Take a Story Vacation by Karen Barnett

Narnia, Middle Earth, the Hundred Acre wood—those of us who love to read can easily rattle off the favorite places we’ve visited thanks to the pages of a great book. I still think of Catherine Marshall’s Christy whenever someone talks about Appalachia and Huckleberry Finn’s raft when I hear references to the Mississippi.

One of my writing goals has always been to make my novels’ settings so significant that readers fall in love with the place as much as the characters. How do you accomplish this?

Put the setting to work

Rather than just choosing an intriguing location (who doesn’t want to set a novel in Hawaii or Paris?), think of how the setting can create tension for your character. How will they interact with their environment? A city boy might chafe at small town existence, while a rancher might think the same community is overcrowded. A woman who escapes her busy life by cruising the Caribbean might find herself caught in a hurricane. A lonely girl finds solace in a forgotten garden (sound familiar?).

In other words, the setting should be more than a lovely backdrop. It should create rewards and challenges unique to each character.

Breathe life into your location

Readers no longer have the patience for lengthy paragraphs of description. You can avoid the glazed eyes by showing the character interacting with the environment instead.

• The sun beat down on her bare arms. Another hour and she’d move from glowing to “extra crispy.”
• How was a man supposed to sleep with the unceasing drone of cicadas?
• She breathed in the familiar scent of damp moss and pine needles. 

Use sensory detail to bring your setting to life. Smells, sounds, and tastes will solidify the place in readers’ minds.

Real place or fictional?

Many readers dream of visiting the fictional towns of Mitford (Jan Karon), Cedar Cover (Debbie Macomber), and Blessing, North Dakota (Lauraine Snelling). There can be certain advantages to designing your own location. No one will question your accuracy and you can create a community as loving and supportive—or as dark and mysterious—as your plot demands.

If you set your novel in a real location, anyone who has visited will automatically feel a sense of connection with your story. Reading your book might feel like going home, assuming you get it right. Plus, if a community falls in love with the story you’ve written about them, they’ll recommend it far and wide.

I write novels set in the national parks, and I frequently receive notes from readers who are delighted to read about a park they love. A unique setting can intrigue readers, even before they meet the characters. Opening that first page can be a bit like heading off on vacation.

In fact, a story-vacation sounds pretty good right now! I’m in the mood to visit a fascinating location via a great novel. 

Can you suggest a book with an intriguing setting?

~~~~~~

KAREN BARNETT, author of the Vintage National Parks novels, worked as a ranger and outdoor educator at Mount Rainier National Park and Oregon’s Silver Falls State Park. When not writing, Karen enjoys photography, hiking, and public speaking. She lives in Oregon with her family.

The Emotion of Setting by Sandra Ardoin

Back when I was single and fancy-free (in other words, without a date), I spent a Saturday wandering a local outdoor art show. It was a perfect spring day in Texas and a good many people strolled through the park, taking in each exhibit and buying their favorite pieces of art.

I stopped at the booth that displayed the wispy, watercolor prints of Texas artist Michael Atkinson. One, titled Secluded Manor, caught my eye. As with many of his other works, only the top two-thirds contained the painting. The rest was blank, with the exception of a mare and foal, and his signature v-shaped birds.

Now, anything with a horse receives my wholehearted attention. But something else drew me to this particular print. Rather than only imagining it in my mind, I felt as though I were actually seeing an illustration

Here's my terrible photo of Secluded Manor
by Texas artist Michael Atkinson

of the setting of a gothic suspense novel I'd recently read. I'm sure he never realized that, from the horses in the foreground to the mansard roof of the tree-enshrouded house, the artist had captured, not only the way I'd envisioned the scene, but the romance and suspense of the story. 

Though I didn't buy the print that day, it made such an impression that I saved the money needed to purchase and frame it. (Did I say I was young and single ... and poor?) As you can see from the photo, I still own it, along with two others by the artist.

I can't tell you the name of the book this reminded me of, but the writer had painted the setting so vividly that, even now, when I look at that scene on my wall, I remember the emotions evoked while reading the story. I'm right back in the attic room with the imperiled heroine, anxiously looking out a window at the fog-blanketed landscape below. 

Has there been a time when something you saw or heard suddenly transported you back into the setting of a book? Did it give you a new respect for the author or the book?

(This post was revamped from a long ago post on my personal blog.)

~~~~~

Sandra Ardoin writes inspirational historical romance. She’s the author of The Yuletide Angel and A Reluctant Melody. A wife and mom, she’s also a reader, football fan, NASCAR watcher, garden planter, country music listener, antique store prowler. Visit her at www.sandraardoin.com and on the Seriously Write blog. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Pinterest. Join her email community to receive occasional updates and a free short story.

Make Them Think You Lived There: The Importance of Setting by Norma Gail

How can you make your setting real to your readers? Author Norma Gail provides seven tips from her own experience. -- Sandy

Norma: Can your readers smell the food and hear the sounds of the countryside? Setting is a critical feature of any novel, and should act as another character; drawing the reader in and making them feel the rain on their face. One of the greatest challenges in writing Land of My Dreams, my contemporary Christian romance, was to make the reader feel as if they were in Scotland, a country I only visited for two weeks.

I gathered a lot of information in order to see as much as possible on our trip. However, it wasn’t enough to make me an expert. Here are seven steps which helped me create a story world capable of convincing readers I had lived in Scotland:

First, if possible, travel to the place you’re writing about. When I went to Scotland I kept a trip diary, and we took over 700 photographs. Only a few are of the area where the book takes place because it never occurred to me that I would someday write a book about it.

Second, learn cultural details, music, food, speech, history. I filled my iPod with Scottish folk tunes and devoured tour books. And yes, I ate haggis.

Third, understand the weather. Rain is a part of Scottish life. Sunshine is as unique for them as rain is in my native New Mexico. Children played in the pouring rain wearing sleeveless shirts and shorts while I was bundled against the dreich weather, and hoping not to get drookit.

Fourth, learn something about how people talk. Basically, dreich is wet and rainy, and drookit is soaking wet. They use “Way In” instead of “Entrance,” and “Way Out” instead of “Exit.” When you order water the waiter will ask if you want “Still” or “Sparkling.” I was criticized for having male characters say it was a “lovely day,” but it is a common term for both men and women. There are websites of common Scottish/Gaelic names, slang, and phrases.

Fifth, I created a screen-saver of over 400 photos of the area where Land of My Dreams takes place, including scenery, historical places, road signs, shop windows, and animals. I can look at the photos and then write and revise until it feels right.

Sixth, create similes and metaphors that compare and contrast things familiar to your audience with something commonplace to the characters. For example, Kieran is drawn to Bonny “like a bee to heather.”

Last, find someone who has lived there. I found someone able to edit for Scottish content. Contemporary must be as accurate as possible because your readers can visit as it is today.

Efforts to make your story world appealing, realistic, and mood-setting are worth all the research that goes into creating it. When someone reads Land of My Dreams, I want them to smell the New Mexico chile roasting and hear the skirl of bagpipes.

© Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, October 10, 2014

So, how do you go about making your setting real to your readers? What are your favorite senses to use when describing something? Do you use them all in every scene or chapter?

~~~~~

Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, set in Scotland and New Mexico released in April 2014. She has led weekly women’s Bible studies for 19 years. Her devotionals, poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 38 years. They have two adult children.

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Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170/ or 

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864 ?ean=9781941103173