Narrative Basics Lesson 3: Setting

World changing over time

Sometimes we want to describe the way the world changes just by itself.

In this snippet, Tomi Adeyemi describes a village going quiet with the setting sun.

Coconut boats pull against their anchors, sheets fall over the dome of ahéré entrances. The village sets with the sun, making way for a calm night’s sleep.

Children of Blood and Bone(2018)

Adeyemi describes three distinct changes in the environment (boats anchoring, sheets being pulled across doorways, the village setting), and then looks ahead to suggest what will happen next (the village will sleep).

Notice how the snippet doesn't focus on any particular characters. It describes the world without getting personal.

You might also notice that Adeyemi uses metaphor here “the village sets with the sun”. You can use metaphor too if you feel like it.

Here are a couple of variations using the same approach, describing a world as it changes over time.

Clouds chased the sun from the sky. The air and water cooled. The leaves of the jungle turned a deep blue, masking the route back home.

The clock tower rang, announcing the late hour. Parents cajoled sleepy children into carriages or motorcars to head home. One by one, chimneys went cold, houses warm enough to sleep through the night.

Write your own variation. Study your inspiration image and describe how the environment might change around you or your imagined characters. Try not to mention your characters.
Previous page