How to Establish a Setting for a Contemporary Romance

Romance novelist Sheri McGregor says, "Many readers tell me the setting in 'Dream Catcher' was real to them, and I think that's because it was real to me. Writers work differently, but for me the setting of any story comes into play right with the characters. It appears with them and their stories, and it needs to fit."

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Contemporary History Books
• Romance Books
• Writing Classes
• Spiral Notebooks
• Writing Pens

1. Consider the setting - when and where the story takes place - before you begin writing.
2. Think about the setting as the canvas on which you paint your story. Put nothing there that draws attention away from character or plot.
3. Keep your writing true to time and place, but draw out universal elements within the setting so that your novel appeals to all readers.
4. Be accurate. Understand that for any contemporary setting you choose, you'll have many readers who are familiar with it.
5. Relate the setting to the characters and action, both to enhance and to play against one another. A hard-charging New York City female executive stranded on a Western ranch works, but a reader may balk when character, action and setting conflict.
6. Research your setting. You cannot write intelligently about a ranch unless you've lived on one, interviewed ranchers or diligently researched ranch life.
7. Avoid choosing a setting that overwhelms your storyline and characters.

Tips & Warnings

• "Use setting to heighten emotion," says McGregor. "In 'Dream Catcher' the weather turned typical for the mountains of New Mexico in March - slushy rain that froze on its way to the earth. This foreshadowed that icy road that put the heroine in danger later in the story. You can also use weather to show a change in the characters' moods."
• Relate other elements of a setting to a character's emotions or actions.
• "Long passages of description can be boring," McGregor notes. "Use description of setting to your advantage by hooking it to characters' emotions, their growth during the story, or to heighten the tension of plot points in the relationship or within the underlying story."