I love settings that are so integral to the story that it could not happen anywhere else. Like so many fiction readers, I want to be transported. As a writer, I want to take my readers to a new place. I write a series set in Acapulco but can't keep dashing there. YouTube and Google Earth helps me get down to street level.
These specific suggestions are so helpful! Particularly focusing on sensory details of a place with the novel in mind, and putting the characters into direct engagement with the setting. Looking forward to working on more of that. I’m working on a piece with setting that is fictionalized but near my home so lots of opportunities for research!
Terrifically comprehensive post on how to capture a sense of place in fiction, Connie!
The imagination needs an anchor if the reader is to be invested in the story. This line, 'I wanted the island's summer vibe, chaos, and stark social class divisions to create conflict and drive the plot forward' caught my attention because if place is to be central to the plot, it must work for it.
Thank you! I think it can add richness to the story when the writer is willing to use the setting to explore and reveal subtle--and not so subtle--differences in character.
Such a helpful post! I would never have thought of using a travel blog to capture unique details of a place. Letting the setting have moods that mirror or contrast with the character's emotional states is also a terrific suggestion, and I can think of a specific upcoming scene in a book I'm writing with my writing group where this technique will be perfect. I wouldn't have found this post if you hadn't responded to my Note, so thank you, Connie :-)
Happy to hear you found the post helpful, Kisane. I've used travel books, too, but blogs tend to be more timely or up-to-date and offer a more personal perspective. The writing group sounds interesting!
I love settings that are so integral to the story that it could not happen anywhere else. Like so many fiction readers, I want to be transported. As a writer, I want to take my readers to a new place. I write a series set in Acapulco but can't keep dashing there. YouTube and Google Earth helps me get down to street level.
We're lucky to live in an age where we see so mcuh around the globe from our laptops and cell phones.
These specific suggestions are so helpful! Particularly focusing on sensory details of a place with the novel in mind, and putting the characters into direct engagement with the setting. Looking forward to working on more of that. I’m working on a piece with setting that is fictionalized but near my home so lots of opportunities for research!
Happy it was helpful. Sometimes it's difficult to tear yourself away from the pages to go out and explore but it's always worth it.
I love your post Connie. Your suggestions are so helpful. And your image of Old Bluffs Habor is beautiful - tranquility personified!
Thank you! It's a joy to photograph beautiful scenes on an island with so much to offer.
Terrifically comprehensive post on how to capture a sense of place in fiction, Connie!
The imagination needs an anchor if the reader is to be invested in the story. This line, 'I wanted the island's summer vibe, chaos, and stark social class divisions to create conflict and drive the plot forward' caught my attention because if place is to be central to the plot, it must work for it.
Thank you! I think it can add richness to the story when the writer is willing to use the setting to explore and reveal subtle--and not so subtle--differences in character.
Such a helpful post! I would never have thought of using a travel blog to capture unique details of a place. Letting the setting have moods that mirror or contrast with the character's emotional states is also a terrific suggestion, and I can think of a specific upcoming scene in a book I'm writing with my writing group where this technique will be perfect. I wouldn't have found this post if you hadn't responded to my Note, so thank you, Connie :-)
Happy to hear you found the post helpful, Kisane. I've used travel books, too, but blogs tend to be more timely or up-to-date and offer a more personal perspective. The writing group sounds interesting!