How do you describe sets?

Answer 1

A setting can be several things:

• Time - when is the story taking place?
• Place - where is the story taking place?
• Social Setting - in which culture is the story taking place?
• Historical Period - in which century or millennium is the story taking place?

You will need descriptions of each, so that the reader knows where and when things are happening. You don't need a lot of wordy descriptions, though.

Here's a good example of setting description:

"The skiff was black, its gunwales scant inches above the waves. Like my two companions, I was dressed in dark clothing, my face smeared with lamp-black. The rowlocks were wrapped and muffled; the loudest sounds in all the night were the light slap of water on wood and the rhythmic rustle of Steven's clothing as he pulled at the oars."

In this selection from O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King, you know these things with only one paragraph of description:

• Time: night
• Place: in a heavily loaded skiff on the water, with companions and a man named Steven rowing, and everyone trying to be quiet and not be seen