Not the Resident Setting Expert

I'm with Tracy on this topic--setting is definitely not my strong suit. I tend to focus more on dialogue--both internal and external--when I'm writing a scene. But that's not to say that setting isn't important. See, while the emotion of a scene is kind of like the skeleton, the setting helps to add flesh to your scene's "body."

OK, that's kind of a weird example. But what I mean is that a scene can't exist solely on two people talking in a vacuum. Now, depending on the book (and certainly what's happening in the plot at that particular instance), setting will be more important than others. For A BUMP IN THE ROAD and NOT READY FOR MOM JEANS, setting was important but not make-or-break. But if I was writing fantasy, let's say, obviously where the events were taking place would be much more crucial. (One reason why I'm looking forward to Lesley's post this week--our resident fantasy expert!)

I tend to set my scenes in not just logical places, but also places that I find fun. For example, in A BUMP IN THE ROAD, there is a scene where my main character, her husband and her in-laws all go to a Cubs game. Was it entirely necessary that this conversation took place at a baseball game? Probably not. But being a huge Cubs fan myself, I thought it would be fun to write a scene in a place that I'm all-too-familiar with. It's those little personal details infused into a story that really makes it come to life for me.

Not to mention, my first two books are set in Chicago, where I grew up. So, I guess, setting is one way to not only add life to your story, but a neat way to sneak in some little near-and-dear snippets!