Taking location inspiration from real life
Real life doesn't just have to provide inspiration for our characters. It can also feed into the locations we use in our writing.
York Minster (from my home town) was the inspiration for the cathedral where Rex Haven's funeral takes place in my novel.
This is the school I attended between the ages of seven and eight years old. This photograph, and more of the interior, was kindly taken by an old school friend. I always loved this building and now it has provided the inspiration for Darkacre School in my novel.
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| Photograph taken by Dan Howard of 500px.com |
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| Taken from www.rightmove.co.uk |
The terraces of the South Bank area of York, where I lived for a time, are the streets of the old town in my novel.
The details don't have to remain the same - we writers are tailors of imagination after all - but basing our story locations in reality can add a grounding element to our writing that convinces our readers.
What real locations have you used in your writing?
Love stories rooted in real places. I use lots of actual locations in mine :-)
ReplyDeleteHaving just finished one of your novels, I can tell. :-)
DeleteI definitely use real locations in my novels, particularly those in Chicago and my present neighborhood of Naperville, with a spin of fiction for good measure. Love your school and York Minster pics.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen.
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