More about Setting

I’ve been walking up to the north gate of the Air Force Base for thirty-five years. Mostly walking dogs (I’ve worn out four, plus countless shoes.) Clear back at the beginning, I pushed a stroller with a dog on a leash. I rode a bike with a child seat on the back for many years. I’ve gone in the mornings, at noon, and in the evenings. I’ve gone in rain, sun, snow and wind. I’ve seen this little strip of land in every light, with me in every mood. I’ve walked with tears, prayers, memories, crying babies, reluctant dogs or self. I know this setting better than I know anywhere.


I know how the slant of the sun changes come September, how there is always a strong canyon breeze just past the canal where the land dimples slightly, I know the tiny clearing in the cottonwoods and rogue fruit trees where I often see deer. I know the sound of quail warning of my coming, and the rush of a pheasant past my nose that I unknowingly flushed from a bramble of branches. I know the smell of rain, and fall in this place.


I know how it feels wondering if I’d ever walk that path again; know the simple joy of walking it again. I know the solace of crying, alone on abandoned road barriers and blessing the solitude. I’ve heard the gut-wrenching tale of a neighbor driving up to the gate to scream at fate when she lost her husband because she could be alone to do so without her young, large family hearing her anguish. The story adds a layer to all those layers I’ve put there myself. This is one of my settings. A place imbedded in me. You can’t explain me, describe me, know me without know all this about that small two-mile stretch of land.


And this setting of mine, it helps me with writing setting for every character, every story I write. I apply what I know of my setting to any setting I write about. I can use my imagination and knowledge to write about the September slant of sun anywhere because I know my setting. I can imagine how a person feels in every situation by knowing my own feelings.


So one of the best things a person can do for writing setting is know your own setting. Take notes; take pictures, though you see it every day. This is why a writer’s journal is so critical, to help you remember those thousands of things you know and must use as you write.


Walk in your setting today as September melts into October. Take note of just one thing you didn’t notice yesterday. One mood, one emotion, one breeze, one scent.