Three Questions: Getting to Know Your Setting

Location, location, location!  In real estate, they say that location is everything. In your writing, SETTING plays a significant role.

1)  Real or imaginary?  If your location is a real place, have you actually been there?  If not, best be planning a road trip or else some serious research.  You need to truly know a place in order to write about it so that your readers believe it. You don’t want to be called out on your descriptions by the locals – that’s something that could completely blow your credibility. Conversely, if the town you write about is entirely fictional, you need to describe it so your readers will believe that it actually exists or possibly could.


2) Big city lights or down-home hospitality? In some instances, your location actually becomes a supporting character. Think of Sex and the City or The Andy Griffith Show. In Sex and the City, New York plays a major role. The show would not have been the same if it were set in Detroit, for example. Same thing with The Andy Griffith Show. Mayberry has a flavor, a texture, a feel so that not only do you believe it is real, but you can actually imagine what it would be like to visit, or even live there yourself.


3) Past, present or future? The Help would be a very different novel had Kathryn Stockett set it in 1942 or 2012. Instead, the setting is 1962, in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. How would your story be different if it were set in the 1980’s? (Just think how much technology has changed since then!) What if it were set 10 years into the future?

Setting is too often neglected in discussions on good story telling. However, a little extra attention to this detail will reward your audience with a deeper reading experience!

If you don't find Beth here, come look out back in the garden.

Iridescent

Every so often, I stumble upon a song that pertains so perfectly to whatever project I'm working on at the time that I can't help but go buy it on iTunes right away.  This happened to me with the Linkin Park song "Iridescent" a couple of months ago, and it hasn't left my iPod since.  It's just one of those songs that fits perfectly in the mind of my main character in my dystopian project.




You were standing in the wake of devestation
You were waiting on the edge of the unknown
With the cataclysm raining down
Insides crying "save me now"
You were there and possibly alone

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?
You build up hope, but failure's all you've known
Remember all the sadness and frustration
And let it go, let it go

And in the burst of light that blinded every angel
As if the sky had blown the heavens into stars
You felt the gravity of tempered grace
Falling into empty space
No one there to catch you in their arms

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?
You build up hope, but failure's all you've known
Remember all the sadness and frustration
And let it go, let it go

Caption This!

Here is my three-year-old son, don't we all just wish we could capture that much energy and excitement for even one day?

Three Questions: Getting to Know Your Character

So, here's a quick quiz for you.  How well do you know your character?  Can you answer these three questions about him/her?


1)  What kind of underwear does your character wear?  Tighty whities?  Boxer briefs?  Bikini?  Commando?  Underwear choice says a lot about a person. 


2)  If your character saw a penny laying on the ground, would they stoop to pick it up?  Would they pick it up only if it were "heads up" because they are superstitious?  Would they pick it up because they were so broke that they needed a measly penny?  Would they step over it?  Would they miss it completely because they have their head in the clouds?

 

 3)  Who would your character take a bullet for?  Their family?  A friend?  What about their boss?  How about a complete stranger?  Nobody? 

Obviously, your reader doesn't need to know your answers. (Unless you are writing romance, in which case, question number one may be of paramount importance.)  However, the better able YOU are to answer these things then the more rich and complex your character will ultimately be!

Happy writing!!

Some days, you can find Beth here:  bethnbijoux

My Ever-Inspiring Roomies

These are my roommates.  This is an example of what "normal" is around our apartment.  And THIS is why I will never have a lack of inspiration when it comes to my characters...



(I'll probably have to sleep with my door locked tonight, for posting this on the internet.  Or perhaps I will just have to...not tell them.  That seems the safer option!)

Fish Frenzy!

I could NOT resist! This will be me tonight after work.  I have the great fortune to work for one of my best friends. Well, she is the back bone of this office, keeps all of us on task, on track and focused.  She left today for a destination wedding and, well, we're already headless chickens!

Miss you much dearest!

Welcome To Summer.....

Summer is my favorite season. As a homeschooling mother of four I need the slower pace of the summer to take a break from my frantic schedule. As a family we enjoy swimming, hiking, and camping. For personal activities, I enjoy the slower pace to catch up on cleaning/organizing my house, walking my dog, and of course, writing! How about you...what do you enjoy most about summer?