Part 1, Section 10, Set Design Summary and Analysis

As characters engage in truthful plot and honest dialogue, they must have a place in which to conduct all this action. Anne shares how to create a set design by relating the process with which she designed a garden 'set' for one of her books. An abysmal failure at gardening herself, Anne relied on a professional from a greenhouse and friends who garden for advice. So successful was Anne creating this set for the book that avid gardeners who read it were in shock to learn she couldn't keep a simple houseplant alive.

While this set creation approach may seem in direct opposition to Anne's adherence to truth in storytelling, it is not. In fact, in the research into the experiences, a writer ensures it is indeed true. This truth emanates from an external view...