‘Make it a time and place you can easily imagine’

In choosing the time and place in which to set your novel, it’s worth considering which concrete details are going to be interesting or unusual to describe. Try to evoke the senses in descriptions of hidden places, private and public spaces. If you invent a setting, try to visualise it clearly each time you describe it, and let the characters guide you through different locations. If it’s a real setting, research the objects which might be found there, and choose the ones which hold the most significance for your characters. The key is to make it a time and place you can easily imagine, so you can set the scenes clearly within the world of your novel.