Where you do What you do Matters

Every story has a setting.

Our lives are a story. We are the principal character in the story, and where we play out the story is our setting. In any story, the setting is one of the most important components. It makes a difference to how that scene plays out.

Imagine the Star Wars scene where Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker meet Han Solo for the first time. Imagine instead of it happening in a seedy honky-tonk (space style), the Mos Eisley cantina scene takes place in an empty sterile room or a children’s playground. The setting matters to the characters introduced. Had the scene taken place in something other than an old west style bar, we wouldn’t have seen Han Solo as a rogue space cowboy.

What is the setting of your story?

When Kia and I traveled to Portland for Donald Miller’s Storyline conference, he referred several times to Robert McKee’s Story seminar that trains writers on how to create a screenplay.

This is what McKee has to say about your story’s setting, “Only certain events are possible in certain worlds and you are limited to them.” Like it or not, we are restrained by where we are. Miller had a friend who said to him, “Where you do what you do, matters.”

Think about where you are doing what you do. Your home. Your studio. Your office. These all may be the same place, but each matters. Each space is important to you creating both the product you want for you clients AND the story you want to live with your life. Your setting is a part of your story.

An example from my life…

Kia and I are in the midst of an addition project on our house. Currently, we are working on the plans and hope to begin building in the next few months. I recently stopped and asked the question, “What is the purpose of this house?” Sound like an obvious question? Not necessarily, it’s important.

We want the house to be more than a place to sleep and eat. It is a huge part of my story. I want it to be an office, a sanctuary (a safe place for my family and others), a place to gather (for adults, teens, kids), efficient and functional. This means the plans need to reflect my goals and desires.

Each year, hundreds of writing hopefuls attend Robert McKee’s Story Seminar. He is known as the “story doctor” in Hollywood. I encourage you to watch the first 2 minutes of this video.

I hope you caught 2 things:

1. Your setting will define what can happen in your story.
2. Don’t worry about how large or small your setting is. For real artists, the smaller the setting the more creative freedom you will realize. That sounds like a backwards truth, but it is true.

So be intentional about creating the setting/world you want your story to be in and about.

image courtesy of www.visualdictionaryonline.com