In a recent blog post, mystery writer Zara Altair suggests seven ways you can integrate setting into your mystery novel. “The role of setting in a mystery transcends mere aesthetics or background detail,” she says. “It serves as an essential component of the narrative, enhancing the plot, inspiring the characters’ actions, and eliciting emotion from the reader. Her advice includes:
- Use the setting to create a sense of place. A strong setting will ground your readers in your narrative. In addition to geography and architecture, delve into the historical context of your place.
- Use the setting to generate mood and atmosphere. Elements like the weather or perilous geography can create tension and suspense. Lighting and time of day will alter the mood or tone of your scenes.
- Incorporate the socio-cultural context to add depth to your story. What are the customs, traditions, and societal norms of your setting? Use them to bring your story to life and create a sense of verisimilitude. Language and dialect can provide color and characterization. Social rules and mores can add conflict, especially if your sleuth is unfamiliar with them.
- Integrate the setting with your characters. “A character’s upbringing, social status, and past experiences within a specific setting shape who they are and influence their goals and motivations,” Altair says. “The environment in which characters live and work impacts their physical appearance, choice of clothing, and even their mannerisms.” Consider how your characters interact with the local community.
- Use the setting to advance the plot. Use setting to place natural or man-made obstacles in your protagonist’s way. Use setting to drop clues or red herrings or to create puzzles your sleuth has to solve.
- Foreshadow events through the setting. “Cleverly placed hints within the details of the setting draw the reader’s attention without explicitly revealing the story’s secrets,” Altair writes. “For example, the presence of a seemingly insignificant object hidden in plain sight, or a unique environmental feature mentioned in passing, become vital components of later plot developments.” Elements of your setting can also underscore your theme.
- Leverage setting-specific details to create realistic and relatable settings. Do your research to ensure that your facts are accurate and document your setting details so that you stay consistent throughout your novel.
