I’m a very visual person. This can make it somewhat difficult to write a setting without something tangible to anchor me. When I can see the story in a real place, such as a house or restaurant, it relieves the stress of creating it out of thin air. In my novel Surrendered I pictured the O’Shay’s generational home as the one I grew up in. I just plopped it into Placerville (rather than the Bay Area town it originated) and some of the story then fell into place.
The setting of a novel can take on the life of a character, which is what I hoped to achieve in this story. Some authors write about exotic places—they can transport the reader into a different world where they bring to life sights we might not otherwise experience. I admire those who can do so. I might even try my hand at such a novel in the future. But I’m a homebody at heart, and thus far, I’ve found my characters are, as well.
There is something about raising a family in one home—a place the children bring their children back to years after they’ve grown and moved away—that’s appealed to me. However, my parents sold our family home and moved out of the area not long after I graduated high school, and there’s always been a sense of loss because of this. It was a dream of mine to raise my children in just such a home, but life doesn’t often work out the way we envision it.
And though I might not have control over the way my life’s played out (thank God, because I would have botched it up), I do have control over my characters—sometimes. Admittedly, they take off and do their own thing way more often than is comfortable.
I’ll be sharing more pics from the setting of Surrendered this week, along with quotes from the novel. My hope is that when you read the book, you’ll find the setting as familiar and comfortable as your own home.
Comments 2
I love seeing the pictures of our house.
Beautiful homey setting. I can’t wait to read the book.