How important are settings in novels? Well of course, very important. Albeit a fictional place, or a real place, the reader needs to believe they have visited the area you've described.
I found this really useful blog post about how to get your settings just right: HERE
And this helpful post about choosing between fictional and non-fictional settings: HERE
In HER LAST LIE all my settings are real places (albeit with a tiny bit of poetic licence) When Isla travels to Sweden, and her life unravels, I hope the
reader believes they were there with her.
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Isla meets long-term
boyfriend Jack outside Strand/Aldwych disused underground, and I was lucky
enough to take a tour of the inside. It was a fascinating place
to visit, and made me realise that my settings in HER LAST LIE are either places I’ve visited and loved, or
places that I’ve heard of, that fascinate me. I even included my home town, and found losing myself in words about a place I was so familiar with,
very enjoyable. More about HER LAST LIE'S settings can be found HERE
I think the most important thing is to imagine you are actually in the places you are writing about. Maybe print off photos of the place and pin them up around you, or close your eyes and visualise yourself there. If you've never been, read up as much as you can about the area, watch videos on You Tube, and look at images on the internet.
My second novel TELL THE TRUTH is out in December 2018, and one of
the settings is County Sligo in Ireland. I chose there for two reasons.
One is because my Grandfather was Irish, and was born in Cliffony, County
Sligo, and two, because when I visited the area, it fascinated me so much. However, the area within County Sligo I've written about is fictional.
The
second area I’ve focused on in TELL THE TRUTH is Finchley, London, because each
time I travel into London, I see the Emirates Stadium, and Finchley opening up
behind it, and it intrigued me somehow. I’ve also included a rather spooky spa, although my novel is a
psychological thriller, rather than a ghostly tale! J
If you would like to download HER LAST LIE, you can do so
HERE. You may already know I’m donating all Ebook royalties to Cancer Research UK, and that I've already
raised almost £7000.
TELL THE TRUTH is out December 2018, and can be pre-ordered
HERE at just 99p. With a paperback following in February 2019.
4 comments:
Setting is so important, and I love if a book is set somewhere I've been and I can picture it :-)
Can't wait to read the new book xx
Thank you, Karen xx
I agree that settings are important. Whenever I can I write 'on location' – as we have a camper van, I quite often get to do that for at least one draft and it helps a lot.
Yes, it's a brilliant idea to write on location, Patsy. My third novel is set in Inverness, and I'm determined to get a trip in before the end of the first draft. X
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