No matter what you write about–a memory, a person, a fact–setting is always important. It defines the character, activates their emotions, and can be depicted in a way that enhances or detracts from the story. Setting has power, and someone who masterfully wields setting can make their story shine.
I’ve always had a difficult time writing setting, and it is shown so clearly in Not That Bad.
The area depicted is called “Layton,” and it’s a fictional small town based in North Carolina and very loosely based off of my hometown and county, a large area with few people. The larger town, named “Gainey,” is based off the larger town that I currently live in that’s close by my hometown.
Like most people that leave small towns for college, it was a relief to leave an area that you’d only known for most of your life. It introduced new opportunities, new people, and new experiences. So of course, when you have to go back home, it’s a huge blow.
This is how Layton is shown in Not That Bad. In writing the town and basing it off of the area that I used to live in, I made it one-dimensional, antagonistic, and not worthy of good memories. Layton was a manifestation of my anger and resentment of coming back home from college, and it was shown clearly in how the people of the town were depicted as rude, gossip-hungry, racist, and antagonistic.
Through showing Layton through Kaya’s point of view, the people who read Not That Bad on Wattpad had negative emotions about the area and some even said that they would rather sleep in their car than come back to a town that horrible. For a bit, I agreed, but then I remembered that not everyone had the privilege to have a car, or even to have a place to live after graduation.
Of course, most small towns aren’t like that, but the way it was written hit a chord with many people.
And that’s why setting has power. If I had depicted Layton through a positive lens, then Kaya wouldn’t have had much trouble getting along with the people there. But as she’d grown up only seeing the bad sides of the town–with only a couple of bright spots shining through–the bad sides were what were depicted, even as Kaya grew as a person.
The trouble I had writing Layton was that, after completing the first draft, I didn’t know how to develop the area. I saw that it was stagnant, needed something to make it change, and I had no idea how to do that. So I did more research and studied my hometown. I saw the changes that were being made, found ways to make the area better, and depicted that in the second draft.
It was difficult. Like I said before, setting is a weakness of mine, particularly when I write something that isn’t fantasy. In fantasy, world-building plays a huge part in the setting and you can do whatever you like. In real-life, you can’t really do that. You have to take into account the areas that are already available and build off of those. That’s where I had trouble, and even as I was writing the second draft I found it difficult.
But with time, patience, and research, I made the setting better. It still needs a lot of work, but it was depicted better in the second draft than the first. All that needs to be done to make your setting believable is the research and time that goes into creating it.
Do not stay ignorant to things going on both at home and around the world. Please pay attention, research, share, and donate to the issues listed below:
- Stop AAPI Hate & Discrimination:
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- There was a coup last month in Myanmar, and just a day ago over 100 people were killed during protests. Protests are still ongoing:
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- The state of Georgia just signed a voter suppression law into effect:
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