ratherastory (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ratherastory) wrote2014-01-06 02:27 am
ratherastory) wrote2014-01-06 02:27 am
Settings and How to Handle Them
Okay, fellow writers, I have a question.
How do you handle real-life settings with which you're not familiar? I've been reading (dangerous, I know), and many of the books on writing all agree that having a strong setting will add richness and depth to your story.
On the surface, I totally agree. I am a big fan of good world-building when it comes to sci fi and fantasy, for instance. I also love books in which I get a real feel for the setting, the stench of a city's underbelly or the stark beauty of the cityscape at night, the fragrant smells of farmland, etc. I can usually tell when an author is writing about a setting they've lived in or experienced first hand.
The few times I've used setting to good effect, it's been when I was familiar with the locale. In my long-abandoned zombie novel, I was able to follow the characters from street to street and describe in very accurate detail not only what they were seeing, but the kind of weather they were experiencing, the colour of the buildings, etc. In another story, The Built in a Day Job, to be precise, I used my recent trip to Rome in the springtime to evoke all the sights and sounds and smells of the city that were vital to what I was trying to accomplish in my story.
So what am I supposed to do when I need to set my story in one or more places with which I'm not at all familiar? Somewhere I've never been? I can give overall impressions of a place based on research, but I have no idea how to get the level of detail I would like to put into a story. Is there really a shop on that street corner in Memphis? Is that a one-way street? What bus routes should my characters be taking in Calgary? Is there even reliable public transit? What's the weather like in Colorado in March? What did Cambridge smell like in summer in the late 1800s?
So how do you handle it when you have to write in an unfamiliar setting? Any advice?
How do you handle real-life settings with which you're not familiar? I've been reading (dangerous, I know), and many of the books on writing all agree that having a strong setting will add richness and depth to your story.
On the surface, I totally agree. I am a big fan of good world-building when it comes to sci fi and fantasy, for instance. I also love books in which I get a real feel for the setting, the stench of a city's underbelly or the stark beauty of the cityscape at night, the fragrant smells of farmland, etc. I can usually tell when an author is writing about a setting they've lived in or experienced first hand.
The few times I've used setting to good effect, it's been when I was familiar with the locale. In my long-abandoned zombie novel, I was able to follow the characters from street to street and describe in very accurate detail not only what they were seeing, but the kind of weather they were experiencing, the colour of the buildings, etc. In another story, The Built in a Day Job, to be precise, I used my recent trip to Rome in the springtime to evoke all the sights and sounds and smells of the city that were vital to what I was trying to accomplish in my story.
So what am I supposed to do when I need to set my story in one or more places with which I'm not at all familiar? Somewhere I've never been? I can give overall impressions of a place based on research, but I have no idea how to get the level of detail I would like to put into a story. Is there really a shop on that street corner in Memphis? Is that a one-way street? What bus routes should my characters be taking in Calgary? Is there even reliable public transit? What's the weather like in Colorado in March? What did Cambridge smell like in summer in the late 1800s?
So how do you handle it when you have to write in an unfamiliar setting? Any advice?
no subject
Google Streetview is one of my tools, as is flickr for gorgeous, tony photos of your area-in-question. Commenters have also touched on emotional honesty and details that are likely to hold true, regardless of locale. But my secret weapons is vacation blogs. Look for folks (with your Google-fu) who have blogged about visiting your mystery spot on a vacation or live there and simply love their city. Tourist books tend to glamorize spots and may not necessarily be as current as you'd like.
Also, hunt down the adventures of Anthony Bourdain (http://www.anthonybourdain.net/) or Andrew Zimmern (http://andrewzimmern.com/). They get beneath the surface of the places and people they visit and avoid the tourist traps.
Specifics such as bus routes, you'll just have to research independently or put out an all-call for beta readers who are familiar with your location.
And I'd also like to add that it's okay to fictionalize your setting a little, think of it as a character unto itself. Almost personify it. If you approach it from an atypical viewpoint, who's to say you're right or wrong, yanno?
Hope this helps!