The house smelled musty and damp, and a little sweet, as if it were haunted by the ghosts of long-dead cookies.

Neil Gaiman, American Gods

What do these words conjure up for you? What do you “see”? Is there a type of house (or a hint of a house) that comes to mind?

There! In that one sentence, Gaiman has created a setting for us.

What kind of story is going to be told? Why do you think that?

Again, Gaiman has set up context for us.

You don’t have to spend pages or paragraphs to give a story setting and context. A few well-chosen words will do the trick.

Details and deadlines can be found on Week 10’s Assignment page!