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The setting or environment in which our stories take place can have a huge effect on how our readers view characters or scenes. Young Writer Asher M. has written an article for us about how to make the most out of this often overlooked aspect of storytelling: 

Something I’ve seen many writers struggle with is unique plots. It seems like every story has already been written. As a writer, you may see a three-act novel with the same subsections every single book seems to follow. As a reader, do you see it the same way? I doubt it.

For this explanation, we’ll be using a simple example plot:

Act 1: Ellie is a normal kid in middle school. One day, her principal (who’s secretly a wizard) tells her she has to go defeat the evil wizard Wright Erz Blok. After some deliberation, Ellie goes with her two closest friends on an adventure to fight Wright Erz Blok.

Act 2: The group set off on their trip with the help of a magical map. They gain tools from various mentors as they leave, and gain skills by defeating lesser villains as they get closer to Wright Erz Blok.

Act 3: The heroes almost fail, but manage to defeat Wright Erz Blok for good. They come back to school and receive a hero’s welcome.

So, how would your environment influence this story? I’ll break it down. Your environment has three main influences on your writing: character, pacing, and story.