A CITY WHERE THE STORY TAKES PLACE
ADRIANA:
“I can’t never decide whether
GIL:
“No, you can’t, you couldn’t pick one. I mean I can
give you a checkmate argument for each side. You know, I sometimes think, how is
anyone ever gonna come up with a book, or a painting, or a symphony, or a
sculpture that can compete with a great city. You can’t. Because you look
around and every street, every boulevard, is its own special art form and when
you think that in the cold, violent, meaningless universe that Paris exists,
these lights, I mean, come on, there’s nothing happening on Jupiter or Neptune,
but from way out in space you can see these lights, the cafés, people drinking
and singing. For all we know, Paris
—Midnight
in Paris, 2011, Woody Allen.
Setting:
Cityscape
Setting is one of the fundamental
elements of the story.
Most creative fiction books recommend young writers to
start writing about what they already know. For instance, hometowns, or cities
they have lived for a while. Sure enough, one is on safe ground. But I consider
you can venture to write about a city you’ve never been to.
As if you were a journalist, why
don’t you visit a new place? Try to collect details, interview some natives,
and get some background information. And for those who can’t afford to travel,
you can always browse the Internet, check Google Earth, question people by
e-mail, and so on.
The key is to research the details of
the place where you want to set the story. But you don’t have to use them all. Do
you remember The Iceberg Theory?
Hemingway stated,
“If a writer of prose knows enough
of what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows and the reader,
if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeeling of those things as
strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an
ice-berg is due to only one-eight of it being above water. A writer who omits
things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing.”
Why
should I use a particular place?
Settings help us to describe the
story, reveal character treats, strengthen actions, create dynamism, convey
emotions and feelings, and give credibility to the story. And ultimately they
pull the readers in so that they can also experience them.
Some authors keep cities’ real names,
showing them through their own perspective:
§ Brooklyn Foolies, Paul Auster è Brooklyn (NY) .
§ I
say Who, What, and Where!, Merce Cardus è Miami Beach , New York ,
Barcelona
§ Death
in Venice , Thomas Mann è Venice
Others create a particular space, a
Universe to anchor their story, but don’t reveal an exact location (mainly
because it doesn’t exist).
§ Harry
Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling. è Somewhere in Scotland
Now, it’s your turn. Stroll an unfamiliar hood
and afterward write a short story.
Magic Tip: Remember to use all your
senses—listen to the noises, perceive smells, take some pictures… You can also
draw a map afterward.
Enjoy your writing!
Copyright © 2012 by THE PYTHAGOREAN STORYTELLER. All
rights reserved.
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