Setting, and Characters’ Opinions, Part 1

In Today’s Journal

* Quote of the Day
* Setting, and Characters’ Opinions, Part 1
* Reopening the Mentorships
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

I recently received a couple of questions from a young writer. Since we are not engaged in a formal mentorship, I asked whether I could use his email and an example he sent in another email for TNDJ.

He graciously agreed, so this is Part 1 of our exchange. Part 2 will follow tomorrow. I suspect there will also be a Part 3. Chances are good you want to read all three.

Here are his initial questions:

What if somebody sent you a story that lacked description and said those were the only details their characters wished to give?

Also, would you say there is a big difference between the story (content) and the presentation (form)?

Here’s my response:

It isn’t a question of what description the characters want to provide. It’s a question of what they notice about the setting and their opinions of it. Let me ‘splain that a little:

Re opinions, a yellow wall might be “an ugly yellow” to one character and a “pretty, sunflower yellow” to another. A sound might be “siren like” to one character and “an annoying screech” to another, etc.

In those two examples, “ugly,” “pretty,” “sunflower,” “siren-like,” and “annoying” are the characters’ opinions, and “yellow” and “sound” (or “tone” or whatever) are descriptions.

There are many more examples (and better examples) in the Journal archives, in Writing Better Fiction, and my own fiction is chock full of them.

Recording the description of the setting and the character’s opinions of that setting enables the reader to be in the setting with the characters.

The characters’ opinions also help reveal more about the character, his likes and dislikes, his moods, etc.

We all notice bits of any setting we enter, especially when we enter it for the first time.

Of course, we notice any setting differently (or notice different parts of it) when we’re under duress than during a ‘normal’ time. For example, you wouldn’t notice as much about a room if someone swung a 2×4 or a fist at your head or fired a gun as you entered.

We might feel different emotions too as we enter a setting, depending on our memories, our history, etc. We also notice details of a setting differently when we’re arriving in the setting with another character: a friend or colleague or enemy, etc. The possibilities are practically endless.

But all people (and all characters) notice something about the settings in which they find themselves.

Even a blind character (or say, a character who wakes up in a pitch black room or is caught out on a mountain slope in blowing snow and white-out conditions) will “notice” scents, sounds, etc.

As the recorder, your only job is to observe that and write it down.

As for the difference you asked about, Yes, there’s a huge difference: The characters are IN the story, actually living it and experiencing it. Things are happening to them, and they’re conversing with each other.

But you (the writer) are NOT in the story and you aren’t part of it. In “your” story you’re sitting at your desk or table and recording (and later presenting) what happens in your characters’ world and how they respond to that with their actions and their dialogue.

All of that said, this isn’t a technique you can suddenly just “know.” This is more a matter of being aware of a technique and its effects on the reader, then practicing it by writing new stories.

Now that you’re aware of the technique, as you practice (put more new words on the page) and pay attention to your characters and their story, the more you’ll hone your skills.

I hope this helps.

Now for an intermission and an announcement:

Reopening the Mentorships

I’m getting a lot of questions lately, and sometimes I sense the writers want to know more than they’re asking. So I’m reopening the mentorships.

I tried this once before with a “pay whatever you want” policy. I thought that was pretty fluid, but nobody signed up. Go figure. (grin)

Anyway, here’s how the mentorships will work.

Each mentorship will be strictly one-on-one via email. I encourage you to copy/paste, save, and print anything I send, maybe in a folder or something.
To ensure the quality of my responses (takes time) and preserve my own writing time, initially I’ll take on up to only three writers, first come, first served. As I see how it’s going, I might increase that number later.
The writer will email me his or her specific questions (unlimited), and I will answer in depth. Topics are limited to writing and epublishing.
I will NOT use mentorship materials (other than examples I provide) in TNDJ or in other mentorships.
Each mentorship will run month by month for as long as the writer wants it to run. One month is the minimum.
The cost is a fixed $30 per month, payable via PayPal (to harveystanbrough@gmail.com). I only wish an opportunity like this had been available to me a few years ago.
Applying to me for a mentorship indicates your agreement with all of the above.

Sorry, but the cost of the mentorship is separate of any current recurring donations or paid subscriptions.

(Of course, if you want a mentorship you can always cancel your recurring donation or paid subscription. If you aren’t sure how to do that, email me and I’ll do it for you.)

And yes, of course you can still ask the occasional question about writing or publishing without engaging in a paid mentorship. Doing so constitutes your agreement that I can use your question(s) and my responses to teach others.

Back tomorrow with Setting and Characters’ Opinions, Part 2.

Of Interest

About Marie Curie and A Lot More Web version of the 1440 Science newsletter. I hope you can view it.

5 horrifying stories that double as lessons in philosophy

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………… 1170

Writing of Blackwell Ops 49: Wesley Stark

Day 1…… 2381 words. To date…… 2381
Day 2…… 3283 words. To date…… 5664
Day 3…… 2934 words. To date…… 8598
Day 4…… 2305 words. To date…… 10903
Day 5…… 3356 words. To date…… 14259
Day 6…… 2295 words. To date…… 16554

Fiction for October………………… 40109
Fiction for 2025…………………… 618647
Nonfiction for October.…………… 10220
Nonfiction for 2025……………….. 220330
2025 consumable words………… 831408

2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 15
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 32
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………….. 119
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 306
Short story collections……………………. 29