3T Writing Tidbit

We've all heard of setting as character, but what does that mean? Simply, not only does the heroine see the scenery, but it interacts with her.


For example, your heroine is on a beach on a sunny, 90+ day . You could say "The sand was hot." You could say, "Heroine nosed a toe into the sand. Ouch!"


Or you could have the setting interact with the Heroine, for example through an NPC (gamer term, Non Player Character, a prop character who is really part of the scenery) like:

Heroine slogged next to Hero through the sand. Hot sprays hit her ankles. She was glad for her sandals, keeping her from the worst of it.

A mother dragged a child toward her. The child cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. The mother yanked the child's arm. "It's time to go. Come on."

The child was barefoot, his toes as the chugged through the sand like bright red cherries. Heroine felt a stab of pity for the tot. The mother must not know the sand was so hot.

As the mother neared, Heroine said casually to Hero, "Wow, this sand is burning. Good thing I'm wearing sandals."

Heroine saw the mother pause. As they passed, the mother dropped her beach bag to pick up her crying child. Heroine smiled.

Thanks to Liz Pelletier of Entangled Publishing for this idea.


Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits.