Author and screenwriter Taylor Moore gave an inspiring presentation about the simple techniques any writer can employ to transform their setting into a character.

From the very beginning of his presentation, Moore created a comfortable and welcoming environment. He stressed the importance of treating the presentation more like a conversation so that he could learn from us as much as we learned from him.

Alongside fostering a casual learning environment, Moore also exuded immense passion through every word he spoke. Whether it was providing us with some of his personal history, or asking about our own school traditions, Moore was clearly invested in sharing his knowledge with the students.

As was promised from the start, the presentation was very conversational. Moore’s words didn’t feel stiff and rehearsed. While sharing examples and anecdotes from his time as both author and CIA intelligence officer, he made sure to ask us questions every few minutes to keep up engagement.

The result was a fun discussion, and I found myself smiling with every story shared by Moore and every comment made from the students around me.

In terms of the lesson itself, the presentation was filled with many helpful tips and tricks to create a compelling setting.

These tips came in the form of simple steps that allowed us to create our own settings by the end of the hour. First, Moore described the process of writing the setting itself. Real, imagined or hybrid were the three main types of setting that he discussed, with hybrid being his favorite option.

Then, he discussed the importance of establishing a mood, and expanding on the setting with rich details and sensory language, as well as determining how each character feels about their surroundings.

Additionally, Moore discussed how creating conflict and establishing a setting’s history are vital to making the environment into a character of its own. He described the different types of conflict, man vs the supernatural, man vs self, man vs nature, etc.

Throughout the discussion, Moore went into detail about some of his own learning experiences, and explained how he strives to create both “people you want to know, and places you want to go” in his writing.

What stuck with me about Moore’s presentation was how encouraging his responses were. Whenever a student spoke up he would smile and enthusiastically incorporate their feedback, tailoring the presentation to the unique conversation we shared.

As our informative and exciting chat came to an end, Moore introduced a writing activity. Each student was given the chance to create their own simple setting using the tips we learned over the course of the hour. After we spent some time thinking of our own settings and sharing with those around us, Moore called on a few students to present their ideas.

Once again I was blown away by his responses. Each time a student finished sharing, they were met with specific feedback from Moore and many words of encouragement. He was clearly excited to hear what we had come up with, and emphasized that each and every one of us was full of incredible ideas that could be turned into books or movies of our own.

I was left with a sense of confidence and inspiration after Moore’s presentation wrapped up. His advice was earnest and simple, and his stories were captivating. I sincerely hope he will return next year so that other students will have the chance to learn from his stories and guidance.