Week 3 Overview: Setting

In Week 3 of the Writing Foundations course, the class focused on setting—an important element of storytelling that helps bring characters and events to life.

 

Setting is closely connected to character development, because the places characters inhabit often reveal details about their personality, lifestyle, and circumstances.

 

Creating Settings for Characters

To explore the relationship between character and setting, students created three different settings connected to their story:

• A room or space belonging to Character One

• A room or space belonging to Character Two

• A shared setting where the two characters might meet

 

These settings could be familiar everyday places such as:

• A living room, bedroom, or kitchen

• An office or workspace

• A shed or garden space

• A car or another personal space

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Some students also explored smaller personal environments connected to their characters, such as a purse, wallet, or bag—objects that can reveal interesting details about a character’s life. I shared an example in class to demonstrate the type of descriptive detail we were looking for when developing a setting.

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Learning About Setting in Creative Writing

The class then watched a video from the Scottish Book Trust, in which author Phil Earle shares practical advice about writing effective settings. The video, Creative Writing Masterclass: Setting, explores how writers can use place and environment to support storytelling.

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Students discussed the ideas from the video in small groups, before sharing their thoughts and conclusions with the rest of the class.

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Returning to Plot Development

After exploring setting, we returned to the topic of plot development. The class watched another masterclass video from Phil Earle on plotting a story.

 

Again, students discussed the ideas in small groups and then shared their responses with the class.

In particular, we focused on the four key questions introduced at the end of the video, which help writers think about how their story develops.

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Using a Plot Box to Develop a Story

To develop their story ideas further, students completed a Plot Box exercise. A Plot Box divides a story into several smaller sections, helping writers to think about different moments or events that might take place within their narrative.

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After completing their Plot Box, students then chose one of the smaller sections and began writing a short part of their story. I shared with the class the beginning from my story as an example.

 

Sometimes it’s more helpful not to start at the beginning of the story. You may have a later scene very clearly in your mind. So, start there. This approach can often help writers discover interesting moments in their narrative and develop their ideas more freely.