People are characters in our stories, but they can also be a part of the setting. Maybe, a particular person represents a location, and in describing that person, you describe the place.

In his book, Writing About Your Life, William Zinsser encourages us to pay attention to the people we encounter.

“But, ultimately, it’s people—memorable people—who make certain places stick in our minds forever. Look for those people, wherever you go, and tell us how their story intersected with your life.”

Also, we live surrounded by objects of every kind, shape, color, and purpose. Including a few well-chosen objects in our setting makes the place more real.