How To Weave A #Novel Like Using Settings on an App

When I'm speaking of settings this time, I'm not speaking about location.  Though, of course, location is important when you're writing.  It can become a character that influences plot.  However, today I'm talking about the intricacies of interior structure.  Sort of like those Facebook settings you don't know about.  Or the Twitter settings you can't find.  They are important to manage but you have to have some experience with the app, or in this case structuring the book to realize how to manipulate them in the right way.

Manipulation when writing a novel?  Really?

Yes.  Although my books are filled with emotion and that often propels the plot, it's not enough on it's own.

So what are those settings?

First you have the TARGET AUDIENCE SETTING.  What age bracket is your target audience? 12-17, 18-25, 25-40, 40-60, 12-100?  Female or Male?

CHARACTER SETTING.  What's your heroine's background?  How does it play into the present day?  Is there enough hurt to make her vulnerable when risking her heart?  Does her occupation play an important role in who she is?  Does her occupation interfere in her relationships?  You must ask these same questions and fine tune the SETTING for your other characters.

Then we have the PLOT SETTING.  I this book a humorous romp?  An emotional relationship novel that involves family issues?  A deeply touching romance?  A mystery to solve?  A wrong to be righted?  I think you get my drift.  But keep in mind this structure has to be woven with character settings and matched up in such a way that they compel the reader to turn the page.

The FAMILY SETTING is essential in any novel.  How involved in your main characters life is her family?  How many are there?  Do they play into the drama?  Are they integral or on the periphery of the story?

The SEX SETTING.  How hot will this novel be?  G, PG, Adult?  How does this fit in with character and plot?  Fine tune structure as necessary.

The LOCATION SETTING.  How does the place where you choose to set your book play into character development, plot and especially mood?  If you set a book in a big city, it will have a very different feel from a seaside resort.

The RESEARCH SETTING.  How important is research to your book?  What facts do you need for characters' occupations?  For mystery elements?  For plot machinations?

LENGTH SETTING.  How long do you intent this work to be?  A short story?  A novella?  A 50,000 word novel?  An 80,000 word novel?  Longer?

I believe you need to have these SETTINGS adjusted before you begin writing.  Some of them can be readjusted as you write and a new idea changes your courses or your character's course.  But just like an app that you want to perform in a particular way, you need to figure out each setting and how they fit together to have the most satisfying book to sell.
©2013 Karen Rose Smith

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