S is for Setting
S is indeed for setting. Ordinarily, that would be one of the first things you decide on, but with this A-Z format, "S" comes close to the end. ;-)
Setting is vital, so it doesn't seem your characters are existing in a vacuum. But this is an area where less is more. A well-chosen sentence or two that describe a few important details is better than a page full of unimportant details. Your reader needs to "see" the setting in his/her mind, but they don't want a listing of every pencil and dust bunny in the room. They prefer to put their own spin on it.
Today's Tarot deck is the Paulina Tarot. Here are a couple of sample images from the deck:
Images courtesy of Aeclectic Tarothttp://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/paulina/
I asked the Tarot what setting would work best for the story I'm working on. The card I drew was the Six of Wands. It shows a boy riding what looks like a dragon, while penguins watch from the ground. Yet it's clearly not the region where you'd find penguins. I'm going to interpret this as meaning my setting should be incongruous...somewhere you wouldn't ordinarily expect the story to take place. For instance, a rodeo in New Jersey. Or it could be a setting that doesn't mesh with the main character, i.e. a surfer in Montana. This will add an extra fun touch to the story and make it a little different than the norm.
Setting is vital, so it doesn't seem your characters are existing in a vacuum. But this is an area where less is more. A well-chosen sentence or two that describe a few important details is better than a page full of unimportant details. Your reader needs to "see" the setting in his/her mind, but they don't want a listing of every pencil and dust bunny in the room. They prefer to put their own spin on it.
Today's Tarot deck is the Paulina Tarot. Here are a couple of sample images from the deck:
Images courtesy of Aeclectic Tarothttp://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/paulina/ I asked the Tarot what setting would work best for the story I'm working on. The card I drew was the Six of Wands. It shows a boy riding what looks like a dragon, while penguins watch from the ground. Yet it's clearly not the region where you'd find penguins. I'm going to interpret this as meaning my setting should be incongruous...somewhere you wouldn't ordinarily expect the story to take place. For instance, a rodeo in New Jersey. Or it could be a setting that doesn't mesh with the main character, i.e. a surfer in Montana. This will add an extra fun touch to the story and make it a little different than the norm.
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