"Setting as Character" with Stephanie Noll

“Setting as Character: How to Make Place More Than Just a Set Piece in Your Writing” with Stephanie Noll

All stories occur in a time and place, and even if you write the most dynamic characters that engage in sparkling dialogue and are immersed in an intricate plot, you need to create a setting that is more than scenery. Where the story takes place can bring your story, memoir, or novel to life, as setting gives your reader a sense of the emotional ground on which your characters walk.

This class will look at novels, memoirs, and short stories where setting becomes a character that the work wouldn’t be the same without. We’ll examine how the writers of selected works establish a place and time in such a way that builds character and tension and makes a work unforgettable, and we’ll complete writing exercises that give us the opportunity to create settings that will enrich our new or existing work.