How often should I remind my readers of the setting?
My story takes place in a city during a hard winter: streets are covered with snow, the wind is blowing, the river is frozen. I describe all the setting in the very first scene. My character leaves his coat behind in a closed pub and later suffers from cold in the streets on his way home.
How many pages could a reader remember it is winter? Should I remind him of the setting each time my character leaves his appartment?
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/36898. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
3 answers
The real question here is:
How often does it matter to the character where he is?
If, as in your story, your character leaves his coat behind and wanders the streets in winter, he will probably feel the cold, and get colder with every minute. So the fact that he is "in" winter, will matter very much to him and he will spend much of his attention on it. Consequently, your writing should reflect your character's preoccupation with the wintry cold, slush, etc. The reminders to your readers will come naturally with the focus of your character.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38168. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
0 comment threads
Each time it makes sense, no more, no less.
You do not need to make recalls. Consider your character's POV. When does he think about the weather ?
Closing the door of my house, I looked at the sky. It will not be long before it starts to snow again.
or
Walking on the sidewalk, he was careful not to slip.
or
He looked at the landscape, beautifully wrapped in a coat of snow.
If weather is meaningful for your story, that should naturally show in concrete facts, not arbitrary reminders.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36899. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
0 comment threads
+1 Stephane. My own take is that if you are mentioning something like the weather, an emotional state, an article of clothing, a weapon, anything, it should have consequences in the story.
So yes, describing winter in your story does have consequences, a forgotten coat creates some hardship, a form of conflict that sustains interest in the story during a transition from pub to his home, that you chose to describe for some reason: perhaps a little world-building, or time to think or see something that has consequences later in the story.
However, all the consequences of winter can follow without further describing itself. There is a maxim in computer coding called DRY, meaning Don't Repeat Yourself, which applies to writing as well. Keep your story DRY!
If you are going to repeat yourself and keep telling people it is Winter, then each time you do that should have some consequence. Otherwise, you are treating the reader like a child by constantly reminding them of it. Tie those description to something that happens; even if the something is pretty minor, but if nothing else it can cause sensory or emotional reactions.
So YES and NO: I wouldn't mention it is winter every time he leaves the apartment. But the fact that it IS winter surely changes his behavior. He has to bundle up for winter; he is careful descending stone steps, he wears sneakers and thick socks, and keeps his office dress shoes and socks in his briefcase or a satchel. He has to walk around a dirty snowman on the sidewalk, he is wary of the icicles hanging off the porch overhang, and uses his umbrella to knock a few loose. Winter, ice and cold temperatures, should affect behavior (for everyone) and emotions; be it irritation or joy.
Pick some concrete consequence of the weather and describe it. "Winter" alone is vague and not concrete, you make it concrete through the specific conflicts or opportunities it inflicts or presents, respectively. Don't leave it up to the reader to guess what Winter is like for your characters, show them what it is like by how they deal with it.
0 comment threads
0 comment threads