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Researching
The Setting For Your Novel in Writing
By - Thomas Ajava
Picking the setting of a
novel is obviously a critical step. Writing a classic detective novel set in a
tiny town in Siberia is going to be a struggle. That being said, picking the
setting is only a small step. Next, you need to build story credibility by
getting the setting right.
What is setting
credibility? It is credibility derived from accuracy. Let's say you are writing
a story that is set in New York City. It's our detective story. In the second
chapter, you have the detective walk about the World Trade Center. Unless you've
set the time of the story before 9/11, you've just described buildings that no
longer exist. Not only is it bad taste, but the inaccuracy has shot a hole in
the credibility of your story. So, how do you avoid this problem?
Many writers will only go
with settings that they know. This approach has its benefit in the fact that
your inherent knowledge of the area means mistakes should be easily avoided.
There is, of course, a secondary benefit in that you really don't have to do
much research on the setting since you already know it. For us lazy writers [we
know who we are!], this cannot be understated!
What about settings you
don't know? What if you've never been to New York City, but are ready to write
the greatest detective novel ever? The simplest answer is to go to New York and
spend a few months there to get familiar with your setting. The problem, of
course, is few of us have the money or time to do this. Being a writer may be
touted as glamorous, but it hardly pays well unless you are a big name.
This makes research the
best approach for the majority of us. There are obviously many different ways to
do research. The Internet is a great tool, but just make sure the information
you have is both timely and accurate. Another great tool is, believe it or not,
to rent travel documentaries on the location. You can get them through Netflix
or your service of choice. Again, make sure you know when the film was shot.
To add extra credibility
to your setting, try research unique characteristics about specific locations in
your setting. Let's say an important part of your story takes place in a hotel.
Try to pull up pictures of the hotel online by searching the "images"
function of any search engine and order brochures from the hotel. Once you have
all the information, note as many unique, small details as you can about the
hotel. Now write them into your story. Readers will note those details and your
story will become far more credible. The devil, as they say, is in the details.
The setting of your story
is incredibly important. Collecting the details surrounding it is not always the
most glamorous task, but it is a critical one. Get it right and your story will
benefit.
About the Author
Thomas Ajava writes for
NomadJournals.com
- your source
for writing journals you can keep notes and diaries in.
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