Fiction is simply that book or story that authors write about the events recounted being imaginary and necessarily tied to real facts. It entails a creative imagination that writers breathe life into. Essentially, fiction it is less expected that people will want a work of fiction to present real characters or descriptions that are entirely factual. Rather, the content and context of fiction is loudly imaginary and does not conform to the realities and happening s of the real world. It makes it open to diverse interpretation depending on the level of the one's understanding and intellectual comprehension of the person reading or viewing work of fiction.
Fictional work is, by and large, instinctual, that is, it is commonly developed and associated with those authors have long exposure and practice (John). Nevertheless, being born fictionists is not a guaranteed gift to being celebrated fictionists. Shrewdness in the art of fiction requires more than hereditary instincts. There are specific requirements that authors need to be accustomed to coming up with good fictional work. Definitely mastery of the language used is a must-do list of these tools. However, the complements of language such as good grammar and punctuation are obvious and basic ingredients of writing (G. John). It now accepted and recognized that fictionists need only present their work in good grammar and spelling but also need to be masters of elements of fiction that includes: characterization, theme, writing style, setting, narrator and plot (Jack).
Fictionist in their works dominantly employs the six elements. A writer can elect to make one of the above elements the most visible and widely used element in a work of fiction. However, strict measures should be taken so as not to over-rely on one element of fiction. Over-reliance presents the risk of making the work boring and repetitive (Ansen.). No author dares make such obvious mistakes for fear and risk of backlash from their audience or readers. It is still important for authors to find some semblance of balance by trying to use two of the elements at least interchangeably and interconnect them to bring a blend of matrix and originality in their works of fiction.
It is for this foregoing reason that Will Mackin’s story, “The Lost Troop,’ (Mackin) and Sadia Shepard, “Foreign Returned,” is exclusively presented with one particular element of fiction- Setting (Shepard). A thorough glimpse into the two stories shows that setting is the favorite fictional element of the two authors. It is this freedom of writing to independently choose the methodologies to employ in their work that presents the beautiful side of authorship. That aside, Stories have two types of settings — that is the physical setting and the chronological setting.
Physical setting
The physical setting is simply referred to the actual place that the story is brought to life or rather the place it takes place. The physical setting presents the, ‘where,’ where the specific event takes place. In the same vein, the chronological setting answers the question ‘when.’ The choice of the two authors of their settings is important. Where the author is not specific to where he/she wants to put their characters; chances are that the author maybe intends the story to be universal as opposed to the same having a common known place of performance.
The stories by Will Mackin and Sadia Shepard give pointers of the specific physical settings of their respective fictional work. Will Mackin, for instance, presents his story by alluding to military features. He writes, “We could have created the Legend of the Lost Troop. Instead, we chose someplace where we imagined the enemy might be hiding—a compound on the banks of the Helmand River, a brake shop in downtown Marjah, a cave high in the Hindu Kush mountains—and we ventured out there, hoping for a fight.” The writer starts by setting the first scene of the story as that of soldiers wandering on the battlefield. They are lost, and the much they could is chose a compound on the banks of Helmand River. In the ensuing lines of the story, the writer mentions Afghanistan. He says, “Digger suggested that we climb to the top of Mt. Noshaq, the tallest peak in Afghanistan…" they are in the war zone in the mountains of Afghanistan having been sent from their home countries on combat mission against alleged terror networks of the Taliban. The setting here is environmental deep in the battlefield full of valleys, trenches, and mountains.
Sadia Shepard on the other hand from the initial stages of the story sets out the setting in which the story is built upon. The author presents a work setting scenario by bringing in exchange of pleasantries between two workmates. The setting of the story is further exemplified by the writer’s description of the surrounding environment when she mentions the basics in an office for example desks, cubicles, and nameplates. She writes, “Hassan had been at the bank eight weeks.’ It is the first hint that the two main characters in the story, Hassan, and Hint, work in a bank. Phew! There it goes— one of the settings in the workplace and particularly a banking institution. The author further uses the home matrimonial home as the setting of the story. It is seen when she writes," Most evenings, Hassan returned from work to find Sara in their bedroom, riding her exercise bike and watching CNN.” She then develops this element of fiction by further describing the home setting of their friends whom they occasionally visit on Sundays. It is done repetitively in a bid to make the home setting of Hina, Hassan, and Ali the literary center of Interests.
Based on the foregoing, the setting on the story, “Lost Troops,” as put forth by the author helps in the development of this element of fiction into a center of literary interest. In this case, the soldiers are shown to have maneuvered in the jungle and midst of nowhere to survive. The tools they use including weapons and jets are familiar weaponry associated with the setting of a military battlefield. This element is further developed and carried higher where the author says Joe, an Afghani national, “wore armor on missions, but he carried no weapons. His interpretations of our enemy's muttered words were always clear and precise.” The character of Joe helps the setting of the story by how he is shown to respond to the stimuli of the battlefield.
In conclusion, fiction is best developed by employing fictional elements. When these elements are overlooked, the story risk not attracting real and lasting impression. The setting, an element of fiction, is dominantly employed in "Foreign Returned' and “The Lost Troop” to help bring forth the intrigues of the story the authors intend for their readers and audience.
Works Cited
Ansen., Dibell. Elements of Fiction Writing-Plot. Writer's Digest Books, 1999.
Jack, Bickham. Elements of fiction writing-scene " structure. Writer's Digest Books, 1999.
John, Gardner. The art of fiction: Notes on craft for young writers. 2010. Vintage.
John, Searle. "The logical status of fictional discourse." New literary history 1975: 319-332.
Mackin, Will. "The Lost Troop." 27 11 2017. The New Yorker.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/fiction. 24 1 2018.
Shepard, Sadia. Foreign Returned. 8 1 2018. The New Yorker.
