Have you noticed how we feel different in new cities, behave a particular way in certain social settings, and sometimes feel entirely out of place even in familiar surroundings?b

We, as cognitive, perceptive, sentimental, and inquisitive individuals, tend to absorb elements of the spaces we are in or have been in. Even when we don't directly interact with the spaces around us, they have varying effects on our mental and physical state of being, sometimes even controlling our actions. 

This is a rather overlooked thought profound aspect of our realities, but this phenomenon - of spaces affecting us - is a crucial and pervasive aspect of human existence. 

Spaces affect us, altering our natural behaviours, habits, tendencies, personalities even, and even moulding our identities in the long run. Yet, we treat our surroundings mostly as the backgrounds of our lives, discounting the power of our physical environments over our psyche. But the effects take more serious proportions, we get jolted out of our complacency, and see the direct or indirect effects of the space/place on us. 

In fiction, geographical locations, physical spaces, the environments that form the backdrop and the context of our works of fiction, are not static spaces, but active agents in shaping the characters in the narratives. They give the storyline its own unique flavour - sets the mood for different scenes, lends believability, and influences how the readers perceive and feel the narrative.

This episode will delve into the role of impactful settings in fiction, how we as writers can create more evocative worlds to immerse the reader in, and also go into the broader and rather fascinating subject of how spaces and places - our surroundings - impact us as individuals in society.