How to use a setting in a story Archives

One thing I love about exploring a new setting for a story is the way it can inspire characters and plots. Although writers often discuss those three elements as if they are distinct, they all feed into each other. So let your imagination wander and suggest a story for this setting. Do you want to decide the genre first? Historical fiction would have different characters than a fantasy. Or maybe it’s a contemporary story. An archaeological expedition is working in the castle, which hasn’t been inhabited in centuries. That could lead to a mystery, thriller, or suspense story. Or a romance between two people on the dig. Maybe there are rival dig teams. Here’s my inspiration:

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Genre: Mystery
Setting: An archaeology dig at a remote castle in Eastern Europe.
Characters: Professor leading the dig. Two graduate students who are his assistants. The undergrads who make up the bulk of the team. The government official who has given them permission to dig. Local people from the nearby village–farmers, shopkeepers, maybe a mayor.
Plot: After digging for a month, the archaeological team has found nothing significant. Although a few locals don’t like the team studying the castle, most of them like the business the outsiders bring. Then accidents occur at the site. Finally a body of a local who objected to the dig is discovered. Was it another accident? And if it was murder, why?

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In the comments, list your genre, setting, main characters, and basic plot. I’d love to read how the picture inspires you!

Here are more photo prompts for writing settings.

And now I’ll reveal what the mystery structure is from last week … a furnace used for separating iron from the rock it was found in. My kids and I are pictured beside Hope Furnace, found at a trailhead in Lake Hope State Park. A poster on IG knew what these were. Can you imagine the heat these furnaces gave off? The iron industry lasted about thirty years in Ohio. The furnace was shut down in 1874. Now I understand better how Nebuchadnezzar threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego into the fiery furnace.

Visit the comments for the prompt last week, and you’ll read how the photo inspired the start of a story with dual timelines. I still think it would be cool if these were structures left by an ancient people. That’s what makes writing so fascinating. A dozen people can look at the same source of inspiration and come up with a dozen different stories.

For more prompts inspired by settings, click here.

I took this photo on a hike this year. Although I know what the structures were used for, there’s something fantastic about them. If you don’t know what they are, what story could you write about this setting? If you do know, let your imagination wander and come up with a story that gives a different purpose to the structures or works with what they really are into a story.

I think they look like abandoned pyramids like the kind the Mayans and Aztecs made. What if hundreds of years before Europeans came to America, a huge Aztec invasion force slowly worked its way north, overwhelming and subjugating the native people, building their pyramids along the way. The various tribes, although they didn’t have the Aztecs’ technology, decided to band together to repel the invaders and regain their freedom. Now I’ve got the outline for an epic.

Now it’s your turn. What are these structures and how could they inspire a story? Next week, I’ll tell you what they are and where I took the photo.

For more writing prompts about setting, click here.

Setting is the theme this on JPC Allen Writes, and today’s prompt is inspired by my family’s visit to the King’s Hollow Tunnel (or King’s Switch Tunnel or King Station Tunnel–this place has more names than a member of the British royal family). This tunnel is part of the Moonville Rail Trail. The Moonville Tunnel is reputed to be haunted, but I think the King’s Hollow Tunnel is a much better site for a ghostly legend. So let’s write a legend for this setting.

As usual, my mind turns to crime. I imagine that when the trail was a railroad in the 1800’s, a body was found alongside of it. It took authorities awhile to identify it, but the dead man was an exiled king of a small European country. People in the area believed the ex-king was traveling incognito but his enemies caught up with him on the train. That’s how the place got it’s name–King Hollow. Legend says that the ghost of the king still walks the trail, looking for his killers.

Now it’s your turn. What legend can you imagine for this setting?

Tag: How to use a setting in a story

Suggest a Story for This Setting

The Mystery Structure Is …

What Story Could You Write about this Setting?

Let’s Write a Legend

JPC Allen Writes

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