SETTING
The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting. For some stories the setting is very important, while for others it is not. There are several aspects of a story's setting to consider when examining how setting contributes to a story (some, or all, may be present in a story):
a) place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place?
b) time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc)
c) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?
d) social conditions - What is the daily life of the character's like? Does the story contain local colour (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?
e) mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?
The Task:
You have ten minutes. In those ten minutes you can go as far as you can walk in any direction for five minutes and then return. During that time you are to observe with all your senses everything around you. As you observe try to think of exciting and interesting phrases that can describe what it is you experience. As you walk look around you. You're seeing your school for the first time. Where in the school did you go? What sort of school is it? Is there traffic passing on the street? What kind of traffic and how much? Are there other people around you? What sort of people are they? What are they doing there? Listen to the sounds around you. What separate sounds can you hear and identify? What are your feelings as you walk across the roads? What things do you smell as you walk? What do the smells remind you of? What things do you taste? What do things you touch feel like? Why do you have to touch them?
DO NOT TALK TO ANY OTHER MEMBER OF THE GROUP.
When you come back into the room sit down and write for ten minutes describing the places you experienced during your walk. Record as much as you can. Concentrate on creating vivid word pictures of the places. Jot down any other ideas as they come to mind. File your description in your workbook. This will become the skeleton for the setting of your short story.