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Elements of Fiction Writing
Setting: How to Create and Sustain a Sharp Sense of Time and Place in Your Fiction
Suggests ways of creating an appropriate setting and incorporating it into the story, discussing the function of a setting, how it can affect story meaning, and how it can advance the plot
172 pages, Hardcover
First published February 15, 1994
About the author
Jack M. Bickham
69 books41 followersPseudonyms:
Jeff Clinton, John Miles, Arthur Williams
Jeff Clinton, John Miles, Arthur Williams
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 20, 2017
This book covers setting in relationship to plot, character, theme, mood, tone and atmosphere. It discusses setting as the backbone of your story, presenting factual material and how to fudge those facts, and the importance of history and the associated cultural attitudes. Lastly, this book looks at style--using precise language in setting and how to write strong, vivid settings. The appendices are helpful, especially Nancy Berland's setting research form. There is an updated version of this book which covers researching in a tech savvy world.
June 29, 2013
I have both this version and also the newer Elements of Fiction Writing book on setting (Description and Setting by Rozelle being the other version). Of the two, I found this one to be slightly more helpful in fleshing out the setting-as-a-character in my epic fantasy work. This is the older of the two, so it refers to other ways of absorbing-and-disseminating setting than the internet-research heavy newer version by Rozelle. When it comes to setting, there is nothing like being there and speaking to people who have been there to get a 'feel' for a place, I have discovered, and this book bears that bias (though once again both are useful).
July 8, 2017
This was alright, some very useful topics on integrating setting with character emotion and theme to ground a piece of work and keep it moving at the same time. A little outdated on the research guidelines, but it was written in 1994. I tend to do most of my research online using things like Google Earth, JSTOR and local online newspapers. If I need to learn something such as the basics of dressage (not that I would!), I'd hit Google, a few related sites and then look for magazines or blogs/forums where I could interact with people. If it was something academic, I'd get an overview from basic sites from Google then I'd hit JSTOR to drill down for specifics, maybe visit a forum and speak to a few people more knowledgeable than me.
I'd recommend this book for a general overview of setting and how it relates to your writing, but for the research side, go with updated methods, they are faster and a lot cheaper than travelling to a town to see how it smells or to check out what colour the roof of the town hall is.
I'd recommend this book for a general overview of setting and how it relates to your writing, but for the research side, go with updated methods, they are faster and a lot cheaper than travelling to a town to see how it smells or to check out what colour the roof of the town hall is.
January 3, 2012
Bickham explains the importance of conducting adequate research when choosing a setting for a story. He elaborates on expectations of the reader, how the setting affects the characters moods and the tone of the story. Bickham offers many valuable insights, especially regarding research. He has extensive writing experience as detailed in his biography, leaving no doubt to the depth of his knowledge.
June 3, 2015
Every writer needs to keep learning to sharpen their skills. This book probably aided writers more twenty years ago when it came out, but his examples and some of the tips are more damaging nowadays due to the modern style of writing meant keep readers engaged in the fast paced tech savy world. I picked up some good info, but struggled to finish because it gets really dry past the halfway point.
March 3, 2013
This is a great resource, but it can be a pretty dry topic.
March 12, 2024
“The elements of Fiction Writing: Setting. How to create and sustain a sharp sense of time and place in your fiction” by Jack M. Bickman. 172 pages.
It may be a short book, but for an enthusiast writer, it’s an excellent book.
‘“I made the town up” - such ideas don’t hold water. Factual data about the setting must always be as accurate as practicality allows.’
I liked the chapter called “Setting in specialised stories”.
ROMANCE
“..if you intend to write romance, you must not only observe acutely for colourful, exotic setting detail, you must also cultivate a full and rich prose style, and you should be careful for to create plot situations which put too much immediate pressure on the characters. For these elements—settings, style and plot—as different as they might appear on the surface, are inextricably tied together in the romance.”
SUSPENSE
“Intellectual puzzle (the mystery) or dire physical threat (the classic tale of espionage)..”
“What does this imply for you if you want to handle setting properly in Suspense genre? Three things:
1. The physical detail you present should be described briefly.
2. Your style should be crisp and understated.
3. The emotional background of the story —the tone of the piece — should be as chill as the romance is warm.”
HISTORICALS
“..provide:
1. Vast background content
2. Heavy doses of minute period detail
3. A variety of vantage points
4. A plot deeply intertwined in the setting
SCIENCE FICTION
1. A background of solid scientific data
2. Extrapolation from known current facts
3. A plot which grows out of the setting in some way
It may be a short book, but for an enthusiast writer, it’s an excellent book.
‘“I made the town up” - such ideas don’t hold water. Factual data about the setting must always be as accurate as practicality allows.’
I liked the chapter called “Setting in specialised stories”.
ROMANCE
“..if you intend to write romance, you must not only observe acutely for colourful, exotic setting detail, you must also cultivate a full and rich prose style, and you should be careful for to create plot situations which put too much immediate pressure on the characters. For these elements—settings, style and plot—as different as they might appear on the surface, are inextricably tied together in the romance.”
SUSPENSE
“Intellectual puzzle (the mystery) or dire physical threat (the classic tale of espionage)..”
“What does this imply for you if you want to handle setting properly in Suspense genre? Three things:
1. The physical detail you present should be described briefly.
2. Your style should be crisp and understated.
3. The emotional background of the story —the tone of the piece — should be as chill as the romance is warm.”
HISTORICALS
“..provide:
1. Vast background content
2. Heavy doses of minute period detail
3. A variety of vantage points
4. A plot deeply intertwined in the setting
SCIENCE FICTION
1. A background of solid scientific data
2. Extrapolation from known current facts
3. A plot which grows out of the setting in some way
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2019
I found "Setting: How to Create and Sustain a Sharp Sense of Time and Place in Your Fiction" by Jack Bickham quite useful at times but the writing style put me to sleep more times than I care to count. I understand that it is supposed to be a serious read, educational, but for me a sign of a good writer is somebody who can keep your attention (no matter what the book is about) and provide you the information they wish to convey in an interesting and engaging way. So hence my 3-star review. :)
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August 22, 2020I don't know how to rate it, since yes- it's helpful, even though it gives quite the basic tips.
However it's outdated, in terms of examples.
Bickham is using Saudi Arabia as an example of a country, which doesn't allow tourists and that's grossly inaccurate nowadays...
However it's outdated, in terms of examples.
Bickham is using Saudi Arabia as an example of a country, which doesn't allow tourists and that's grossly inaccurate nowadays...
May 24, 2019
Some passages are a bit dated when it comes to research techniques, but this is still valuable as a writing craft book!
November 21, 2017
Good tips throughout. I liked the significance he placed on setting, although I felt some of the techniques could easily feel forced (continually returning to a certain object in a setting to unify your story or using setting to move the readers perspective from big-picture action to introspective thoughts.)
Also, he includes many exercise ideas that require significant effort and research. I couldn't tell whether I thought they'd be worth while or not, but perhaps some writers might benefit much more from the book by taking the time to put his suggestions into practice that way.
Overall, the book didn't resonate with me enough to believe it was definitive in its ideas on setting, but I did come away with some good perspectives and ideas on how to improve in that area.
Also, he includes many exercise ideas that require significant effort and research. I couldn't tell whether I thought they'd be worth while or not, but perhaps some writers might benefit much more from the book by taking the time to put his suggestions into practice that way.
Overall, the book didn't resonate with me enough to believe it was definitive in its ideas on setting, but I did come away with some good perspectives and ideas on how to improve in that area.
October 1, 2012
Jack Bickham's "Setting" is another book in the "Elements of Fiction Writing". Here he addresses the topic of the setting of your story, and gives instruction on how to make your world lifelike. Another decent book in the series.
January 19, 2010
A very useful book on one of the least understood aspects of fiction writing.
August 29, 2010
Pretty basic, but then that is what this series is designed to be.
October 1, 2010
Competent, quick book. It kind of felt as though the chapter divides were arbitrary - everything was an extension of the main point, that setting determines character and plot types.
October 2, 2010
The writing's long-winded.
January 14, 2011
I need to go back to this one since it is so important to fantasy writing, or perhaps find a newer source to help understand what I'm missing.
July 5, 2013
Few examples, most of the time from his own books, and not at all exhaustive.
August 15, 2015
I'm fond of Jack Bickham's books, particularly "Scene and Structure." I benefitted and would recommend this to writers who haven't yet read a book on the subject.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews