Many genre writers start with setting. Yes, they say they start with characters, or with situations, but the truth is, if you’re writing a Regency, it’ll be set in England between 1811 to 1820, give or take. If you’re writing a Scottish Medieval, then it has to be set in Scotland between the 5th and 15th centuries. If you’re writing a Western, it’ll be set west of the Mississippi (or at least rural North America), usually sometime after the first wagon train went to Oregon and before automobiles became ubiquitous. If you’re writing to the commercial market, the setting needs to be marketable, which is why Texas and Wyoming are used more than any other areas of the West.
So yes, many of us do start with setting.
I grew up in Owyhee County, so I’d been to the former boom town, Silver City, many times, but as I stood in front of the Idaho Hotel taking in the view, the huge bank safe sparked my imagination. What if a desperate bumbling cowhand botches up a bank robbery, is saved by his sensible friend, but then his friend is shot? Hmmm.
Setting and character were on equal footing at this point—couldn’t have one without the other. Why? Because the bank and its proximity to the other buildings in Silver City were firmly a part of the story. Besides, the sensible friend is Cole Richards and he has a ranch on Sinker Creek. The bumbling cowhand is Bosco Kunkle and he’s Cole’s best friend. Okay, so I moved geography around a little. Writers can do this.
As I contemplated that scenario, we stopped by Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Oreana. Even though I grew up not far from there, I never knew that the church was originally built as a general store by stonemasons John Pierson and Jim Kelly, the best stonemasons in the area. A store! It’s a good-sized rock building and was actually built later than my story is set, probably 1888, but is typical of the rock buildings constructed during the 1870s and 1880s. My book is set in 1885 so I felt comfortable using the building.
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| General Mercantile converted to Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church Oreana, Idaho |
(To read more about the history of the church in Oreana, visit St. Paul's website. The graphic above is from there.)
Aha! In my mind, I saw a vivacious young woman run down the steps, carrying a package. She has a purpose and no one can stop her. Her name is Daisy Gardner. The store is Gardner’s Mercantile, owned and operated by her father. An aside note—I’ve always thought Oreana was the prettiest name for a town, and so I envisioned a lively little town full of fun characters. It was the perfect place for Bosco to take Cole for medical care.
That little rock building behind the store-now-church? It was originally a saloon—extremely small, with room for maybe three customers. Short ones. I was told that men came in to buy their drinks but usually went outside to socialize and play cards while imbibing.
And no, the real Oreana isn’t on the way to Sinker Creek from Silver City, so I moved it, too. Literary license, you know. Bustling? Hardly. (See Google Maps satellite photo above. Yes, that's the whole town for real, and it never was any more populated.)
So let’s say the editor wanted this story set in Boston. First problem is law and order—Boston had some, but Owyhee County wasn’t nearly as “civilized.” (Many would contend that’s still true, but in my opinion it depends on your definition.) At least 50% of the events could never have happened in Boston or any metropolitan area. Worse, Cole would never have been accepted by the city fathers, and Daisy would’ve been ostracized by society for her behavior. This story simply can’t be moved.
The point of all this is to not underestimate the value of setting. When well written, setting emphasizes conflict and every aspect of a character’s decisions. Writers: how do you use setting to the best effect in your stories? Readers: how does setting influence your perception of the characters? Would Hondo be the same character if the story took place in New Orleans or Paris?
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What a great post. I have always thought that setting was as important, and sometimes more so in stories, especially sci-fi and Westerns. If, like you say, it were to take place somewhere else it wouldn't work. I also think that time as a part of setting. The story I'm working on takes place during the Labor Wars in Colorado at the turn of the century. I don't know that the story and the action would work at another time. Thanks for the reminder. Doris
ReplyDeletePS Some stories are so 'cookie cutter' that they have no sense of time and place. UGH/
Costume dramas seldom work for me, either, Doris. Yes, timing is important. When I start a book, I always do a timeline and list the national events--local, too, if I can find them--because those things color the canvas just as much as the architecture.
ReplyDeleteAs a (recovering) songwriter, I have often fielded the question, "Which came first...the lyric or the melody?"
ReplyDeleteLike character and setting, they are joined at the cosmic hip. Sometimes one drags the unwilling other through the door. Sometimes they trip each other trying to get in first.
I identify with your example of looking at the steps of a building and "seeing" characters. That's generally how I work. Inspiration can be seen propped against a porch column reading his mail, sitting tight-lipped across from her husband in a restaurant, sprawled on a park bench sleeping.
Whichever comes first...and wherever it comes from...don't you agree that we have the most fun job on the planet?
Hi, Vonn. Yep, nothing comes first, really. The whole concept floats around in the ether and morphs with tone, pace, characters, setting, and situation. And that's just the starting spot. Then you have to sort it all out.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how Facebook has changed things? I wanted to click "Like" on several of these comments (and on the article, Jacquie!) My finger was actually on the mouse. What I love is when you are setting a story in a particular place and time and you discover an event or locale that perfectly works in the story you are plotting. It's like there's a cosmic element to putting together a story. Great post, Jacquie!
ReplyDeleteJacquie, great post! Everything I write is set in Indian Territory or Texas (westerns) and in OK or TX with the contemporaries. I can't imagine so many of my stories happening anywhere but these two places. Could be because I'm so familiar with the places, terrain, weather, etc. I'm so blessed to have been born and raised in Oklahoma--to be a western writer, this is like heaven.
ReplyDeleteCheryl
Like everybody, I usually write settings i'm familiar with. That means Arizona. I have one set in Colorado, and that was a real pain to write because I had to really dig to get the setting right. Started on in Wyoming, haven't been able to finish it yet. Often read Westerns that are set in nowhere--that is, nowhere you'd recognize. I guess that's all right, but I prefer to have the story take place in real (or semi real) settings. Like Jacquie, I move things around, but people tell me they are glad they can recognize the places where the stories are happening. OK, so in Return to Silver Creek, I put a Spanish land grant (a la Baca Float) just south of Concho, AZ. But I didn't change the lay of the land, and I like to think people familiar with the area would recognize it.
ReplyDeleteGood blog, Jacquie. Thanks loads.
Great blog, of course, it's Jacquie Rogers work. I'm a South Dakota country boy 11th grade drop out, and have never met with a writers group live: only the Fictioneers and WWA site. The Fictioneer's blogs are my writing school and it's beautiful with a new lesson every week written by people who are getting it done.
ReplyDeleteI,too,like to use real settings, with maybe a creek or hill or two added for flavor, so my two stories are both in Dakota with a brief stop in Colorado. Thanks to all the bloggers here for the great information. Rod Thompson
I enjoyed your post. Normally, I start with a situation or time line which brings in the setting and characters. Many things can trigger the situation and sometimes that is a place or setting. Sometimes it an article or story I've read or seen and sometimes from a dream.
ReplyDeleteI've never written anything historical although I love historical settings. I grew up watching the cowboy shows on tv with my father on Saturday mornings, and I have a western in mind in my to write list. That idea came from one of my favorite country western songs.
The fist book I started but never finished is set in France and the USA right at the end of World War II. This idea came from a book I read set before, during, and after WWII. I loved it and wanted to write something during that time period.
So I can see your point. The setting is a very important part of any story.
Judith, and to think--not long ago you didn't want anything to do with Facebook. LOL. Yes, it does condition us to click "Like," even if it's something we don't.
ReplyDeleteAs for those events, that's true. And it doesn't have to be a battle or such, it could be a lunar eclipse. So many things can affect our characters!
Cheryl, it's definitely an advantage to have a deep familiarity with the story setting. It's something that really shows in the details. I have to do a lot of research when writing chapters for Wolf Creek because I've only been to Kansas once. All that flat is puzzling for a person raised in the high mountain desert. I was completely hornswaggled for a while, trying to figure out what my characters would use for cover in a gunfight. There aren't any hills or trees or boulders. Very few gulches of any sort. So it was a whole different world to me.
ReplyDeleteCharlie, I have one book set in Colorado, too. Starts in Silverton and ends in Virginia City, Nevada (for the quest part of the story). I've been to all the settings except Manitou Springs, and I had to rely on pictures and a call to my uncle for that. One thing in a road story is smell--every town smells different. The townsfolk won't notice it but a traveler will.
ReplyDeleteHi, Rod. There's a ton of craft information all over the internet. I've partaken of a good share of it. :)
ReplyDeleteThe setting for my Hearts of Owyhee series is Owyhee County. Most readers will never have heard of it, but my Idaho readers will recognize several areas. That's why I have a "Dear Reader," and another "Dear Idaho Reader" in some of the books. In Much Ado About Madams, I found a town in Owyhee County named Dickshooter. Well, you know that just had to be where the brothel was set. So I moved it 75 miles to be near Silver City. What I don't change is the culture and speech patterns of the area, or the basic terrain and weather. Those things are what makes each setting unique.
Kim, those TV westerns are why nearly all novels are set in Texas or Wyoming. Arizona and New Mexico made the cut because of Billy the Kid. There's a whole lot more to Kansas than Dodge City. Even though most western TV shows and movies were made in California, that state isn't known as a western setting. And some places, like Idaho (that blank spot between Wyoming and Oregon) are completely forgotten, yet they're rich in history--just not widely known.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I think it's best to set novels in more marketable settings and have considered it. I haven't spent much time in Texas but have been to Wyoming on many occasions visiting relatives, so that's a strong possibility.
Jacquie,
ReplyDeleteLike Cheryl Pierson commented: "I can't imagine so many of my stories happening anywhere but these two places [Ok & TX]", I'm a native Coloradoan, and Colorado always plays a role in my stories whether it's the primary setting or characters have a 'link' to it in some way. While characterization is critical to a successful story, the setting is just as important. Both have to occur, I think, hand-in-hand for the plot to develop well.
Jacquie,
ReplyDeleteLike Cheryl Pierson commented: "I can't imagine so many of my stories happening anywhere but these two places [Ok & TX]", I'm a native Coloradoan, and Colorado always plays a role in my stories whether it's the primary setting or characters have a 'link' to it in some way. While characterization is critical to a successful story, the setting is just as important. Both have to occur, I think, hand-in-hand for the plot to develop well.
Jacquie,
ReplyDeleteLike Cheryl Pierson commented: "I can't imagine so many of my stories happening anywhere but these two places [Ok & TX]", I'm a native Coloradoan, and Colorado always plays a role in my stories whether it's the primary setting or characters have a 'link' to it in some way. While characterization is critical to a successful story, the setting is just as important. Both have to occur, I think, hand-in-hand for the plot to develop well.
Kaye, I just wrote a story that emphasizes your point. The flora, fauna, weather, and terrain dictated the direction of the story. If I'd taken the same premise and set it elsewhere, even with the same characters, it would've been very different.
ReplyDelete0_o I just checked back here to read more comments and I see that my comment from yesterday posted THREE times. What?!! I apologize. If this one posts multiple times, I'll really be embarrassed. :-(
ReplyDeleteI've been away for a while, so I'm late in catching up on posts. This one is interesting as always, Jacquie.
ReplyDeletei find that research is so important at the outset. i have written historicals set in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, YA in Victorian London, my Westerns, of course, and contemporary crime novels set on a Scottish island. The historicals demand painstaking research into all sorts of things from eating habits, armour and law officials of the time, to the use of garderobes (medieval toilets) and the types of musical instruments played in different times. Victorian novels demand that you know your London of the 19th century and that you get details right about toll bridges and so on.
My contemporary novels, on the other hand are set on an island that i have invented. It is an amalgamation of several Hebridean islands, so I have the luxury of being able to manipulate my terrain, my setting.
I find that the character can be modified by the setting and the time they live in.
Keith
Kaye, you've just been bloggered. LOL. It happens--we're all used to it.
ReplyDeleteKeith, your research is amazing! I wrote an anthology of 10 faery stories starting in 1199 England and ending up in futuristic Kent, Washington, USA. I knew not what I was getting into, that's for sure. It was one of those "it seemed like a good idea at the time" scenarios.
ReplyDeleteI used late 13th century armour in the first story because what they used in the late 12th century didn't work for the story. Not one reader commented on that. I'm not sure if they didn't notice, or they didn't know, or they didn't care. :) I used the Globe Theatre in the second story, POTC inaccuracies in the 3rd. The Regency story drove me nuts and I swore I'd never write another. From there on out, it got a little easier because I took the faeries to the US. I learned a lot, though.
Good article. I see setting as important but since I write contemporary or historical and don't worry much if they are called westerns so long as they have the western ethos, I could set mine anywhere. I though do as you do and always set them where I have spent time and know an area. The setting is indeed another character in the book-- sometimes the main one :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Rain! Actually, only my Hearts of Owyhee series and Sleight of heart are set in familiar territory. Most of my early works and the Wolf Creek stories are set in places I've never visited. You can get the visuals from the internet but you can't get the sounds and smells. Description of them, yes, but I think it helps to experience the real deal. Of course, that's often not possible and that's where the imagination has to take over.
DeleteThat's interesting, Jacquie, that you don't set them where you have been. I guess because the land is so significant to me, it has to be in my books. I've said that I could buy, to live, any kind of house so long as the land/setting was one I liked. You can fix up a house but the wrong orientation of a valley or land that wasn't healthy, that can be either impossible or very difficult to change. I agree though about imagination being a key and you can imagine yourself having been somewhere and make it more real. I just enjoy getting to set my characters in places I have liked and spent time. The exact house or whatever though doesn't have to exist-- just the area as it could be there. In the book I am bringing out on Thursday, there is a fantasy element; so it had more freedom in the writing-- other than staying consistent
Deleteshould have added don't set them-- 'always' --where you have been...
DeleteI like both--there's a certain challenge in writing stories in a setting I've never been to. But then I know my Hearts of Owyhee stories have an added richness that could never happen if I hadn't grown up there. A good share of westerns are written by authors who haven't lived in the West, and they're excellent books.
DeleteKim, you're the winner! But you didn't leave your email address, so please send me a message at jacquie @ camprogers .com (no spaces). Congratulations.
ReplyDelete