Setting is not merely a place where action happens to take place. Often setting itself can enable action that might not otherwise be taken. Consider how your character might use the setting itself to carry out their objective or strategy. In his book The Craft of Scene Writing, Jim Mercurio says, “A scene really isn’t complete until the writer has found a way to incorporate the setting or has changed the setting so that it contributes to the scene. Just as we did with props, put yourself in the mind-set of your characters, see the world through their eyes, and explore how they would react to and interact with their immediate environment. If two characters are angry at each other, the actions that reveal that anger will vary depending on the location. If a character wants to make another character miserable in a car, as the driver, he might drive recklessly. As a passenger, she might put her feet up on the dash or change the radio station. Anger in an elevator may manifest as a character pressing all of the buttons, crowding the other person into the corner, or, classiest of all, passing gas.” How would your character make use of their setting? Or how can you change the setting so that the character can make use of it?
