Putting Yourself in the Right Environment: Time

Time is an indispensable component of setting, and it's often portrayed in the things the writer chooses to describe. Be too specific about a particular technology and you might wind up dating your story. Envision some aspect of a future world and you might get it wrong. The present and the future are fairly forgiving, I think. The past is trickier if it's based on events that actually transpired, although some leeway might be granted if the author is reimagining events. Once again, portraying time properly has everything to do with the work in question.

The Show, Don't Tell rule applies to all of these scenarios though, and if it isn't something you're already doing, it would benefit you to practice it. In my opinion, it's one of the things that's most effective at drawing your audience in.

Think about the last time a friend was telling you about an exciting trip. Consider the two examples below for an illustration of the difference between the Tell and Show methods of exposition.

I went to the beach. I walked along the shore close to the water. I felt the water tug on my toes. The sun was rather high in the sky. It was very warm. After only a few minutes, I had to stop to reapply my sunscreen. 

A gull cried out in the distance. The salt was thick on the air as I felt the warm sand beneath my feet. A few beads of sweat appeared on my brow as I walked along, rejoicing in the coolness of the water that splashed my ankles. After only a few minutes, I had to make my way back to my multi-colored towel. It was time to reapply my sunscreen.

Notice how the first example relates facts while the second makes the facts known without stating them explicitly. Description is essential to the Show method. Getting a feel for what to describe, how to describe it, and how long to spend describing it takes time. A consideration of your audience will give you a bit of guidance here. What do they know already? Conveying an unfamiliar concept will go over better if you can relate it to something familiar. This is particularly useful for writers of science fiction and fantasy. Another idea is to imagine the feeling you want to leave your audience with and to envision events, motions, objects that convey what you're trying to convey.

Now try this exercise:

Think of a place. It can be real or imagined, specific or general. Don't use any of the words in the place name or type of place. Describe what's going on. Think about your senses as you describe. What do you smell? See? Taste? Hear? Feel? You might also think about how the place makes you feel. 

Now give your description to a friend. Can he or she guess the place you've described?

If the answer is no, consider taking a look back at the entry on Place. You might want to visit the place you're trying to describe.

You can also try this exercise with things, people, anything really. Remember: if it can be stated explicitly, it can be conveyed through description. Even concepts that are difficult to convey can be conveyed through description and occasional referencing of familiar concepts. Play with word choice and try thinking outside the box when it comes to your reference objects and experiences. Cliches aren't as unavoidable as you think.