Monday, August 12, 2019

The Importance of Setting with Cara Lynn James

We're so glad to welcome back one of the Seekerville Blog's founders today! Cara Lynn James, take it away...


The Importance of Setting


It’s great to return to Seekerville! I’ve been away too long. Life happened and I didn’t write too much during the last few years, but now I’m back in the swing of things.


I want to talk about setting today because it’s such a fun element for me to read and write about. It helps create a picture in my mind where the characters can live and breathe and act out their parts. I can travel to places I’ve never been before, learn about the culture, cuisine and customs.

Simply put, setting is about time and place. It’s a crucial component of every story, but it’s sometimes overlooked or at least brushed aside because characters and plot seem more important. It’s often the forgotten stepchild. But all three elements are necessary, and work together to create a wonderful book. 






I write stories set in New England because I grew up there and spent a large portion of my life in Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I’m familiar with the differences among those states—and there are big differences, although they’re situated close together. 

It’s easier to write about places you’re familiar with, but sometimes it’s fun to research other locations and learn new things. And if you’re lucky, maybe you can take a research trip and have some fun.

I’ve listed below some of the elements we should be aware of when we consider where to set our stories.

There are certain fundamental components that make up the setting:

Locale. Obviously, this is where the novel takes place. It’s in a particular country, state, city or town, neighborhood, street, house or apartment. A book set in New York City will be different in many ways from one set in the rural town of Greenville, Florida where my late husband grew up. It’s also the childhood home of singer Ray Charles and it has a population of 843. Can you picture a story set there? It won’t be like a town in Washington state or Ohio, although they’ll all have certain commonalities. 

Time of the year.This includes the seasons and the holidays. I live in northwest Florida and to me the seasons blend together. That’s because the weather doesn’t change much during the entire year, although some people may disagree. When I lived in Vermont, I found the seasons to be more distinctive. Cold, snowy winters and warm summers separated by spring called mud season and crisp, dry autumns. 

Even holidays are celebrated in unique ways in different places. Washington, D.C. celebrates Memorial Day with concerts and spectacular fireworks displays while Derby, Vermont has a tiny parade with local politicians and fire trucks, a barbeque on the green with booths selling fried dough and cotton candy. City verses rural. But cities differ from each other depending on location just as rural areas differ. A Midwestern town will have a flavor unlike a town in southern California or Mississippi. 

Time of day. Scenes occur at a specific hour of the day. Dusk and dawn have their own look and feel and so does mid-day when the sun is bright and hot. 



Mood and atmosphere. Like us, our characters respond to weather, temperature and lighting and those variables influence the characters’ moods. Sitting by a crackling fire with snow falling outside evokes a much different mood than a hike in a hot, dry desert. The air feels different than the humid sea air of the Gulf Coast. Extremes in heat and cold effect how we feel and can make us comfortable or uncomfortable, happy or sad. That can also influences our character’s disposition.


Climate. Knowing the geography, and topography, ocean currents, prevailing winds, air masses etc. are important because they all influence the climate. If you’re setting your story in a real place, make sure you understand the climate. Tornadoes are common all over the country, but they’re especially prevalent in the mid-west. We think of California earthquakes and hurricanes along the coasts and blizzards up north. 




Geography. A mountain, a river, a forest can provide obstacles to the characters that they have to overcome. Think also of the soil, plants and wild animals they may encounter. What are the effects of people using the land? Are they strip mining, clear cutting the woods, grazing cows? What do others in the community think about that?

Eras of historical importance. Wars, important events and important people who lived during that era can be linked to the plot. For example, Susan B. Anthony can make an appearance in the story or even become an important part of it. Popular time periods might include the Civil War, World War Two, southern slavery, pioneers moving west in a wagon train.

Social/political/cultural environment. These aspects of a character’s environment contribute to her beliefs and the actions that follow. Her faith and religion may be affirmed by the people in the town, or they may be ridiculed. How society treats her faith will influence her feelings and her actions in the book.

Ancestral influences. The culture and values of immigrant groups will add local color to a town which sometimes lasts for a generation or two. I came from Hamden, Connecticut, a town with a large population of elderly Italian immigrants and their descendants. We had the best pizza in the country! On school days I’d stop on my way home for lunch at a garage bakery and buy the most delicious Italian bread you can ever imagine. Even though my English/Irish American mother couldn’t make Italian food, my friends’ mothers and grandmothers’ did! 

New Orleans has a Cajun French and Creole flavor that could never be mistaken for New York Chinatown or a Mexican American area of Texas. I guess I’ve been carried away by the topic of food!

Additionally, different languages, styles of architecture, and kinds of entertainment give us fascinating settings for our stories. Even though America is a melting pot, we still have very distinct regions with their own proud history and culture.




In The Fabric of Lovemy historical novella, Eliza Baldwin, a young, bereaved widow and mother of three, struggles to support her family and save enough money for her son’s private school tuition. To earn more income, Eliza wants to take the job offered by Clark Henderson, the handsome, new owner of Whitfield General Store. But she refuses because the headmaster’s wife won’t allow her to work for a living. 

Right from their first meeting, Eliza and Clark feel a strong attraction toward each other. Yet despite their growing feelings, Eliza believes any romantic relationship would show disloyalty to the memory of her late husband. When Clark offers Eliza love and a chance to shed her widow’s weeds and genteel poverty, she’s unsure about what the Lord has in mind for her. 

Will she reject Clark’s love and his kindness or hold fast to her old life and the rules society has imposed upon her?

******

Cara Lynn James lives in northwest Florida with her daughter, grandson and two exceptionally lovable dogs, a Papillion and a lab mix. She’s busy with her family, church and two writers’ groups. She also finds time to write (but not quite as much as she’d like to) and read lots of novels. Her published books are “Love on a Dime,” “Love on Assignment,” “Love by the Book,” and“A Path toward Love.”

Two more novellas, “The Innkeeper’s Promise,” and “Staging a Romance” will be released soon!
   
Per Cara: This is Cara Lynn the way she looks and the way she wishes she looks. :)

Visit Cara on Facebook.


45 comments:

  1. Hi, Cara Lynn! As a reader, I love books with fun, vivid settings--I love to "visit" new and interesting places as I read. As a writer, I really enjoy creating settings--I usually prefer to invent towns rather than use real ones. Gives me more "scope for imagination" as Anne Shirley would say--and I'm always looking for ways to make my settings more interesting and engaging! Thanks for sharing these great insights!

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    1. Laurel, I, too, like to make up towns. I take inspiration from and blend the small towns I love. :) I once attended a book club in one of the small towns I envisioned while writing, and the ladies recognized their town!

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    2. Now, that's a compliment to your writing, Missy!! Yes, I put tons of odds and ends from the towns I know and love into the ones I make up, too. I think it makes them seem more "real."

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    3. I've used Newport, Rhode Island as a historical setting and I was very familiar with it. It was my mother's hometown and we vacationed there as a kid. But I like to create my own towns as I did for "The Fabric of Love."

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  2. Welcome, Cara! We're so glad to have you back home today! What a great post. You included several aspects of setting I never even think of. It's so much deeper than just a town or weather!

    I'm excited about your new story! I can't wait to read it. I'd love to hear more about how you made the sale to Forget Me Not Romance/ Winged Publications. Did you meet an editor at a conference?

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    1. I'm glad to see your comments are showing up now! (Just now saw your earlier email.)

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  4. Hi, Lauren! I'm glad you can be here today. I was great seeing you at Blue Lake.

    Missy, I met Cynthia Hickey of Forget Me Not Romance/Winged Publication at the Blue Lake Retreat in Alabama during the spring. I went to one of her workshops and spoke to her afterwards. Blue Lake is a small conference but among the best I've ever been to.

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    1. Cara, that's wonderful! I'm so glad you were able to attend the conference and meet Cynthia!

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    2. Yes, I loved seeing you at Blue Lake, too!! Such a lovely spot and such wonderful people!

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  5. Good morning Cara Lynn! So nice to hear from you again. Since you left I've acquired three contracts, with a debut coming out Sept. 20, AND a permanent nickname, Kaybee. Could not have done it without the Seekers, present and emerita.
    Totally agree about setting. It can almost function as another character. I think of Melody Carlson's "River" series. Also agree with you about small towns being different. Cathleen Armstrong's "Last Chance" has a totally different ambience from Lisa Wingate's "Moses Lake." For example, the café in Moses Lake also sells live bait, and the café in Last Chance is heavy on Mexican dishes. My unsold contemporary series takes place in a small New Hampshire mountain town, so they would eat/drink/think differently than my Oregon Trail people, or even the people in my Oregon Country hamlet after the Trail ends.
    I live in New Hampshire and agree that the New England states all have subtle and not-so-subtle differences.
    Out to catch up on all the things I didn't do this weekend,
    Kathy Bailey

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    1. Good morning, Kathy! Hope you have a productive day.

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    2. Hi, Kaybee! I have an historical novella coming out in a few months and it's set in New Hampshire. What a beautiful state! When we lived in Vermont, we visited New Hampshire quite often. I miss New England, especially during the summer.

      Congratulatins on your contracts! That's fantastic. You must be really excited.

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    3. I've been snow skiing at Pat's Peak in Henniker, NH! That's my only visit there. It was beautiful!

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  6. Welcome back, Cara! Great post that gives me so much to think about. I do love books where the setting itself is a character. I think Jan Karon's Mitford books wouldn't be exactly what they are if they were set in the Midwest. My WIP is set on a road-trip, so there are several different settings. I'm going to try and use some of these tips to make each distinct and hopefully add an extra element to the story. Thanks!

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  7. Hi, Glynis! I love the Mitford books. I like all settings to be distinctive but I find cities (in books) often seem more generic than small towns. Small towns have such a wonderful personalities!

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  8. Super helpful reminder to me. I'm often guilty of letting settings take backseat. :/

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    1. Samantha, I'm the same way. My cp, Janet Dean, usually has to remind me to set the scene!

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    2. Hi, Samantha and Missy! I know a lot of people think setting is unimportant, or at least, less important than character and plot, but it can give so much local color and create a mood. It really adds a lot to suspense.

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  9. I love the double pic at the bottom, Cara! What a great post, my friend. Welcome back!!!!! And congrats on the newest Cara Lynn James release!!!!!

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    1. Isn't that fun?! Cara, did you visit a website or use an app to do that photo?

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    2. No, my cousin found some link to create a 'before' and a 'glamour, photo shopped picture' (I loved hers) so I just followed the link. And voila! There I was looking like I've never looked before or since. It was such a flattering novelty, I kept it.

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    3. How fun! It reminds me of that site I used to love called Yearbook Me. :)

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  10. I love making up towns, too. The fabric and flavor of the town are such an important part of my weaving and it either needs to match or be a distinct conflict to whatever the hero and/or heroine sees as their goal. And we all know that "going home" stories resound with readers... And prodigals.... but if that hero or heroine is really convinced that they hate small towns or troubled cities or big cities, or rural life.... Well, that sets us up for some real-life-style adjustments from the beginning.

    My newest town has suffered a tragedy, so having everyone work together to help, even if they don't want to, is a big part of the set-up.

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    1. That's a great point, Ruthy. Setting can so easily be a built-in conflict.

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  11. Hi Cara! It's so good to see you here again!

    You're right - settings are such an important part of a story. Can you imagine the Wizard of Oz without Kansas? Or Christy without the Blue Ridge Mountains?

    My current WIP is the third in a series set in a fictional community in Holmes County, Ohio. It has been fun to build this community! And the fun part about fictional places is that you can expand the setting's boundaries as needed. :-)

    Congratulations on your new release!

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    1. Hello Jan, I love the contrast between Oz and Kansas. I think I'd take Kansas. At least there aren't any wicked witches there!

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  12. CaraLynn, loved your post. I, too, believe setting should not be overlooked and can be just as important as character and plot. Thanks for reminding us of all the different elements that setting involves.

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    1. Hi, Fran! Thanks for stopping by. Fran's book, "Paradise Lane" was recently released by Winged Publications and it's a great contemporary romance set on the Gulf Coast!

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    2. Thanks for the info, Cara! I'll check it out!

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  13. Good morning, Cara. I read your post when I was wide awake in the middle of the night. :)
    Setting is definitely something I think about when writing suspense. It can really support the plot when you need your H/H in a dangerous situation. I once used a blizzard to great advantage.

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  14. I feel like you took us on a tour of the United States. Setting sometimes ends up as simply a backdrop for me, but you inspire me to bring it out a bit more.

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  15. Cate, a blizzard is a great way to separate the characters from the greater world. I don't think Agatha Christy ever used snow for that purpose, but she should have.

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  16. I love a good setting! I particularly love when the setting itself feels like a character...Like Los Angeles in Michael Connolly's Harry Bosch books.

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  17. Hi, Amy! Setting is fun to write and it can be much more than a backdrop! It can be an integral part of the story.

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  18. Erica, a lot of southern stories also have settings that you can almost feel, just like certain cities. I like to watch British, Scottish, Irish and Australian Amazon Prime series and they really use scenery and local customs etc. that show us we're not in America anymore!

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  19. Thank you for sharing. I enjoy settings that are quaint and just draw you into the story, like Coal Valley on When Calls the Heart.

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  20. Hi, Lucy! Thanks for coming by today. I haven't seen When Calls the Heart, but I think I will.

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  21. Late coming by, but it is great to see you here, Cara Lynn. I'm glad you're back to writing again. Thanks for reminding us of the importance of setting. I need to keep that more to the forefront when I write.

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  22. Cara, so good to see your post today...sorry I'm arriving late to the party! :)

    Great post...yours always are wonderful. Love the cover and blurb for your new story. Congrats and so glad you're back at your computer!

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  23. WELCOME HOME, CARA!

    (Like Debby, I'm a late arrival -- l-o-n-g work day.)

    Thank you for sharing the great tips! (And I love your personal memories woven into them!)

    Can't wait to read your latest story -- and the upcoming ones!

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  24. Hi Sandra, Debby and Glynna! Thank you and Missy, of course, for letting me blog today. It was fun!

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    1. We were so glad to have you back at your blog home, Cara. :)

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