Includes bibliographical references.

Crafting settings that create emotional connections -- The setting as a vehicle for conflict -- The setting as a vehicle for establishing mood -- The setting as a vehicle for steering the story -- Figurative language: the key to enhancing your setting -- Common setting snags -- Rural setting considerations -- The rural setting thesaurus -- At home -- At school -- Rural sights -- Nature and landforms -- Appendix A. Setting exercises -- Appendix B. Setting planner tool -- More settings: The urban thesaurs.

Within the pages of a book exists a world drawn from a writer’s deepest imaginings, one that has the ability to pull readers in on a visceral level. But the audience’s fascination will only last if the writer can describe this vibrant realm and its inhabitants well. The setting achieves this by offering readers a unique sensory experience. So much more than stage dressing, the setting can build mood, convey meaning through symbolism, drive the plot by creating challenges that force the hero to fight for what he wants, and trigger his emotions to reveal his most intimate feelings, fears, and desires.  The Rural Setting Thesaurus takes “show-don’t-tell” to new heights. It offers writers a roadmap to creating fresh setting imagery that impacts the story on multiple levels while keeping readers engaged from the first page to the last.