W is for Where

 

Writing fiction is an interesting endeavor. The writer creates a world in which to tell her story, but it must have elements of truth—things that will be relatable to the reader. Walter Mosley said he writes fiction so he can "make stuff up." And yet, the Los Angeles of Easy Rawlins is vividly gritty and instantly recognizable. Done properly, the setting of a novel becomes a character. Sometimes, the principal character.   

So, how does a writer decide where to set a story, in cases where the setting isn't a given, like Raymond Chandler's LA? In the early stage of a story I recently finished, I considered going the Sue Grafton route and making up a town, like Santa Teresa, so it wouldn't matter what I put where. But as the story progressed, I realized I'd need to stop and map everything out or be at risk of continuity errors. Does my protagonist drive into or away from the morning sun on the way to work? How long does it take her to get to said job? How far away does her best friend live? Ultimately, I decided to set the story in Sacramento, and had Google maps open on a browser tab while I wrote.

Julie Smith, author of the Edgar Award-winning New Orleans Mourning, sees the fiction writer as a reporter when setting the scene, recording the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells, then taking readers on a tour. And, bearing in mind Elmore Leonard's rule about never opening a book with weather, the right detail, from nerve-jangling Santa Ana winds to the silence of snowfall, can place readers in the story like nothing else. Hello, Sacramento valley tule fog.

Sacramento may not have the romantic allure of San Francisco or the contrasting glitz and grit of Los Angeles, but there are plenty of features with which to anchor a story. Stately trees and homes in Land Park, the American River bike trail, little towns on the delta that seem stuck in time. If a writer takes care in setting the scene, readers will notice. And they'll hopefully want to come along for the ride.