WRITING TIP WEDNESDAY - Using Real Places Vs. Using Created Places

WRITING TIP WEDNESDAY - Using Real Places Vs. Using Created Places


It's so good to return with a new point-of-view for this WRITING TIP WEDNESDAY. It's not Wednesday, you say? Well, I'm sure it is in China...


This is interesting. Today, we discuss the advantages of using both real and created places for the setting of your story. I might've mentioned it before, but nothing pulls your reader in more than the setting of your piece. So, you whether you decide on using a real place or a created one ...you have to make them as concrete as possible.


See, a place can be anything from a city, to a neighborhood, to the local shopping mall. The advantage of using a real place is that ...people are already familiar with real places. In fact, if you're accurate enough, you could make your readers feel right at home as they read through your story.


"Peachtree? Hey, I live right by here."


With that said, using a real place also adds to the credibility of your story. It gives your readers the impression that this really could happen. That's a powerful gift in terms of keeping those pages turned.


Now, using a place that you've created for the purpose of your story has it's advantages as well. You know where everything is. So if you create a place, you can afford to change it how you see fit ...whenever you feel like it. No one will be the wiser. This gives you a lot of power in terms of controlling the setting, which is something you'll appreciate a lot more once I mention "the disadvantages". Believe me, this is a great thing.


Another advantage of using a created place is that you could intentionally set it up as a plot device to advance your story. Let's say you've created an entire city, we'll call it "Sunset City". There's a residential area of this city; where the citizens of Sunset City live, go to school and sleep. What if I wanted to put a big fat strip club right in the middle of this residential area? Why not? It's not like anyone could stop me.


But how would the residents react?

• Would the press have a media field day, or is it no big deal?
• Would the kids skip school to steal a "sneak peek", or would they just be "good little boys" and go to school anyway?
• Would the parents make a big deal?

With just one created place, you could see how easily it can mold the story. You could put that very strip club near a school, or church... your choice, because it's your creation. But, there are disadvantages to using a created place. There are also some for using real places as well ...and that's for Part 2.


Now, I did miss last week's WRITING TIP WEDNESDAY ...so I'll make it up to you next week. Just keep your eyes on the PRESS RE-VISITS... column. Trust me, this should make up for it.