The Interaction of Characters and Their Settings

 

Have you ever read a book that had some lovely passages of description, but you still wanted to skip over them? You might be the kind of person who prefers action, and you want to get on with the story rather than knowing the intricacies of Aunt Muriel’s petunias. But another reason is that the description is sitting all by itself and not interacting with poor Aunt Muriel.

I was a social psychology lecturer for 25 years, and environmental psychology was one of the topics I taught. In a nutshell, environmental psychology looks at how people and settings co-influence one another.

• People affect natural and built environments in both positive and negative ways.
• Natural and built environments affect people in positive and negative ways.
• Unlike the boy band, these effects do not just go in One Direction. They interact with each other, such that people affect the environment, which in turn affects people, who in turn affect the environment and so on. (And yes, I realise One Direction has broken up.)

So, what has all of this got to do with writing fiction? Think about it in terms of your setting. Are your characters interacting with their settings or are you just telling us what’s in the setting? Let me give an example.

Interacting With Settings

An Example

I read a manuscript extract in which a woman came home and went into the kitchen to make dinner. The author then gave a long paragraph describing the kitchen. She had really put a lot of thought into it and had excellent skills at technical writing. The walls weren’t just blue or yellow, they were particular shades, like the types you would find on a painter’s chart. Kitchen utensils and pots were hanging from hooks on the ceiling. There was a clear description of the layout of the room, including a window over the sink that looked out across the yard.

However, there was just one problem. The description was static. It was as if the character stood to one side while the description of the setting played out. There was no interaction between the character and the setting. 

Show, Don't Tell

Some good old ‘show don’t tell’ would have gotten across the same information. Instead of the author telling us that pots were hanging from the ceiling, the character could reach for one of the pots and put it on the wooden bench. She could open up the pantry cupboard and move aside the cereal boxes to find the pasta. She could go over to the sink and look out the window while rinsing the cutting board she needs to use. That kind of writing is much more engaging than simply giving us a description. By showing the character interacting with the environment, we're not only getting an idea of the setting, but we're also learning about the person.

Avoid Information Drops

Another advantage of having your character interacting with the setting is that you can drop information in a bit at a time when needed, rather than doing the dreaded info dump that encourages a reader to skip over the boring bits. We don't need to know that Grandpa's hunting knife is in the kitchen drawer until someone uses it to carve the Sunday roast.

Setting as Character

In some books, the environment plays such an important role that it is like a character in itself. For example, Susan May Warren set about half of her novel The Way of the Brave on the snowy slopes of Denali in Alaska, where the characters had to fight the elements to stay alive. If you write biblical fiction, think about what it would have been like for Noah and his family to spend so long in the Ark while waiting until the ground was habitable again. Or what would it have been like for the Israelites to spend 40 years in the wilderness? How would you have liked living in a tent with your family for all those years?

Questions to Ponder

Now think about your current work-in-progress.

• Are your characters riding the boundary of their drought-stricken farm to check the livestock? Show us the desolation of the land and the riders.
• Are two people walking through the CBD of a large city? Maybe the traffic is so loud that they have trouble hearing each other, so they have to shout or move to a quieter location.
• Are they stuck in a crowded elevator? Give us a sense of the claustrophobia and panic as it sets in. Is he loosening his tie? Is she thumping the call button?
• Do they go fishing and toss their empty drink cans into the river? Or do they spend Saturday mornings doing litter parade at the beach?
• Do they rearrange the tables and chairs in a coffee shop so that everyone in their group has plenty of room, or do they squish up so there’s four in a booth that usually seats two?

There is a myriad of possibilities, but whatever decisions you make, be sure that your descriptions are advancing character or plot. Don’t just have it rain for the sake of it. Have it rain so we can see how the caterer copes with the quickly rejigged garden party, or so the hero and heroine have to stand close together under a tree to stay dry.

Do you have examples of novels that have done a particularly good job of showing the person interacting with their environment? I’d love to hear your examples.

Author Bio

Nola Lorraine (aka Nola Passmore) has a passion for faith and social justice issues, and loves weaving words that inspire others with courage and hope. Her inspirational historical novel Scattered was published in 2020, and she also co-edited the Christian charity anthology Glimpses of Light with Jeanette O’Hagan. She has more than 150 short publications, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine articles and academic papers. She and her husband Tim also run a freelance writing and editing business, The Write Flourish. She’d love to connect with you through her website: www.nolalorraine.com.au

Photo Sources

Author photo by Wayne Logan at WRLPhoto.

Surfing dog by StarFlames on Pixabay.

Feeding the Reservoir (aka Soaking up the View from my Window)

By Mazzy Adams

A writer’s inclination to observe people and places is common, if not intrinsic, as it informs the character characteristics and settings we create for our readers. But for months, opportunities to casually watch passers-by while sipping a caramel latte inside a coffee shop, or freely travel to another place just to see what’s there, have languished in the realms of wishful thinking. Whether introvert or extrovert, opportunities to top up our creative reservoirs have taken a hit.  

It’s not surprising that, as global conditions have created compelling reasons to stay at home, innovative online groups have created new ways for people to connect and explore the world.

Last year, I joined a group called ‘View from My Window’. Precious glimpses into the daily lived experience of folk from across the globe have broadened my view of the world and the people in it. The views shared range from earthy to exotic, workaday to wondrous, and shabby to sublime, yet each outlook has someone to belong to, and a message to share. 

My home office window offers a homely, garden outlook (complete with bonus self-seeded weeds; freebies courtesy of the birds and the breeze) but, as I recently discovered, the view from my window was waiting, willing, and wanting to refill my depleted creative reservoir with gentle reminders and encouragements. I just needed to stop and listen to its words and stories.   

The garden began life as a goldfish pond, dug by hand out of compacted clay and lined when our children were youngsters; I relive the happy memory of their delighted squeals as they enjoyed a fun-filled ‘test swim’ before we added the water plants and fish.

Years of drought and water restrictions drove the pond’s reinvention into a garden that requires, and receives, minimal maintenance, but the elements I can see—from the plants, to the rocks, to the scar created by the chair which temporarily supports the rainwater tank’s overflow pipe—all bear witness to precious truths. 

The garden has a peaceful palm tree which sheds its dead leaves from time to time, and a beautiful-in-its-wild-and-messy-growth-pattern olive tree which I planted about twelve years ago. 

The palm tree whispers, ‘Don’t hold on to dead regrets, nor things that have passed their season of flourishing and must relinquish their moment of glory to make way for the new things God is doing now. Let them go. Draw water and nourishment from the reservoir of God’s word to grow and nurture new branches for this season.’ Without the weight of these dead things, I can confidently reach ever heavenward, to give my Lord honour and glory, and draw ever closer to Him in relationship. 

The olive tree reminds me to give thanks for my blessed heritage in God, which is rooted in history, in His chosen people, in the promises given in His word and received by faith, for all who are children of God, branches of His Olive Tree, natural or engrafted. 

The agapanthus remind me of the joys of my childhood (when I loved to ‘pop’ their swollen buds to release the bloom). They encourage me to always rejoice in the blessed innocence my Heavenly Father has given to me through Jesus Christ, to come boldly and confidently into His presence as a loved and accepted child, and to bloom and expand where He’s planted me. 

The agaves remind me that, in Christ, I can flourish in the harshest of conditions. I can raise my hands and the centre of my heart and soul to Him even when I’m feeling spiky, or bashed and battered by the hail of adversity. He sends His rain, and His love, upon the just and the unjust alike. When I willingly receive the mercy He rains upon me into the centre of my being, He refreshes me and renews my life. 

The papery bark of the native Australian melaleuca reminds me that God enables my writing and inspires my uniquely Aussie style; I can trust Him to direct and send my words to the world from this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit. 

The violets growing under it remind me that, just as they bring forth purple blossoms in season, as I also dwell in the shelter of the Most High, rest in the shadow of the Almighty, and experience and enjoy all the promises of Psalm 91, then the outworking of His grace will be as evident in me, and attractive as the pretty purple faces of those violets. 

The rocks and pebbles remind me that I am part of the house that is being built together in love and fellowship, founded on Jesus Christ, The Rock of Salvation, and the Chief Cornerstone. 

The visual scar created by the poly pipe—a temporary ‘fix’ to channel the overflow from the water tank—reminds me that God can even use my imperfect efforts and temporary solutions to channel His overflowing, life-giving anointing to where it’s needed. As I turn my attention to my computer screen and keyboard, this knowledge renews my passion and energy for the tasks intrinsic to the ministry of creative writing and publishing to which I feel called.

The jade reminds me to be mindful of the cultural beliefs and sensitivities of others, and to respect every individual, whatever their background or origin. We have one of these growing beside the entrance to our property too. The first day the grandparent of one of our students met us, she was thrilled to see the jade, explaining that, in her culture, it was a positive emblem that bode well for her grandchildren as they sought to advance their education and understanding with us, and that gave her joy, peace, and a feeling of well-being. 

And finally, hidden in the secret place in the depths of the earth, the bulbs of the hippeastrum wait patiently for their time to come, when their blood red trumpets burst forth, rising to announce their presence to the world. And, because I know my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, my heart begins to sing: 

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.

Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.

On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of his resurrection share;
When his chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. [Refrain]

Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun;
Let us talk of all his wondrous love and care.
Then when all of life is over and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. [Refrain]

Just as there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven, the view from my window is not static and the photos I’ve shared reflect some of those seasonal variations. 

I wonder, have recent seasons caused you to slow down … hunker down … stare wistfully out the window, longing for freedom? 

Whatever elements the view from your window frames—picturesque or ordinary—have they, do they, could they remind you of God’s faithfulness? Speak to you of endurance? Or something even more profound? Will you pause to listen to their stories?

Who knows, perhaps they’ll whisper, ‘It’s time to write and/or send the words you’ve been given out into the world to connect with the very people who wait to receive them.’ What an exciting thought!

[Copyright Information: 

Hymn: When the Roll is Called up Yonder; Music and Lyrics by James M Black, 1893, Public Domain.
Images: Mazzy Adams 2021]

Mazzy Adams is a published author of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. She has a passion for words, pictures, and the positive potential in people. 

Website: www.mazzyadams.com

Email: maz@mazzyadams.com

Hidden Under a Pile of Words

By Jeanette Grant-Thomson 

I write because I love it. I enjoy every sentence, even the corrections, the amended versions of my novels, the reworded versions of other people’s stories. I’ve written ever since I was about six or seven and I only stopped for a few years after becoming a Christian.

Why did I stop?

Because I was so enthusiastic about my new-found faith, I didn’t want to do what I was concerned might be wasting time. I soon discovered that the closer I grew to God, in his presence my mind would be filled with ideas for poems, stories, all sorts of things. I came to believe he considered writing one of my gifts.

Picture the scene.

I was living in a valley at Bardon. At the top of the hill lived a Christian friend of mine. He had a magnificent view. I had none at all. All I had was an old flat with a rickety verandah.

So I prayed.

Me: Lord, how come you bless that man more than you bless me?

God: He’s using his talents.

Me: Well, what do you see as my talents?

God (impressing it clearly so I had no doubt): Writing and praying.

The very next morning I was asked to write some things for my church. Sunday School books and tracts. Then Teen Challenge asked me to write their newsletter. That led to Jodie’s Story, my first actual book. Which led to my being asked to write my next two biographical stories. (This all took years, of course.)

I found writing biographies easy. There was the story, with its obvious pivot points and suspense, all ready-made. All I had to do was put it into words.

Writing novels

So from there to novels. An obvious step. But … in my novel writing, I face big challenges. Often I begin a novel with my setting. Beautiful or interesting settings intrigue me. Take my current WIP, Returning to Riverview. It’s set partly at beautiful Kenilworth Homestead on the Mary River. I lived there on and off for many years and grew to love that property. My first visit there inspired a journal full of poems. Kenilworth features in many of my blogs. I loved the images it evoked.

The old tree with its heavy load of vines – 

    Old man tree, 

    Dying, 

    With your vine-laden back hunched against the wind, 

    Bony knuckled branches clutching dry air. 

The high mud banks of the river with flood water rushing past, surging up the banks, rearranging the shape of the bank like a potter at work (well, God the Great Potter was at work) swirling and scouring, sculpting and carving.

Photo by Elvira Meridy White 

So, as I write Returning to Riverview, I’m enjoying sharing these wonderful images as my protagonists, Claire and Vivien, see them.

But oops! Where’s my story gone? That famous narrative arc is covered in images like vines over the tree. In fact you can’t find the plot for vines. Isn’t it time my protagonist – er – did something? Or something happened to her? She’s lost! Well, for the purposes of the plot, she is anyway.

So, as a lover of beautiful settings and interesting characters, I wrestle most with the very bones of the novel. Its structure or narrative arc.

So what can I do about it?

First I pray – along the lines of ‘Help, God! Give me discernment to see what is a necessary part of the setting and character-building, and what is sheer self-indulgence.’

Then I proceed to tighten it. I am much more ruthless than I once was. Unless I were to feel I could write a beautiful literary novel like Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer-winning Gilead (don’t worry, I have no such illusions), I aim for a traditional narrative arc. That means, from what I can glean from various gurus I’ve heard or read, my first pivot point should be about twenty percent of the way along. Maximum thirty percent. Ouch! And I have to finish off the novel quite soon after the climax or main pivot point. (Opinions do vary.)

My desk is cluttered with copies of my novel I’ve printed out to read.

I understand one has to ask oneself, does this (each) scene take the narrative forward at all? If the answer is ‘no’, it has to be deleted or radically shortened. After doing that, I remove some unnecessary words and try to simplify any awkward sentences.

So I’m currently doing that with Returning to Riverview. I’m happy enough with my beginning. I feel it captures the readers’ attention and leads them into the novel. Now to get the action happening soon enough to keep their attention.

Do any of you have an area of writing where you struggle? What is yours? How do you deal with it? 

Jeanette Grant-Thomson is a north-Brisbane based Christian writer and speech and drama teacher. She has been writing since her childhood and has had a variety of things published, ranging from poems to novels and biographies to film scripts (she also directed the films in her more energetic youth.) She has had five books – novels and biographies – and many shorter stories published.

Author page – www.facebook.com/jeanette.grantthomson

Writing with Ambient Sound

It’s a common question for writers. I’m sure you’ve been asked a few times in the past. Do you write with music or silence? It’s almost up there with “are you a plotter or a pantser?” I’ve always come down on the silence side of things. If I’m writing I need to be free from auditory distractions. Even if it’s just instrumental music it can pull me away. Interestingly though, I can program while listening to music, unless it is really intense algorithmic code. But enough about my day job.

I do find music very inspiration for setting the scene, but I’d prefer to listen to it before I write.

Recently, however, I came across something new and a little bit weird. It may work for some people. Writing with scene-appropriate ambient noise.

I write a lot of sci-fi, so many of my scenes are set on a space ship. When Star Trek: The Next Generation was first produced in the late 80s they made the decision to layer the engines of the Enterprise subtly rumbling in the background. If you pay attention you’ll hear it in every single scene set on the ship. It was probably a hotly debated decision. Would audiences really want that sound constantly in their ears while watching the show? It worked out well for them. It really added to the realism of feeling like you were on the ship with the characters.

Did you know that people have made looping videos of the Enterprise engine ambient noise on youTube? Want to get away from it all escape to the 24th century? Just close your eyes, pop on some headphones and listen to this:

That’s right 24 hours of engine humming! Don’t have it up too loud, though. It’s got to be subtle. Some people even fall asleep listening to this.

Getting back to my writing, I thought it would be cool to put this on in the background to enhance my setting. Make me feel like I was on a spaceship. It was pretty cool actually.

That’s when I found that ambient noise is a big thing on youTube. I was writing a story with a Victorian (1800s England, not the state in Australia) setting. Sure enough, I found a nice little video with ambient sounds of a Victorian street at night. It helped me get into the right head-space.

Writing a scene in a jungle?, writing a modern warfare scene? Have a scene on a tropical beach?, a restaurant?, the wild west?, a sailing ship? a city street or perhaps you’re writing a medieval battle scene. And we can’t forget everybody’s favourite sound of all - rain.

These background sounds certainly help me get into the setting. (It helps that I have an unlimited NBN plan). There is still, of course, the potential for distraction, but overall I think it is helping more than hindering, so I’ll continue to experiment with it. Not to mention, it’s just cool fun.

What about you? Do you think ambient sounds would help you get into the setting for your scenes? Have you used it before? What’s the most unusual setting you’ve managed to find sounds for?

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Adam David Collings is an author of speculative fiction. He lives in Tasmania, Australia with his wife and two children. Adam draws inspiration for his stories from his over-active imagination, his life experiences and his faith.

Adam is a great lover of stories, enjoying them in books, movies, scripted TV and computer games. Adam discusses these on his own youTube show – Stories with Adam Collings.

Find him at adamdavidcollings.com or sign up to his email list for a free short story.