McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
The Question of Setting
meg_evonne:
Did some thinking about this. It seems to me that setting can be dictated by the story that you tell. I mean there is a completely different feel from NYC to San Franciso, Seattle to New Orleans, Chicago to Miami. If you have a midwest mindset to your story, I do think you have to be true to the story.
daylightdreamer:
--- Quote from: meg_evonne on May 24, 2009, 10:59:13 PM ---Did some thinking about this. It seems to me that setting can be dictated by the story that you tell. I mean there is a completely different feel from NYC to San Franciso, Seattle to New Orleans, Chicago to Miami. If you have a midwest mindset to your story, I do think you have to be true to the story.
--- End quote ---
Yeah, exactly. That's actually a big part of why I ultimately decided to keep it where it is for now. I'm from the midwest and Chicago just...Well, when I was talking to a friend of mine about the whole setting change thing, he pointed out to me that the big draw of Chicago is he rich history that you can play off of. Not to say that other cities don't have gritty histories, but Chicago is just ingrained in the culture as having a history of crime, mobsters, political corruption, etc and I just like the overall feel of the setting better. I mean, New York has a history like that as well, but it's different.
Plus, after outlining everything, it's important to the story that it's a major hub city in the US, which basically boils down to in a very broad, general sense, New York, Chicago, and LA. I've planned things out with my world based on that and Chicago just works the best. Hopefully I don't regret that later. :-\
thausgt:
--- Quote from: meg_evonne on May 24, 2009, 10:59:13 PM ---Did some thinking about this. It seems to me that setting can be dictated by the story that you tell. I mean there is a completely different feel from NYC to San Franciso, Seattle to New Orleans, Chicago to Miami. If you have a midwest mindset to your story, I do think you have to be true to the story.
--- End quote ---
Brings to mind the old song, "New York State Of Mind". I've always had trouble really figuring the idea out in detail (probably because I've never been closer to the Big Apple than somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania), but I have acquired an appreciation for the difference between, say, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The real trick is, as Meg points out, establishing the 'feel' for a given locale.
I guess the next question would be to try and imagine the story playing out somewhere else. Does that affect the flow? For example, the Dresden stories mostly take place either in real-world Chicago or the Nevernever. If Jim downed an injudicious quantity of, say, mojito, and set a story in Miami, it might allow Thomas a chance to hog the spotlight a bit more than he already does, but Harry would be absolutely miserable in his spellworked coat. (And Mouse would be equally miserable in his perfectly natural coat, but I digress.) The most important point, though, is that Harry simply fits better in Chicago, with its layers of physical constructions mirroring the social and magical landscape, which in turn mirrors Harry's own complexities.
Wandering back to the topic, see if you can get a grip on the 'look and feel' of your chosen setting. See if you can determine what about your vision of the setting sets it apart from anyone else's, especially the intangible elements. Is there a particular neighborhood or building that consistently gives you a particular emotional reaction? Are there any urban legends that really capture your attention? Even if you can't use them in your stories without jumping through copyright laws, are there particular songs you associate with the setting or components thereof? (You can play them in the background while you write; can do amazing things with the 'themes and moods' of your drafts.)
Good luck!
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