Setting: Selection and Significance

The Romance Reviews is turning 3, and throughout the month of March, a massive game and giveaway is taking place. With over 450 participating authors and publishers, your chance of winning is excellent! The grand prize is a $100 gift certificate, and there are loads of other goodies. To register and begin playing, go to The Romance Reviews website.

On March 16th, my Q&A will be available from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. EST. I will be giving away a signed and numbered print copy of my historical romance, The Truth Seekers. The answer to my question can be found in this post, so pay attention!
Now... Setting Selection & Significance.


By definition, every novel must have at least one setting. Even if a science fiction author were to write about a character floating around in a great abyss of nothingness, that abyss is still the place where things happen (or don’t happen, as the case may be). So how do writers choose the location for their story? How much does that choice matter to the story?

In my first novella, My Apple Tree, the setting was never specified for the reader. It could have been any town, really. The reality was that in my own mind the story was set in Joplin, Missouri, my mother’s hometown. The setting in this case was more important to me than the reader, and it definitely influenced the way I felt about the story and the choices I made concerning the plot and characters. After a devastating tornado leveled a third of the city, I went to visit my family there. What I saw had a profound impact on me, and that overwhelming mix of grief and rebirth was transferred to the story and my characters. So in that instance, the setting was very significant, but not in a way that the audience would necessarily be aware of. Normally, I would post pictures to illustrate my point. Although I do have pictures of the affected area, the devastation and loss these people faced is too personal to broadcast. However, the cover photo was taken at a nearby cemetery where much of my family is buried, and so that, too, has deep personal significance for me.


The significance of setting was flipped around for Wishing Cotton. For this story, the setting I envisioned was entirely fictional. I just needed a summer resort on a beach, with isolated cabins and a nearby funfair to suit the needs of my story. In other words, the setting was determined by the demands of the plot rather than the other way around. Beyond its function to support the story I wanted to tell, the setting has no further significance to me as a writer. Because of this, the only details I provide are ones that are necessary in order to present each scene clearly. Otherwise, the characters could be anywhere else and the plot could remain largely unaffected.


Setting again became important when I wrote my historical romance, The Truth Seekers. For this novel, I used a real-life location as the foundation for the story. Although I employ a great deal of artistic license, my protagonists Geoffrey Hawes and Miranda Claridge meet for the first time in an unnamed fictional community that is based on the very real Chautauqua Institution in New York State. 
Athenaeum Hotel
The grounds of this historic community preserve a great deal of the world that Geoffrey and Miranda would have inhabited, and the focus on philosophy, art, music, and learning lends itself to a novel of this type. It was simple to imagine two Victorian lovers debating the merits of different social and philosophical principles in such a setting. While I did change a number of minor details, such as turning the very real Packard Manor into the governor’s mansion, the architecture, landscape, and pace of the location are kept very true to life.

Geoffrey first encounters Miranda in the Hall of Philosophy, which not only is a real building on the grounds at Chautauqua, but also is the source of the book’s title. 
 
The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle is the longest continuously running book club in the United States, and for many years, each year’s theme was preserved in mosaics running along the floor of the Hall. Visitors to the Hall of Philosophy can easily find The Truth Seekers mosaic.


In many ways, my love of Chautauqua influenced my handling of Geoffrey and Miranda’s story, but at the same time, it would not have been possible to envision their story in the first place without having experienced the setting beforehand. This is a place where it is easy to picture what life must have been like one hundred years ago, and it is also a place where one can feel the passage of time and the natural continuity of life and love and time. A great deal of the grounds have remained largely unchanged and are teeming with artists, authors, poets, dancers, musicians, theologians, and thinkers. It would be near impossible for a creative person to be in such an environment and not be inspired. Because of this, The Truth Seekers became not only a love story between two people, but it is also the story of an author’s love for a place. I hope that by bringing Geoffrey and Miranda’s world to life, I have also captured in some small way the magic of this small, precious community. Miller Bell Tower on Lake Chautauqua
In these three examples, you see how differently setting can be used to shape and influence a story and its characters. For writers, it is important to consider the role setting plays in a piece so that the handling of locations and environments complements the tale you are trying to tell. For readers, it is often a subtle influence that can color your perception of the world each new character inhabits. Either way, settings are something to enjoy and explore, even if only in one’s imagination.



More than 450 participating authors!!!
More than 450 prizes to be won!!!

PARTICIPATING PUBLISHERS
Soul Mate Publishing
Dreamspinner Press
Musa PublishingLoose Id
Riptide Publishing

PARTICIPATING AUTHORS
Vivi Andrews
Lynnette Austin
Judith Arnold
Tonya Ramagos
Lisa Kessler
Laurie Fitzgerald
Skye Warren
Dianna Love
Hope Tarr
Kristen Ashley
Jennifer Haymore
Cat Johnson
J.A. Redmerski
Rosalie Lario
Jodi Redford
Verna Clay
Kris Pearson
Kate Deveaux
S. Carman Knight
L.E. Franks
Hannah Fielding
Laura Harner
Kitsy Clare
Susan Lodge
Stormy Glenn
Colet Abedi
Liza Gaines
Shirley Wine
Laurie Olerich
Jenna Howard
Peri Elizabeth Scott
Afton Locke
Terri Rochenski
M. Leighton
Aditi Chopra
Sarah Latchaw
Felicia Rogers
Davee Jones
Jaye Frances
Georgina Guthrie
Billi Jean
RM Alexander
Alyssa Linn Palmer
Honoria Ravena
Karen Michelle Nutt
Christine Murphy
Dariel Raye
LeTeisha Newton
T.D. Hassett
Rosanna Leo
N. Jay
Karen Mercury
Nova Chalmers
Teresa Noelle Roberts
Jenna Rose Ellis
Sarah Phelan
R.J. Redlynn
James Cox
Ursula Sinclair
Beth Yarnall
Theresa Rizzo
Ashlynn Monroe
Michael Davis
Debra Anastasia
Nicole Pouchet
Bianca Vix
Rebecca Sinclair
Anna Wells
Jennifer Anderson
Toby Neal
Linda Nightingale
M.A. Stacie
Carlene Love Flores
Liv Honeywell
Gail Mencini
Kaje Harper
Elizabeth Coldwell
Jenny Lyn
Jay Northcote
Charlie Cochrane
Lisa Becker
Lea Bronsen
Chantal Verlaine
Patricia Yager Delagrange
Nicole Castro
Chacelyn Pierce
Jennah Scott
Monica Epstein
T.D. Hassett
Jennifer Garcia
Rhonda Laurel
Sable Hunter
Helen C. Johannes
Bev Pettersen
Lauren Linwood
Elsa Winckler
Alison Packard
Anne Barwell
Jana Richards
Natasha Knight
Katheryn Lane
Jonell Kirby Cash
Shiloh Saddler
Annabelle Jacobs
Laila Blake
Alane Hudson
Shawna Kenney
D. McEntire
Christy McKellen
Jane Taylor Starwood
Jessica Lauryn
Geoff Nolan
Evi AsherKate Brady
Sara Hantz
Jaime Rush
Hayson Manning
Shayla Black
Susan Carlisle
Elizabeth Essex
Emma Holly
Sharon Buchbinder
Kelsey Browning
Abbi Glines
Lynsay Sands
Sara Daniel
Shawntelle Madison
Jane Kindred
Debra Andrews
Sam Cheever
Katherine Bone
Lou Sylvre
Jaime Reese
Hebby Roman
Tara Lain
Rachel Kelly
Leigh Daley
Justus Roux
TL Alexander
Anne Lange
Maggie Mae Gallagher
K.M. Fawcett
Gail Bridges
Irene Preston
Nicki Elson
Natasha Moore
Jenna Jaxon
Gillian Archer
Jewel Quinlan
Catherine Kean
Kaitlin Bevis
Holley Trent
Kadee McDonald
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy
Beth Trissel
M. Stratton
Scotty Cade
Anne Kane
Emma Weylin
Gloria Davidson Marlow
Tara Fox Hill
Sommer Marsden
Selena Illyria
Virginia Kelly
Ann McGinnis
Diana Green
April Bostic
Sloane Taylor
Gemma Brocato
Cheryl Brooks
Rory Ni Coileain
Nikka Michaels
Morgan Hannah MacDonald
Caitlin Ricci
Vanessa Devereaux
Francesca St. Claire
Alena Stuart
Frances Pauli
Killarney Sheffield
Deb Julienne
Mary Campisi
David Meredith
Heidi Lynn Anderson
Indra Vaughn
Alannah Lynne
Rose Anderson
Iyana Jenna
Kathryn Lively
Z. Allora
Mac Rome
Rachel Rossano
Juliette Miller
Liz Davis
Madison Sevier
Rhea Rhodan
Rosalind Scarlett
K. Vale
Maddy Barone
Lucy Felthouse
Claire Fullerton
Carolina Valdez
Jessica Coulter Smith
Devyn Dawson
Amber Daulton
Charlie Cochet
Gwendoline Ewins
Willow Brooke
Ellen Cross
Carol Cassada
Liz Crowe
Elizabeth McKenna
Patricia Leever
Lily Harlem
Rebecca Heflin
Aubrie Dionne
Linda Hays-Gibbs
Cheryl Phipps
Megan Derr
Juli D. Revezzo
Magdalen Braden
Allyson Young
Laurie Olerich
BethAnn Buehler
Lynn Cahoon
Tory Richards
Erica SutherhomeShelley Munro
Eileen Dreyer
Marina Martindale
Erica Ridley
Dianne Duvall
Sarah Granger
Christy Hayes
Angela Campbell
Ella Quinn
Zoë Archer
Shona Husk
Ashlyn Chase
Teri Riggs
Sabrina Sims McAfee
Constance Phillips
Jody Wallace
Rhyll Biest
Jenn Langston
Aileen Fish
Mary M. Forbes
Katheryn Lane
D.M. Weeds
Breena Wilde
Cheryl Bolen
Ana Barrons
Danica Avet
Alexa Grace
Amy Greogory
Karen Kay
Karen Rock
Jan Graham
Angelia Whiting
Rebecca E. Grant
Shoshanna Evers
Collette Cameron
Anna Daye
Paula Martin
Jane Leopold Quinn
Grace Wen
Joy Lynn Fielding
Eva Lefoy
Allie Ritch
Jana Barkley
A. Sangrey Black
Shauna Aura Knight
James Grey
Kelly Boyce
Lorraine Paton
Jocelyn Dex
Mychael Black
Rachell Nichole
Liza Gaines
Fiona McGier
Liana Laverentz
Reese Ryan
Jennifer Ann Coffeen
Jennifer Faye
N.L. Campbell
Nancy Corrigan
M.Q. Barber
Karen Dales
Kate Evangelista
Madison Chase
Luke Mallory
Andrea R. Cooper
Angelicka Wallows
John A. Heldt
Candice Butler
Mindy Hardwick
Sarah Madison
Shannon MacLeod
J. Annas Walker
Ria Candro
Stella Eromonsere-Ajanaku
Dawn Marie Hamilton
Lillian MacKenzie Rhine
Juliet Chastain
Marcus Lopés
Nancy Loyan
Marie Rochelle
Diane Leyne
Lorenz Font
S.J. Maylee
Cathy Tully
Keira Andrews
Naya Nikki
Kay Jaybee
Chris T. Kat
Lori Verni-Fogarsi
Ash Jay
Sandra K. Marshall
Lily Malone
Jennifer Kacey
Mary Hughes
Heather Gray
Tasha Temple
Rachel Randall
Mary L. Ball
Cinsearae S.
Mary Calmes
Samara King
Tina Donahue
Cameron Vale
Jessica E. Subject
Pavarti K. Tyler
K.R. Haynes
Elizabeth Krall
Patricia Bond
R.E. Hargrave
Susan Shay
David Russell
Melanie Atkins
Sibel HodgeMichele Renae
Sienna Matthews
Sabrina York
Traci Douglass
Tiffany Allee
Kai Andersen
Nancy Naigle
Cassandra Carr
Vella Munn
Sherilee Gray
Jill Shalvis
Jamie McGuire
Michelle Diener
Moira Keith
DJ Gross
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Piper Malone
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Catherine Wolffe
Nicky Penttila
Dariel Raye
Jackie Leigh Allen
Riley Murphy
Calinda B
Kerry Adrienne
Blaine D. Arden
Cara Marsi
Layne Wong
Eden Ashe
Gail Koger
Suki McMinn
Victoria and Rebecca Heap
Stacy-Deanne
Forbes Arnone
Marisa Mclean
Haley Whitehall
Ann Herrick
Misa Buckley
Christina Thacher
Jianne Carlo
Dominique Eastwick
Kat de Falla
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Maxine Flam
Clara Nipper
Ashley Chunell
London Saint James
Angela Aaron
Cheryl Rhodes
Andrea Bramhall
Evie Knight
Glynnis Campbell
Sloane Taylor
Katie Kenyhercz
Nina Pierce
Dev Bentham
Anna Keraleigh
Cate Masters
Traci Hall
Layne Wong
H.C. Brown
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Gemma Juliana
Syrie James
Molly McLain
M.J. Porteus and R.D. Blackmore
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Nan Reinhardt
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Rachel E. Kelly
Ros Clarke
Lisa Clark O'Neill
Jenny Kane
Ayla Ruse
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Catherine Sharp
Stacy Juba
Dianne Hartsock
Krista Ames
Samantha Holt
Gale Stanley
Lauren Smith
Kathy Bosman
Laci Paige
Andrea Downing
MaryLynn Bast
Leigh Ellwood
Stephanie Burke
Clarissa Johal
M. Garnet
Victoria Blisse
Teodora Kostova
Natalie J. Damschroder
Ginger Simpson
Susan Griscom
Becky Lower
Rhonda L. Print
Bella Leone
Andrea R. Cooper
Kelly Wyre
Helena Fairfax
T.F. Walsh
Dy Loveday
S.C. Rhyne
Pippa Jay
Julianna Keyes
Naomi Bellina
J.Q. Rose
Aaron Lazar
M.E. Franco
Sylvie Kaye
Elizabeth M. Lawrence