Time, Place and Setting

I begin with my computer, and something on which to jot down notes!  Key things like time, place and setting are essential to developing a story.  Even if you use a made up place, it helps to have a picture (at least in your mind) of your setting!  You don't need to put all the detail into your story, but if you know your setting the reader will believe it!

 I often take/use pictures of interesting buildings that will help me build my setting.  Often pictures can be found on the Internet to use to ground you.  When I wrote John Dunham's Diary, I saved pictures of Dublin to look at while I wrote.  The web was useful in placing John in the late 19th Century, too!  I found pictures of period clothing, news articles, etc. to help ground me to that time and place.  Though much of the setting came from my imagination, I was able to incorporate key elements of that time period into my story.  For instance, my first draft had John at sea for three months, but my brother pointed out that steamers were used then.  So, I had to adapt, this is still causing me fits.  I will work it out, but in the meantime, I am getting Blood Magic ready to publish. My beta readers are sending me feedback and I will incorporate their suggestions to make my story better!

As November nears, I am getting ready to write a Gothic Romance... Friends placed seeds in my mind of writing a romance and another planted Gothic in my brain.  The story began to form so much that I have my characters strongly implanted in my mind.  I am building a fictional place in Ohio with real world images and conveniences.  Just two more days until I can begin to write the Gothic novel that I always wanted, since first reading Phyllis A. Whitney's novels!