From Edie: Learn how to use setting as an antagonist in your novel to create conflict, deepen character growth, and strengthen your plot through place, time, and culture.
How to Use Setting as an Antagonist in Your Novel: A Powerful Technique to Strengthen Plot and Character
by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
Is setting an important element of a novel?
Writing a novel involves weaving literary techniques together to create a powerful story. Novelists use characterization, plot, emotion, dialogue, symbolism, sensory detail, and setting to bring characters to life as they journey through the story.
Always choose an antagonistic setting. A behind-the-scenes antagonist—often the setting itself—forces the character to grow, change, and embrace strength not previously experienced. Setting influences plot by creating barriers and struggles for the characters, while also shaping mood and emotional response.
For example, a snake in a cage can turn a peaceful moment into danger if it strikes while the character is picking flowers.
Not every character will respond to a setting in the same way. To understand the pressure of a setting, the writer must first know the character inside and out.
Setting encompasses the geographical location, the time period, and the culture of the story. Explore each of these to discover why and how your setting plays a critical role.
Geographical:
- Where does each scene occur? The location should challenge the character.
- What are the setting’s characteristics? Consider how an antagonist might manipulate elements such as charm, wealth, or power to lure a victim. How can those be used against the character?
- Is the character acquainted with the setting? What is new? What does the character know that others may not?
- What is unfamiliar or different that delivers an antagonistic blow? A character new to a setting has more to learn—and more at stake.
Time
This aspect of setting includes:
- Time in history
- Season of the year
- Morning, noon, or night
- Length of time the setting appears in the story
Ensure each element carries an antagonistic twist.
Culture
Culture shapes the character’s responses and behavior:
- Social class
- Careers
- Political atmosphere
- Food
- Weather
- Medical care
- Religion/faith
- Family and community structure
What role does setting play for you—as a reader or a writer?
TWEETABLE
Her novels have appeared on the CBA, ECPA, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists and have earned numerous honors, including the Christy, Selah, Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol Awards.
DiAnn is a founding board member of American Christian Fiction Writers and serves as Conference Advisor for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. She is also active in Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, Outliers Writing University, and The Christian Pen. Passionate about helping others succeed, she invests in writers through mentoring, book coaching, editing, and dynamic workshops she teaches across the country.
A self-proclaimed coffee snob who roasts her own beans, DiAnn enjoys diving into good books, experimenting in the kitchen, and unabashedly spoiling her grandchildren—whom she insists are the smartest kids in the universe. She makes her home under the sunny skies of Houston, Texas.
Connect with DiAnn for behind-the-scenes glimpses, writing tips, and lively conversations at diannmills.com, or on Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, BookBub, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
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