Storytelling is one of the great
form of expression of thoughts and ideas. From the ancient days, we all have
been practicing sharing anecdotes with our friends and families. There is
interesting exchange of anecdotes in informal or formal setting which always
excites and charms the listener. It is said that humor added in our story
shakes the indifferent from the stupor. So everyone adds their own uniqueness
in every tale they share. The foremost element that captures attention in
addition to the elements that we are going to read further is our own charm or
uniqueness of story-telling. Same applies to Story-writing. A well-defined or
written story should have necessary elements which will entice the reader to go
further and shove it away. Every element is unique in creative writing. Each
holds a significance that will highlight the stories and make it complete.
To mention, story-writing, as a
whole, has elements namely plot, character, setting, conflict, resolution and
theme. The six elements come together to create a promising story. But it has
often left me to ponder that which one is very crucial and which will take the
story ahead. Without which the reader will miss the major part in the story.
And that thought made me study further on this subject and that led me to write
this article.
How significant is ‘Setting
as an element’?
Travel is cathartic
Travel is liberating. It is a
great escape from the routine life and mundane tasks. What is life without some
amount of travel at regular intervals? Travel gives a chance to explore our
child as well as wild side. It liberates, cleanses our soul and give us new
enthusiasm to take on life ahead. And that is how we look at the element
‘Setting’. It is often a delightful element to write as well as read.
We all are Nomads by heart.
Place plays an important role in
a story. Historically we have been nomads and that part of us is very much
alive even now and always it shall be. We have the insatiable wander-lust which
raises its curious head most of the times. Be it an escape from the mundane
life or going for an adventure ride or to discover oneself, we all want to
discover new places and weave new stories through them. We don’t hesitate to
take the road less travelled and create a new story out of them. Making our
journey to remember through penning down its uniqueness, is what most of us
want to do.
We bring in that quality in our
reading too. We always look for the places mentioned in the books and that
which protagonist travels and spends their time in. The place which technically
called as ‘Setting’ is thus weaved in a manner that will entice and enrich the
imagination of a reader.
We put ourselves in the
place we write
Every person writes and describes
the place through their own lenses. The place holds a personality of a writer
and it totally exhibits the uniqueness of that writer. May it be a beach, any
hill side destination, or a garden, the writer puts himself in the location he
is choosing to write on. So Setting gives a chance to put oneself on print.
Because we cannot travel
always
Travel is not something we can do
always. We have our work-life, deadlines, school pressures, household chores to
look after, pay bills and the list never ends. Though it is always looked up as
delightful escape from the slew of chores and activities mentioned, we cannot
do it every now and then. For some it is always categorized as luxury or
privilege and not a necessary item. In that case, reading put all our worries
to rest. It cures our temptation to travel in a subtle way. We follow the
sights the writer has explored, the culture that he/she comes across on his
travel and those verdant or fetching landscapes. All through the ‘description of
setting’. All through the sight transformed to words of the writer. Not able to
travel always is balanced out by reading a nice book full of engaging
descriptions of places.
Setting as a first element
We all watch movies. Even the
visual communication aims to put setting as a first segment in the story. Some
of the best movies start with describing the location without any dialogue. The
simple image of birds chirping with the warmth of the sun blanketing the
village or a busy urban life shown with sea of humanity walking without meeting
each other’s eyes, or an airport scene with chaos. Many movies brim with the
element of setting coming first in the order. It cannot always mean the
geography or contours of the story but also means much more than what one can
imagine. “One shouldn’t appeal for attention, your performance should command
it.” As the saying goes, Setting never appeals for attention from the reader or
viewer but its description will always turn the reader to come hunting for it.
Thereby engaging him/her with the story it will take ahead. The curiosity in
the cat gets never killed by the setting but the imagery used in it will always
make the reader wanting more.
At the outset, Setting is very
important in creative writing. It is the time and place where a scene occurs. It
can help set the right tone, influence the behavioral pattern of the characters,
time-travel, visualize the scene, and set an emotion to the story. A lovely setting
shown on the cover page always makes a reader pick up the book immediately. It
is like many tools packed on a beautiful case. The other elements are packed
and neatly enclosed with the lovely case called setting.
