Depth: Part 2 – Setting

As a continuation to last Wednesday's blog on depth, I'm going to talk about depth in setting today.  Have you ever wondered why vampire novels in places like Hungary or Romania work so well and have therefore been common settings for these types of novels?  Whether your knowledge of Dracula stems from fictional novels or nonfictional accounts of persons in history such as Vlad III, Prince of Wallchia, the point is there is a tendency of many to associate these settings with legends and dark mysteries.

Just like with characters, different settings can work if an author takes the time to weave in details and add depth to the setting. That doesn't mean setting something in Ireland and having Leprechauns dancing around the place. Depth goes beyond the stereotypical. It's what truly pulls your reader into your book so they are there with your characters and not just identifying with them from afar.

My current work is set in Rome, which I've had the fortune of visiting before. In order to add a bit of depth I think about the little things I noticed while there. For instance, the fact that I found Italian woman amazing because they could manage cobblestone streets in daunting stilettos. I have one part of my novel where my heroine is hobbling along because the hero bought her heels which were too big. This might be a good area for me to introduce a bit about how the Italian women make walking on cobblestone seem effortless.

Now I gave an example using a place I've been but with the internet, books, magazines, TV, etc., writers no longer need to travel to pick up on the details about a place. Want to know the not-so-touristy places to go when visiting Ireland? Try the internet or a book. I have a friend who just left for Ireland last week and was able to plan an entire vacation around visiting non-touristy places. Nothing is a secret anymore and learning about almost anything can be just a couple clicks away.

So what about you all? What do you use to add depth to you settings?

Filed under: Settings, Toni Kelly, Writing Topics