a hospital waiting room feels
different from the same conversation whispered in a crowded subway or shouted
across a windy beach. The emotional weight shifts. The stakes rise. Suddenly,
the setting brings depth, nuance, and even subtext to the scene.
When done right, setting can enhance mood, deepen conflict,
and reveal character without a word of exposition. When done wrong—or worse,
ignored—it can sap the life right out of a scene and knock it flat.
(Here’s more with Creating Story Tension: Rooms with an Unexpected View)
If you have a scene you fear might be stuck in neutral, try this quick five-minute trick to get it moving again.
Step 1: Set a timer for 5 minutes.
This isn’t a full revision session, it’s just a creative
boost. The timer gives you permission to think fast and play with
possibilities, because there’s no time to second-guess yourself. You don’t have
to be perfect here, just throw out options and see if any spark ideas for you.
(Here’s more with The Difference Between Setting and World Building)
Step 2: Write down why the scene is set where it is.
Understanding why the scene is set there helps you evaluate
if it was intentional or just the default. Sometimes the answer is, “Because
the crash of the waves on the beach mirrors the protagonist’s rising anxiety.
She looks calm, but inside,
everything’s churning.”
Other times, the answer is more like, “Because that’s where
they were when I started typing.” That’s not wrong, but it’s a good indication
that the setting is more placeholder than purposeful. If it’s just a
placeholder, then it’s a good candidate for an upgrade.
(Here’s more with Did You Choose the Best Words to Describe Your Setting?)
Step 3: List up to 10 other places to set the scene.
Let your imagination go wild. Get ridiculous. Get dramatic.
Use settings that seem totally wrong at first glance. Don’t worry about
logistics at this stage. You’re not moving the scene yet, you’re just exploring
options and testing possibilities.
Could they have a conversation on a stairwell? Have a fight
in a stalled elevator? Confess a secret while getting Cheetos at a hospital
vending machine?
You can also look at the bigger picture. What’s the worst
possible place for the scene? What would make it harder? Easier? More
frustrating? Are there any emotional layers you want to add, and if so, what
settings would evoke those emotions?
(Here’s more with If You Can Make it There... How Setting Can Affect Your Story)
Step 4: Brainstorm how each place would affect the scene until the timer goes off.
Pick the settings that spark ideas and consider how they’d
affect the scene.
- How would the new setting
increase the tension or emotional stakes?
- What physical obstacles or
limitations would it create?
- How would it change the
dynamic between the characters?
- Could it echo or contrast
the internal conflict?
- How might it evoke mood or
set the tone?
- What setting would say
more about the world or characters?
A well-chosen setting can add pressure, distraction, danger,
or even symbolic weight. You might find a setting that forces your characters
to behave differently, or one that brings out deeper aspects of the scene’s
theme.
(Here’s more with How Your Setting Can Affect Your Characters)
Step 5: Choose the setting that has the most impact on the scene.
Pick the location that adds the most of whatever your story
is missing to the scene. Maybe it introduces new obstacles, raises the stakes,
or brings out a side of your character readers haven’t seen yet.
Next, rewrite the scene in the new location and see what
changes. Don’t worry about getting it perfect, just explore and have fun with
it. See how the characters move, react, or speak in this new location. What
changes? What stays the same? What story paths open up?
(Here’s more with 6 Ways Your Setting Can Create Conflict)
Sometimes all a scene needs is a better stage to play on.
A good setting doesn’t just lurk in the background—it gets
involved in the scene and affects the story itself. It might change how the
plot unfolds by giving the characters things to interact with, or deepen the
emotional arc by enhancing the mood, or create opportunities for conflict that
heighten tension.
With the right setting, a scene you dreaded becomes one you
can’t wait to write.
EXERCISE FOR YOU:
Take five minutes and run this process on a scene you’re struggling with. Try
at least three alternative settings and see what changes. You might not land on
the perfect one right away, but chances are you’ll uncover new insights about
the scene—and your characters—just by experimenting.
Workshop Heads Up! Check out my “Conflict and the Character Arc” on August 19 during the Writing Romance Mastery Summit. This is a replay of a previous session on mine from 2023, but there’s a lot of other great sessions that week—and not just for romance writers.
What’s the most
surprising place a scene in your novel ended up—and how did it change the
story?
Go step-by-step through setting and description-related issues, such as weak world building, heavy infodumping, told prose, awkward stage direction, inconsistent tone and mood, and overwritten descriptions. Learn how to analyze your draft, spot any problems or weak areas, and fix those problems.With clear and easy-to-understand examples, Fixing Your Setting & Description Problems offers five self-guided workshops that target the common issues that make readers stop reading. It will help you:
- Choose the right details to bring your setting and world to life
- Craft strong descriptions without overwriting
- Determine the right way to include information without infodumping
- Create compelling emotional layers that reflect the tone and mood of your scenes
- Fix awkward stage direction and unclear character actions
Available in paperback and ebook formats.
Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.
When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.
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