The Self-Starter Guide to Writing Stories, Part III: The Setting/Location

What makes a darkened street or a haunted house feel real in your story?

In this episode of Talk About Writing, we dig into the craft of building settings that are not just seen, but sensed, and how spaces carry mood and meaning. Drawing on writers like Dickens and Agatha Christie, as well as ideas from philosophers like Gernot Böhme and Henri Lefebvre, we’ll explore how settings shape emotions, reflect power dynamics, impact behaviours, shape relations, and even become characters themselves.

If you’ve ever wanted your reader to feel a place rather than just see it, this episode is for you. Follow these steps to understand how you should create the settings of your story in impactful and memorable way.