Setting is an important part of storytelling. The environment a story takes place in changes how it’s told, what the characters are able to do, and a whole host of other small decision a writer makes. For example, a story set at a fantasy academy will have very different rules from one set at a more contemporary setting like a U.S. college campus. Each will have different rules, different opportunities your character can take. Neither is wrong. Both take careful thought.
Most often when setting is discussed in writing workshops, the conversation quickly turns to speculative fiction (science fiction and fantasy) worldbuilding. It makes sense: essentially creating a world from scratch is more difficult than drawing inspiration from places that already exist. But a contemporary setting has its own difficulties.
As we are all aware, things change very fast in our modern age. Technology develops, pop culture and slang change every day, and we won’t even get into politics. All this makes it difficult to write a story set in our times without it instantly becoming dated.
So what’s the solution? Do we write stories that will only last a year or two? Do we scrub our work of any identifying details and hope they will last through the years? And what about social issues or politics: Do they get completely ignored?
While I don’t have answers for all of these questions—and each of us will have our own preferences on what to include in our stories—here are four tips to help bridge the gap between accuracy and longevity.
Tip 1: Keep your contemporary settings small
Worldbuilding has the word “world” in it, which immediately brings to mind nations, oceans, interplanetary struggles. But even the biggest scale stories don’t take place on an entire planet. Each scene is told in specific, small location: schools, family homes, work place, social spaces, stores, individual online forums.
And guess what: You have control over the small spaces. You don’t need to know what wars are going, what good have tariffs on them, or what party is in power. Your job is to craft the specific location that your character occupies to fit the narrative you want to tell.
You decide the dynamics of your protagonist’s family home.
You decide whether your game of American football allows tackling (or if we’re really in Canada playing hockey).
You create the jargon used in your protagonist’s sixth grade class, what values the teacher imparts to the students, and whether the desks are set in a circle or divided into little groups or laid out in rows.
Watch Out for Biases
To do this well, however, we must be aware of our biases. We live in our contemporary setting; we consume media about it every day. This creates preconceived ideas in our heads about how a certain aspect of society “should” exist. It’s far to easy to insert an angry boss or to put unnecessary rules in place because they are the first things that pop into our heads.
I’m not seeking to strip your writing from biases, or to even claiming that biases are wrong. If—after considering the first idea that pops into your head—you decide that you like it, that’s perfectly fine. But if you feel stuck when it comes to creating a contemporary setting and want something different, here’s an exercise to try:
Write the term you want to explore in the middle of a page or at the top of a blank document. Some you can try out:
- Success
- Childish
- Summer vacation
- Neighborhood party
- Family drama
Set a timer for a minute, and quickly write down everything you associate with that term. Do your best to keep this part judgment free. There’s no right or wrong answer; just make as many associations as you can.
Take a break. Come back to your list when your mind is calm and you can evaluate each item.
Now to evaluating each item on your list. Take a good look and ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I see this more in movies or in real life?
- If I took this away, would the concept I’m evaluating still exist? (i.e., if the Disney Princess didn’t have an animal sidekick, would she still be a Disney Princess?)
- How would I (or my family) do this differently?
- What other options are there? Brainstorm a list.
Tip 2: Get the important details of your contemporary setting right and readers will forgive the rest
Maybe you do end up using pop culture references or slang a few years out of date, but as long as the details within the small spaces of your contemporary setting are accurate, readers don’t mind.
What are the important details?
That may depend on what kind of story you’re telling. In a mystery, you want all of the clues to feel plausible to the situation you created and the final reveal to make sense. In a coming-of-age story, you want the protagonist’s growth to match what real teenagers go through.
Overall, your aim is consistency. Do the characters’ actions derive from a solid motivation? Do the aspects of your contemporary setting make sense together? If so, then the handful of details that don’t directly match your readers’ experience will go unnoticed.
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Tip 3: Specify for yourself which year your story is set
The main fear when writing in a contemporary setting is that readers will reject your book because it’s set “too far in the past.” Our assumption is that readers perceive books as social media: if it didn’t come out in the past week, it’s out of style. However, that’s not true. Readers understand that books are more permanent; they are, in fact, seeking to experience and learn things they haven’t before. Far more than currency, readers value consistency.
It will help you as a writer to choose a specific year your story is set in. You do not have to share this information within the text, but having it in the back of your mind will help you focus on choosing specific, character-relevant details. These details can also pull double duty in bringing nuance and insight to your character.
For example, a character who listens to “The Ballad of the Witch’s Road” sends a very different message than a character who listens to “the latest MCU theme music.” The latter gives the sense that the character is “vibing,” or just putting on background noise; while the former gives the sense that the character is struggling with something, dealing with negative thoughts, or trying to make an important choice (this comes across from the song title alone. You don’t need to have hear it to understand).
Consistency and specific detail pulls your reader further into the story. Generalities, trying to guess what will be popular in ten years, creates the distance that allows readers to question the author’s choices.
Tip 4: Use long-lasting pop culture references
If you truly do need to use pop culture references, choose the ones that are long lasting. Long-running franchises, sports teams, or certain music genres can give your contemporary setting texture without knocking your reader out of the story. Anyone at any age can prefer the original Star Wars trilogy, be a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, or be a drama kid obsessed with show tunes.
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All four of these tips work well together to help you craft a well-rounded contemporary setting.
You have control over the small spaces in your world.
Within those small spaces, getting the important details right will keep your reader engaged in the story instead of critiquing the references used.
Specifying a year to set your story in for yourself will help you choose specific details instead of making generalizations that draw attention to themselves.
And finally, use long-lasting pop culture references to give your world and characters texture.
What do you think about these tips? Do you have any tips about contemporary setting? Share these in the comments.