Planning To Write A Novel? Part Two - PLACE
In my last post, I talked about the three things that really matter when you are getting ready to start writing your novel: People, Place and Time. In this post, I want to tackle place. Where does your story take place? Where do your characters live?
Why does this matter? Place adds important context. It not only helps define your overall story, it helps define your all-important characters.
Define Your Narrative
Where your story takes place will define the story. If my novel takes place in New York City this will add distinct attributes to my narrative. If you’ve ever visited the big apple then you know it can be both gritty and glamorous. It’s the kind of place where a person can disappear, or be discovered. Generally, New York is a liberal hot spot, it’s the nexus of big finance and it is a true cultural melting pot. Compare New York to a place like Miami, Florida, and you find they have things in common, but in a very different way.
Miami, too, is a melting pot, but its city dwellers tend to hail from the Caribbean or South America. Like New York, Miami is also bustling. But unlike its vertically-inclined rival to the north, it is flat and lush and hot, pretty much all year long. The vibe is less hustle and more La Vida Loca - though the major influx of crypto has changed its profile as of late. Both have a thriving cafe society. But where New York’s nightlife can feel more like a groovy dive bar, a night out in Miami more resembles a tropical dance party.
Define Your Characters
Where your story takes place will define your characters. If I decided to set my story in Miami, for instance, my characters might be quite different from a New Yorker. My protagonist might speak Spanish, or at least understand a few keywords. They could “afford” to be a starving artist, and they would be inclined to dress in a more casual way. More than anything, they would measure seasons by rainstorms instead of autumnal colors. Of course, I’m generalizing, but you get the idea.
If my story was set in Miami, my character’s mindset would most likely be different from someone living in New York. They might care more about living for the day, and less about saving up for the cold winter to come. Or, they might have relatives or friends that came over from Cuba, or Haiti, and this would influence how they see the world, and world powers, in general. Che Guevara might not be a sexy ex-guerilla fighter and more a demon.
I hope this gives you something to consider as you are plotting out your novel. I know I have spent so much time considering place. The next post will look at time!