Description and setting.
Boring, right? The parts we skip over?
Wrong! At least, not if description and setting are written in an interesting way.
So, how to do that?
Here's an exercise:
Pick a character from this list:
- a homeless person who carries a pet tarantula
- a waitress who's a millionaire
- a hippie who joins the army
- a guitar-playing banana
- a reporter for a vegetarian magazine
Then pick a setting from this list:
- a suburb in the clouds
- a water theme park
- a shopping mall in the middle of the night
- an underground hideout
- a coffee shop that used to be a firehouse
Let's say we pick the guitar-playing banana and an underground hideout.
How can we describe both with some revealing details? Don't worry what the story's "about." Just a little description about the character and setting.
Bob the Banana strummed his guitar. It was way too big for him, since he was only seven inches tall. Plus it was hard to hold the guitar with no hands. He couldn't play loudly because the underground hideout had flimsy walls. They were damp, too. Bob had lived here for 5 years, which is a very long time for a banana. He had to admit, he was starting to smell.
What do we know about guitar-playing Bob? He's seven inches tall, he has no hands, and he smells. What do we know about the underground hideout? The walls are damp and flimsy, not soundproof.
Now, with these revealing details about character and setting, we can go on to ask questions.
Why does Bob love to play the guitar?
Why has he been living in an underground hideout for 5 years?
Who is he hiding from?
We're on our way to a story! All because we explored description and setting. Try it. And don't forget to eat your bananas.
