I was reading a book the other day and, at several points in the story, became very confused as to which character was talking. It would also happen that the characters would suddenly be at new locations without explanation or transition. Even though other aspects of the writing were quite entertaining, this poor scene-setting made reading the book frustrating.

Is there a word or a technical term that describes that part of writing, the nuts-and-bolts part of the prose that glues together the story and keeps the reader from confusion?