McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

Question on marketablility of location.

<< < (2/2)

Noey:
As a reader, I'd be more interested in something set in Australia just because it is different. It's far from a drawback. I actually think it'd help set your story apart, which is crucial. I love stuff that shows me things that I wouldn't know otherwise. Definitely in your city, and take the research advice given seriously, all the better to show it to its best advantage.

Shecky:
In truth, location doesn't really matter much except in two aspects: 1) how accurately it's portrayed in the eyes of the locals and 2) how well the location's background is tied into what's happening throughout (that is, if it DOES have an impact on the story and/or on the characters). Chicago, in the case of TDF, has a relatively small role... except where Jim describes its history and impact on the story (e.g., Undertown, weather, concealed-carry laws, the Shedd's role in the meet-up/dust-up, etc.).

Kayden:
My thanks to all of you.

Leaving the story as is will probably save me a month or so of research and re-writing.
For some reason, locating it outside the U.S has been a worry nagging away at me, and rather frequently driving me into useless bouts of meaningless distraction.

I'm also rather thrilled at your opinions, as it allows me to inject some local color into certain story aspects - though I've caught myself a few times including phrasing and underlying general assumptions that don't exist elsewhere.

My thanks again for each of your thoughts, and if you have any others - please fire away  ;)

Shecky:
Hey, sometimes NOT explaining local stuff is even better, as long as there's something in the text that allows the reader to figure it out. All else being equal, anything that involves the reader more is a good thing. Note that I said "involves" and not "makes the reader work more" - there's a good bit of difference. ;)

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page