![]() Providing your readers with emotional context can help explain why some dialogue happens in a particular way. This one is particularly key to understanding why characters are feeling or acting a certain kind of way. Some examples might include a recent divorce between characters, an upcoming court case that’s pending, if a character just got out of prison, and so on. ![]() You might need to include other storylines to give the reader context into what is happening. Knowing the timeframe of a story can also help readers understand things such as what type of technology might have been created already or if there are certain economic conditions happening. For example, you might need to include wars, the history of the landscape or town, what the area is known for, or anything else you might need to include. Giving the historical context of a place can help readers understand what’s going on. Some examples of this include Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. Keep in mind, if you’re creating a whole new world that does not exist in our real one, you will need to give a lot of context to build the world in the readers’ mind. If you’re writing about characters in space that will form a different context than characters on the open ocean. This can range anywhere from the physical location in the world to a whole new world that you’re creating and giving them context. You can find other storytelling tips here.Īll of these help either explain the situation your characters are in or it gives the reader a deeper understanding of why they act the way they do. This might not include every single type of context you would need for your story, but it will give you a great place to start. There are various forms of context you might need to include to give your readers an accurate understanding of the story. Of course, this won’t matter as much as when you’re writing the story, but you need to remember these elements if you’re pulling inspiration from other writers. There are many layers to a story, the era of when it was written, and also the author’s life story that influences the overall angle of the book. In the famous story of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it’s important to know it was written before the Civil War and had a tremendous impact on the abolitionist cause in the 1850s. Of course, there are deeper levels of context as well. To read the book, you’d need to understand all of the wars that have gone on, what this fictional world is like, and who all of the major characters are to even begin to read it all. Then, take something such as Lord of the Rings. This sets the overall mood of the location and the customs at the time. In the classic story Dracula, it’s essential to know it takes place in the late 1800s and takes place in both Transylvania and England. Knowing the context of Gatsby being in love with Daisy gives the entire story meaning and helps you understand why Gatsby does what he does. If you had to read The Great Gatsby in high school, you most likely remember the New York setting in the famous Jazz Age. Most of the books you’ve read give you context behind what you’re reading. ![]() The exact same thing can happen to your writing, which is why you need to include it in your writing. Have you ever had something in your life taken out of context? You sat back and thought, “That’s not what I meant!” It brings clarity to the writing and explains intentions.īasically, context in writing helps give your writing meaning. What is context in writing and why does it matter?Ĭontext explains the situation your characters are in or, it gives the reader a deeper understanding of why they act the way they do. We’ll go over what context is, the types you can give readers, and how to integrate it in your overall writing. When you provide the reader with context, they can comfortably follow the story because they know what’s happening and why certain characters do what they do. ![]() Or reading a Jane Austen novel without knowing the family dynamic or the social dynamics. Imagine reading something like Harry Potter but with no context that they’re in a world where magic exists. It gives your readers a full understanding of the setting, what is happening between characters, and gives meaning behind all of the events happening. This is exactly why context in writing is so important. You would get frustrated and most likely put the book back down. There are a lot of emotions but there’s no context or understanding of what is happening in the story. Imagine reading it for a few pages but there’s no hint to who the characters are or what is going on. You open it to start to read the first chapter and it’s dialogue between a few characters. Imagine you’re in a bookstore and you pick up a book with an intriguing title. While it’s essential to have a good story, giving context in your writing is key to giving the story meaning. ![]()
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