WHERE

The setting is the location of your story. Think of the place that your characters inhabit. What does it look like? What does it smell and sound like? How does it make your characters feel? Are they hopeful for its future? Are they concerned about its present path? Does it make them feel safe? Vulnerable? What physical details about this place reveal deeper truths? Be specific in your description. It will help bring the world of your story alive for your audience.

As you consider the setting, think about what scale best fits your narrative:

• Are you telling a personal story?
• A local one?
• A national, or regional story?
• A global one?

Each scale has its own benefits and drawbacks. A personal story has the upside of feeling real and concrete. Audiences can grasp the individuals involved. However, working on a small scale can sometimes make the relevance of your story seem limited. In contrast the universal importance of global stories like climate change are much more obvious, but they can also seem abstract or overwhelming. Thankfully, you can move between scales as you share your narrative. Feel free to zoom in and zoom out as you see fit. Share local details that make your setting feel authentic and lived in, then widen the lens to show how this local conflict ties into national, regional or global issues.