Today I want to teach you that writers make their readers feel like they are right there in the story with the characters. They make the setting come alive so that the readers can really see where the action is taking place.

We do this by:

1. Closing our eyes and seeing where our moment is happening. What do we see? Hear? Feel? Smell? Etc..
2. Thinking of sounds, sights, smells, etc. we can put in our writing.
3. Adding setting clues to our writing (birds chirping, cars zooming by, waves crashing on the sand…)

Setting Clues

Birds chirping

The stars and moon brought us light.

The train whistle blew in the distance.

The hot sun shown high in the sky.

The wind blew hard.

The leaves were rustling from the wind.

The neighbor’s dog was barking.

Before Adding Setting Clues

The sailboat started to move. “Pull the rope tighter so we can get more wind,” My dad shouted. “OK, I got it,” I replied back. I reached for the rope and grabbed it quickly. My hands started to burn from the friction. My sister Jen nervously steered the rudder.

After Adding Setting Clues

The sailboat started to move. “Pull the rope tighter so we can get more wind,” My dad shouted. “OK, I got it,” I replied back. I reached for the rope and grabbed it quickly. My hands started to burn from the friction. The waves rose and crashed like breaking glass. “Caw, Caw” the seagulls shrieked as they dived for fish. My sister Jen nervously steered the rudder. The waves smacked against the boat make it shake back and forth.

Try it!