What is Setting?

The setting is the natural, manufactured, political, cultural and temporal environment including everything that characters know and own.

Three types of setting: private life, outdoors and historic/cultural circumstances.

Why do we use setting:

• Characters are deeply involved with their environments which causes much of their motivation and many of their possible conflicts which is created with how the characters respond/adjust to their setting.
• Authors use setting to create meaning just as painters include backgrounds and objects to render ideas.
• Setting establishes realism, more details the more believable.
• To create irony.

Framing/Enclosing Setting: when the author opens with a particular description and ends with the same setting.

Highlighted or emphasized materials in setting may count as symbols to the readers.

The tone of words used to describe the setting add atmosphere or mood. (Tone of descriptive words is developed with their connotation)

Fictional World Building

What does a society need?

Economy
Jobs (Ask what will drive the economy. Will the society be based on agriculture or is it more advanced? How advanced?)

Politics 

Someone to lead (Democracy, Dictatorship, Monarchy, etc. / Countries or kingdoms)
Service Members (What are the state of these forces?)
-Police Force
-Firefighter, Paramedics
-Medics (Hospitals? Pharmacies?)

Social

Rules
Goal of the other members of society (how does it interact with the protagonist’s goal)
Character traits of the other members of society
Cooperation (in some form)

Purpose in life

Equality or lack of

These are hardly all of the traits of a society and the list can be expanded on. You can use some of these questions to guide you in developing “your world”.