Week 8: Setting

Tu 3/6--S: Read Chapter 5 of Writing Fiction, "Fictional Place" (156-172).

Weds 3/7--L: Settings Analysis Exercise:

  • For this assignment, please do the following:

    • From a novel or short story you love, pick a passage that describes a setting vividly.

      • Passage should be approximately 100-200 words in length (see the sample passages on page 171 of Burroway).

      • Type the passage out yourself (very important)

    • After you type the passage out, please analyze the passage.

      • Ask yourself: why does the passage convey setting so effectively?

      • Remember Burroway's advice and Chekhov's tip on page 165.

      • Word count for passage analysis (not including passage itself): 300 words.

    • Please post on Canvas under "Discussions":

Fri 3/9--S: L--On the discussion site on Canvas, please post the following:

    • Using the techniques you analyzed from your place passage and from Writing Fiction, write your own setting passage

      • You might describe a made-up setting that you plan to use in your upcoming story

      • You might describe another, totally funky setting you have no idea what to do with yet

      • You might describe a room in your house or another place you're very familiar with

      • Word count: 350 words

    • Write 550 more words on anything you wish (you can also continue the setting exercise above if you so desire). I'd encourage you to start brainstorming your next story.

    • Total: 900 words.

Note: draft of your story due on Fri 3/23 for workshopping; due to me on Thurs 3/29