How to Define the Time Setting for Your Story

The time in which your story takes place is a critical aspect of its setting. Whether your book unfolds in the past, present, future, or an ambiguous time, the time setting affects everything from your characters’ behavior to the plot’s events. Defining the time setting clearly (or purposefully leaving it vague) can shape the tone, pacing, and overall feel of your book. Here’s how to think about time as part of your story’s world.

Past, Present, or Future?

The first step in defining your story’s time setting is deciding whether it takes place in the past, present, or future. Each choice brings its own set of rules and influences the story in different ways.

Past Setting

A story set in the past brings with it certain historical or cultural contexts that impact how characters think, speak, and act. If you choose a past setting:

• Historical Accuracy: Depending on how far back you go, it’s important to think about the details of life in that era—technology, clothing, social customs, and language all play a part.
• Sense of Nostalgia or Distance: A past setting can evoke nostalgia or a sense of distance from the present. It can also highlight how life and values were different in another time.
• Historical Events: Major events of the time, like wars or social movements, might influence the plot or character motivations.

Present Setting

A story set in the present is the most familiar to readers, which makes it easier for them to connect with the characters and the world. If you choose a present-day setting:

• Contemporary Relevance: The events, culture, and technology of today will play a role in how your characters live their lives.
• Relatable Issues: Present settings can make it easier to address topics that feel timely and relevant to your readers, such as social issues, family dynamics, or personal growth.
• Everyday Details: Think about the world as it exists now—smartphones, modern slang, social media—these are all elements that could appear in a story set in today’s time.

Future Setting

A future setting allows you to explore imagined worlds, technologies, and societies. If you choose to set your story in the future:

• Speculative or Sci-Fi Elements: The future gives you freedom to create advanced technologies, futuristic landscapes, and new social structures.
• Predictions or Fantasies: You can speculate about how current trends might evolve or explore completely fantastical future possibilities.
• Hope or Warning: A future setting can inspire hope or serve as a cautionary tale, depending on how you portray it.

Ambiguous or Unknown Time

Sometimes, a story’s time period is left deliberately vague or ambiguous. This can add a sense of timelessness, allowing the story to feel universal and relatable regardless of when it takes place. If you opt for an ambiguous time setting:

• Timeless Appeal: The story could feel like it exists outside of specific historical moments, giving it a broader or more allegorical resonance.
• Focus on Characters and Themes: With time less defined, readers may focus more on the characters and themes rather than historical or contemporary details.
• Flexibility: An ambiguous setting can allow your story to fit any context, appealing to a wide range of readers without feeling anchored to one period.

How Time Influences Characters and Plot

The time setting also influences your characters and plot. Consider:

• How do characters interact with their time period? A character in a medieval village would have very different concerns from one in a high-tech future city. Think about how time affects their daily lives, challenges, and goals.
• How does the plot unfold within this time? Time setting can affect pacing. A slow-paced pastoral story set in the past may have a different rhythm than a fast-paced, tech-driven future thriller.

Using Time to Enhance the Story’s Atmosphere

Time is not just about when the story happens, but also how the setting feels. A story set in the dead of winter, even in the present, might feel slow and somber. Meanwhile, a future story set during a time of rapid innovation might have a fast, energetic pace. Consider how the passage of time within your story contributes to its atmosphere:

• Seasonal Changes: Does the story unfold over a single day, a month, or a year? How do changing seasons affect the mood?
• Historical Shifts: Is the story set during a time of upheaval or calm? Consider how historical movements or changes in technology can heighten tension or bring new opportunities to your characters.