Every narrative takes place somewhere. The setting may be a major player in the story, as when a character struggles against (or struggles to survive) some element of nature, or the setting may have little influence on the story's outcome. Even if the setting is not central to the story's conflict, though, setting details are important because they help readers visualize the events of the story. That's why setting details should be a key part of your plan to orient readers.
Describing your story's setting near the beginning can also help your readers to avoid becoming confused later on. Suppose you're writing a story about a family searching for their lost child near a river. At some point in the story, one of the characters comments that she is concerned about crocodiles carrying off the child. Unless you established early on that your story takes place in Somalia, this detail will be a shock to a reader in St. Louis, Missouri, who was picturing the Mississippi River--the only river he's seen close up. (There are no crocodiles in the Mississippi River.)
Details that help orient readers can include elaborate descriptions, or they can be as simple as those in the following sentences:
Jack buttoned up as best he could against the raw December wind, grateful for the heavy wool of his Union army coat, and grateful that he, as well as the coat, had survived the war without any holes. Wisconsin was not a hospitable winter state, and the raw wind off Lake Michigan made it all the worse. He turned his horse to put the wind at his back and longed for the warmth of his cabin.
With these few sentences, readers immediately know that Jack is somewhere along the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan during winter. Readers can also conclude, based on references to a Union army coat, a horse, and a cabin, that the story takes place sometime around the American Civil War in the 1860s. Even small details like these, which also show the characters in action, can help orient your readers to the time and place where the story's events occur.
Question
What kinds of details should you include in your description of your story's setting?
the landscape, buildings and other structures (inside or outside), a character's means of transportation, tools and other objects that show the level of technology available at that time and in that place
