As I mentioned when I described what constitutes a “scene,” whether it’s in a memoir or fiction work, there are other building blocks that go into telling a story. Today I’m going to talk about Setting

More Than Just Background

When I think about writing, whether memoir or mystery, setting is one of those elements that doesn’t always get enough credit. People often imagine it as wallpaper—the backdrop where the “real” action happens. But I’ve learned that setting is part of the action. It shapes mood, influences character, and sometimes even feels like another character in the story.

In Memoir: Places That Hold Memory

In Cuba, Adiós, setting was inseparable from memory. The streets of Havana, the refugee camp in Miami, the home in Washington State where we relocated to—each space carried emotions. Writing about them wasn’t just about description, it was about showing how those places felt. Walking around the streets of Havana for the last time, or living among pine trees in Miami, or the way a church echoed with whispered prayers—those details rooted the reader in my lived experience.

In Mystery: Places That Hold Secrets

In The Pianist and the Snake, setting works differently but just as powerfully. The high school hallways weren’t just corridors; they were battlegrounds for rivalries and secrets. Central Park wasn’t just a landscape—it was the site of the hero’s strange vision, a place charged with both beauty and dread. In mystery, setting often carries tension. A quiet classroom can suddenly feel dangerous; a bustling cafeteria can conceal hidden dramas.

What they Share

Memoir and mystery both rely on setting to do more than decorate the story. Setting gives context, mood, and texture. It tells us not only where we are but also what’s at stake. A scene without a setting feels adrift. With it, the story gains grounding—and readers find themselves stepping directly into the world you’ve built, whether remembered or imagined.

Next we’ll take a look at characters—how writing about real people in memoir overlaps with creating fictional ones in mystery. Both require empathy, honesty, and attention to detail.