Where your characters live, work, and solve mysteries can be central to the story. Or not. I’ve discovered that that location is not a requirement or an irrelevancy. It is a spectrum.
At one end of the spectrum, location is essential. As a
result, you spend time bringing that location to life, making it real, and of
real interest to readers. This requires knowing whereof you write or
researching whereof you write. Or both. My latest book, a historical mystery
entitled Conflagration!, is based on the real-life story of Marie-Joseph
Angélique, an enslaved Black woman accused of burning the lower town of
Montreal to the ground in 1734. Montreal as a place and as a community is intertwined
with the plot and the characters, fictional and otherwise. As a result, I had
to immerse myself in a time and place that no longer exist.
Move further along the location spectrum and you’ll
arrive here: the location could be anywhere. The town, island, futuristic
community where your characters go about their daily lives is woven into the
story but not predetermined. It’s up to you. You may choose a place that is
familiar, that fits within the theme of the book, or simply resonates with you.
My first mystery book Hung Out to Die
introduces Riel Brava to readers. Riel is originally from Santa Barbara but now
living in Nova Scotia, which is where I live. Fact is, Riel could have been
uprooted to almost any location where cannabis production is legal. (Riel is
CEO of the Canadian Cannabis Corporation. He’s also a psychopath (not the nasty
kind), but we’ll save that for another blog.) I chose Nova Scotia because I
know this location. Less research would be required, but I also have a deeper connection
to this place because it is my place. Many readers have told me how the book
feels so much like Nova Scotia. That was not intentional, but it reflects a
knowledge of place that goes beyond street maps, tourist locations, and Yelp
reviews.
Finally, we reach the other end of the spectrum:
place is irrelevant. Indeed, a specific geographical location may not be
necessary. I wrote a short story called “Moist,” that for the most part takes
place in the main character’s home. Where that home is situated doesn’t matter.
After the story was published, there was a call for
stories for a new anthology Santa Cruz Ghost Stories. I reached out to
the editor to explain that my story wasn’t really set anywhere so it could be
set in Santa Cruz. She agreed. Minor changes were made (like changing Canadian
spelling to American (“savour” became “savor”) and using the name of a dollar
store Santa Cruz residents would easily recognize.)
Ultimately, location is about character. The two go
hand in hand.
Location, location, location, indeed. Sometimes, the location can be as important as the characters. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAh, "location is about character"... so true.
ReplyDelete