Seen this way, the setting may feel like a straitjacket to the imagination. When working in development, I’m often struck by how writers try to wriggle out of its restraints by refusing to be specific. “What’s your setting?” I’ll ask. “America,” the writer cheerfully answers. “Sounds a bit vast. Got any particular neighborhood in mind?” “Bob, it won’t matter. This is your quintessential American story. It’s about divorce. What could be more American? We can set it in Louisiana, New York, or Idaho. Won’t matter.” But it matters absolutely. Breakup in the Bayou bears little resemblance to a
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