Tag: setting

Reading Fun

Summer Settings I Would Love to See

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Technically my summer is coming to an end (even though I know others are just in the middle) but that just means I’m going to have to look harder for books that have summer settings. That way I can take extended vacations for a few hours at a time on my couch. And while we’ve discussed a lot of books this month, I thought it would be fun to talk about some summer settings I want to see in books. Let’s jump right in:

  • College Campuses

You guys know I love a good boarding school or college campus book, but they always take place in the winter. And rightfully so, because fall and winter are when most schools are in session. However, most colleges have summer sessions and I just think that would be such a cool setting for a summer read. Think about it, a big campus that’s relatively empty compared to its usual. Classes are longer, but tend to have smaller sizes. People taking summer sessions have to get close to one another because you need a lot of support to make it through those stressful cram sessions. I just think there’s so much that could be done and it’s uncharted territory that needs to be explored!

  • Private Islands

I haven’t read a good private island story in a hot minute. I’ve read some private island stories, but none that I felt capture the mystery and magic. That kind of mix of elegant and laid back. There is just so, so much that could happen. I’m thinking of those old stories where people get trapped in a haunted mansion and have to solve mysteries. Imagine an entire island as that kind of thriller playground. Don’t you think that would be fun? I think that sounds like something right up my alley.

  • Tourist Traps

I have lived next to a tourist town for my entire life and there are just so many gimmicks and cool things that happen in them. I’d like to see that in a book. And honestly, it would work for any genre. You could do a mystery, a thriller. You could do sci-fi (think of all the little shops in the tourist towns!) or something historical perhaps. A romance for sure. The door is wide open and I want to see it be well done.

What summer settings would you like to see? Or, do you know any books that do a good job with the settings I’ve discussed? Let me know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow my blog for more setting discussions.

Happy reading,

-kj

Writing

Settings I Want to See More Often

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This month we’ve talked about great settings and ways to write your own great setting for your own masterpiece. And it has been an absolute delight getting to talk about this overlook element of writing and literature, so I wanted to continue celebrating this series with another really fun post.

Today, I want to talk about setting that are underrepresented in literature and writing. I’m taking about the settings most authors don’t write about or the ones I want to see because I think they have a lot of unexplored potential. It’s a hard concept to explain without just doing it, so let’s dive in head first and you’ll get the gist:

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Writing

Common Setting Mistakes Authors Make

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While pretty much everyone would agree that characters make a story and a good plot is a necessary element, sometimes people overlook the importance of the setting. This month, while I’ve been patriotic thinking about my home, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about settings in novels and it has actually helped me with my own writing (I do write some if you didn’t know from all my NaNoWriMo posts last year)

Today I wanted to talk about common setting mistakes authors make, because I think it’s something we don’t discuss enough. A lot of times my creative writing kiddos come to me understanding the importance of the characters or asking for help with their plot, but setting is often overlooked and a good setting can really help a story. It’s also one of the most difficult things to get truly right if you want your setting to be an important plot of your story. And since I love talking about writing as much as I love discussing reading, let’s jump in to the discussion:

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Book Lists

Favorite Fictional Settings

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This month I decided I wanted to be patriotic and it left me thinking a lot about my home and my country. But I realize there are so many other countries and peoples in the world that I didn’t want to just focus on the United States. That’s why I thought this month would be a perfect time to talk about settings. It’s a topic I’ve wanted to cover for a while but just couldn’t seem to work into any of my other themes.

This week, I wanted to venture outside of the realm of my home and step into the pages of a book. With all the craziness that has been happening in the world this year (you know what I’m talking about), I haven’t been able to travel much, so books have been a major escape for me. That’s why, today, I wanted to discuss my favorite fictional settings. Let’s dive in:

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