We’re digging into the Secret Sauce writing series next week, but first, I wanted to share an oldie but a goodie. I was digging through my old series and found one I didn’t even remember: Power in settings.

From the (all new) introduction:

Whether your work is a locked room mystery, a small town drama or an epic fantasy, your setting plays a key role in your story. Your setting can set the emotional tone, add conflict and increase the tension of your work.

On the other hand, we’ve all read books bogged down with barrels of description, that somehow still doesn’t help us visualize the scene or the milieu.

Using setting effectively isn’t about purple prose or even pretty writing. It’s about making an impact on your reader: drawing them into the story, helping them see the characterization and mood, and keeping them reading.

In this short series on power in settings, we look at the different ways in which setting can apply to our stories, and things to contemplate as we incorporate the setting.

With Tension, Suspense & Surprise, I asked for a Tweet, Facebook post or Google+ post in return for the PDF. But since this series is on the short side, there are no hoops at all. (I would still appreciate you sharing the news about the Power in Settings PDF, of course!)

Ready?

Click here for the Writers’ Quick Guide to Power in Settings!

Picture by Lauren