Does setting as character mean they are inseparable from eachother? Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t seem to separate mine.

I look at the Lord of the Rings movies and I see this principle there visually; the way the elves are in autumn/Arwyn’s warning that she’ll have a long winter if she stays; the darkness over Mordor/Frodo’s inner torment; the circular simplicity of the Shire that casts irony on the darkness to come; the barbaric grace of Rohan and the same in Eowyn. It all works with the characters and vice versa.

Is that setting as character, or character as setting, or both? (Or none of the above?) Whatever it is, I love the effects of it and the ability to so subtly shade the effect of the story on the reader.

When my MC’s are visiting the ocean, they both experience a “storm” of emotions, and one is actually watching the sea as he struggles with the intensity of his feelings, contemplating the depth and power of the sea, and is reminded of how God can calm a raging storm. (overdone?)

One thing that keeps popping up is how setting affects the characters mood, or how his mood affects what he senses. The same character in the same setting at two different times comes up with a different impression of his surroundings each time.

Set in the central Oregon high desert: When the hero first meets the lovely, innocent heroine, he senses the pure stillness in the night, the hush of some well-kept secret, the fact that the night sky in this vast place is untouched by the lights and sounds of the city (man). And the same character in the same desert place in another scene, when frustrated by a not finding someone he’s looking for, notes the dryness in the air, the sweat beading on his forehead, the gnats hovering around in a buzzing, teeming cloud and the gritty dust particles sticking to his perspiring brow.

There is another symbol, or metaphor—I’m not sure which: the hero discovers a quiet, beautiful, hidden grove very near his regular walking path, realizes it takes being at the right place at the right time to discover and appreciate it. It’s a symbol of how he discovers there are people of great value to him ‘right under his nose’.

As you can see, I’m new and still learning, so this stuff is fascinating and I’m probably way overboard, but I’m having fun learning. This is good, I want more!!

I love Kingsolver. I don’t necessarily agree with all her politics, but I am proud to say I was a Kingsolver fan before Kingsolver was cool.

I generally write in a historical timeframe with a setting in the American West. Can my places have fictional names? Can I make up a small town set in a specific part of a state? Does the terrain have to be real, or can I make it up as long as it doesn’t contradict with the type of terrain found in that particular location? I would love to use the where I live, but some of my story lines won’t work here. Prior to the mid 1900’s, most ranchers of this area ran sheep rather than cattle.

God does that. He created all time and space as a training ground for us. Creation is not a character, it is a plot. It does not think, but whatever bit of it is around exerts force on everything that is near it. In creation, we can see the work of the divine, as well as the great battle of good against evil.

Because I write in pre-industrialized, and therefore usually rural times and places, the whole pattern of season and agriculture is a major part of every character’s life. It is in modern outdoors-themed stories as well. You can’t have guys go on a hunting trip if it’s two weeks after Easter.

If the setting has animals, (nearly all settings do) they can be characters. They have independent minds and wills, and whatever brain they have is always working out how to deal with their world. But the geography isn’t a character, nor is the weather or the rotation of crops. Those are plots.

I suppose a people-group (a tribe, or even a city) could have character-like attributes.

Looking forward to more tips from the pro! Many thanks for your generous teaching.

~bonne