You might have found that the setting of a novel is sometimes as captivating as the story and characters. As an example, think of the castle in the Harry Potter series. Hogwarts, it has its own name, it has secret passages, ghosts, live armor and doors with paintings that only open with the secret password. It has, in short, a life of its own in the story, and it is almost a character itself. Your setting might not be as captivating, but definitely should be at least interesting. I would not go so far as to say that you should imagine, create and even write down the setting on your first writing. Rather let the setting create itself while you write the story. Once you have finished the first writing and taken a rest before looking at the story again, when you can see the forest instead of just the trees, then it is time to look carefully at your setting, and to bring your setting to life. When creating your setting during the second write, look at things like fauna and flora, the style of the buildings, the countryside or city surrounding your central setting, geography such as mountains or jungle, and weather. Take each of these factors and make sure you describe them, because they are what will make the setting come alive for your readers.
As an example, think of the castle in the Harry Potter series. Hogwarts, it has its own name, it has secret passages, ghosts, live armor and doors with paintings that only open with the secret password. It has, in short, a life of its own in the story, and it is almost a character itself.
Your setting might not be as captivating, but definitely should be at least interesting.
I would not go so far as to say that you should imagine, create and even write down the setting on your first writing. Rather let the setting create itself while you write the story. Once you have finished the first writing and taken a rest before looking at the story again, when you can see the forest instead of just the trees, then it is time to look carefully at your setting, and to bring your setting to life.
When creating your setting during the second write, look at things like fauna and flora, the style of the buildings, the countryside or city surrounding your central setting, geography such as mountains or jungle, and weather. Take each of these factors and make sure you describe them, because they are what will make the setting come alive for your readers.