In the final installment of this series on how personal experience influences an author’s choice of setting, I fast forward from Willa Cather to a current Nebraska writer. Thanks to the wonders of Twitter, I have been chatting with fellow Lincoln, Nebraska resident, Laura Chapman. While many of our discussions lately have been about the perils of Nebraska football, I asked her to share her thoughts on establishing setting in her work.
ABOUT LAURA:
Laura Chapman is the author of First & Goal, The Marrying Type, and Hard Hats and Doormats. Her work also appears in Merry & Bright, A Kind of Mad Courage, and a forthcoming anthology from Marching Ink. A native Nebraskan, she loves Huskers and Packers football, Netflix marathons, and her cats, Jane and Bingley. Laura is currently in pursuit of a fantasy football championship while penning her next novel.
Here’s what Laura had to say about setting:
1) When you begin a new writing project, what are some factors in deciding on location?
Like with buying real estate, for me a book is all about location, location, location. The locations featured in a story are kind of like another character. A story is about the characters and their journey. It’s about how they interact with each other. But their journey and interactions are all influenced by where they are when it happens… I always have specifics in mind while I write. For example, in my second book, The Marrying Type, one scene involves a baseball game. I researched the local team and field so I could make sure I had a good visual in my head of how the scene would play out.
2) Do you have a particular setting in mind from the beginning, or does it evolve as you plan the story/characters?
This varies. For Hard Hats and Doormats, I knew the locations before I solidified my characters. For The Marrying Type, I originally set the story in Massachusetts, but during my second draft I realized the story belonged in the south. For my new novel, First & Goal, I changed the location shortly before writing, and that ultimately changed the direction I took the novel. Both of my novelettes and my forthcoming novellas all had a location in mind almost immediately. The location definitely helped shape the story I told for each of these.
3) With your first book, Hard Hats and Doormats, what was it about the Gulf Coast that made you want to use these locations as a backdrop?
In a previous life, I was a corporate journalist with many clients based in Louisiana and Texas. During one of these site visits I had the idea for the story, which basically began as a series of “what if” questions. Not wanting to steal directly from my own life experience, I decided to set the story in a related industry. I worked mostly with railroads, but I met people in the chemical industry either because they were customers of my customers or they were fellow strangers passing in the night (i.e. also sitting at the bar for dinner after a full day of on-the-road work). Aside from the fact that I spent about three years driving back and forth across Louisiana and Texas—so I was familiar with the territory—the story had to be there, because the people and locations that make that part of the world unique were critical for how the story would play out.
4) What made you decide to use Lincoln as the setting for First & Goal? Did you consider any other locations?
I actually intended to set the story in Seattle. I had visited the Pacific Northwest about a year before I started developing this story, and I fell in love. But because I only spent a few days in the area, I interviewed friends and family who lived in the area and read a lot of community guides for more information. At the same time, I interviewed several other sources—Nebraska high school football coaches and car dealership employees. It quickly became apparent to me that the story would be strongest if I wrote about what the football culture was like in a place where I understood it so well on multiple levels. Once I made that decision, the characters and plot fell in line so well it was like the story always had to be here. And that sounds super pretentious and deep, but when something is right, it’s right. On a personal note, getting to write about Lincoln and mention Nebraska football was a bit like writing a love letter to my hometown.
5) What are advantages/disadvantages of using a specific city versus a fictional location?
The greatest advantages of using a specific city are that you don’t have to invent a world, because it already exists. You can either go to that place in person or read about it online to get the atmosphere you need. The downside of that is you might remember something incorrectly or take artistic license that potentially offends a reader. For the most part I avoid mentioning specific locations, like restaurants or stores, because I always worry about upsetting someone or getting sued. I have yet to set a story in a fictional location, but that doesn’t mean I won’t. If I ever decide to write a story in a small town—and that’s going to happen within the next year if I stay on schedule—it will be a fictional town based on a couple of real places. There’s something about basing imaginary places on reality that makes it all seem so tangible, even if your characters are doing insane things.
6) When on vacation or traveling for business, do you take note of things about a place that could be potentially used in a new project?
I don’t necessarily keep a specific list, but I do take photos when I see something that I think I might fit into a story someday. I have a folder on my desktop full of barns in Wisconsin, fields in West Texas, valleys and hills in western Oregon, and so on. Initially I started doing this because I wanted to remember the places I visited. Now I do it because you never know when you might want to refresh your memory on what a stream looked like in the Adirondacks.
7) And finally, any advice for new writers on selecting a location for a story?
Set your story in the place that offers you the most inspiration for telling your characters’ stories. Be flexible. Just because you want to write a story in New York City doesn’t mean you have to keep it there if it isn’t working for you. And it’s okay to have your characters move around. Sometimes having your characters go somewhere new can create great tension or story opportunities for you… I tend to find that the best character quirks, locations, exchanges, etc., are the ones that feel the most natural.
Special thanks to Laura for her insights. Please visit her website and social media outlets to learn more about her and her work.
Connect with Laura
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laurachapmanbooks
Twitter – https://twitter.com/lmchap
Instagram – https://instagram.com/lmchap614/
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/lmchap
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7374940.Laura_Chapman
Blog – http://www.change-the-word.com/
Website – http://laurachapmanbooks.com/
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