 "I’m going to write a book!" As a librarian, I hear that a lot. Hey, I was once that patron who said it! And a very knowledgeable librarian helped me. I checked out books on writing, and after a few months, I thought I had a really good story and gave it to a few trusted readers and waited for feedback. My new friends told me the story was dry and needed work. Talk about a reality check! After picking up my ego, I realized they were right and was determined to learn how to make it better. One of the things I learned was it takes more than likeable characters to tell a story. In order to grab a reader’s attention, your story has to reach their emotions in ways that make the story memorable. Part of that is done with a great setting. What is a setting? Dictonary.com defines setting as: the local or period in which the action of a novel, play, film, etc. takes place. In my opinion, the setting is another character in your story. It’s the location of your novel, the background of a scene. It is the catalyst for what motivates your characters. You need to know as much about your setting as you know about your characters’ backstories. After all, most small towns, cities, states, and countries have histories—good and bad. So, how do you use setting in a story? If you’re reading, does the setting stand out? In the Butterfly Memoirs, the setting for the first three novels is Los Angeles, California. Books 4 and 5 are set in Atlanta, Georgia, and book 6 is set in Miami, Florida. Writing the setting for four of those books was a challenge! Why? Because I am from Atlanta and have never been to Los Angeles! I did visit Miami once, though. For settings where I’ve never been, I trust Google a lot! I had a vision, of course, but then Google made it possible for me to research the locations. Searching for images helped me accurately describe a location such as the Santa Monica Pier and the Los Angeles Zoo in A Heart Not Easily Broken. Using places I was more familiar with in Nobody’s Business and Alone were easier because I live in Atlanta. That didn’t stop me from using Google to keep the details accurate even in Atlanta. The last thing you want is to write something that you see in your mind without fact-checking, and then have readers call you out on it. Beta readers help, too! Especially if you know someone from the area you set your story. Happy Reading and Writing! MJ Multicultural Romance with Heart and Soul!
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