Evoking a Sense of Place
February 10th, 2010 by Michelle Diener
I’m really deep in the world of my story now. I’ve been working at it for three weeks and in the last couple of days I can feel I’m really there. On the streets of London in March 1525. So much so, I’m making the meal I gave my hero for lunch right now. I can smell it from my office, simmering on the stove.
I love being so immersed, because I think that comes across in the work, and lends a ring of authenticity to the story.
When I think of authors who have created a really authentic sense of place, I think of C.J. Sansom, who has been criticized for his modern-sounding dialogue, but who can conjure up the smells, sounds and sights of a place like a master.
And talking about dialogue, while I know that can help to ground a reader, using dialect to evoke a sense of place can be over-used. In Sansom’s and in my case, the dialect of the time cannot really be used at all. Unless I am willing to write a book where the characters speak as if they are in a Shakespearian play, there is no way I can get around the authentic dialogue issue. I’d rather have readers understand what my characters are saying without having to think about it too much, and pepper their speech with a few words that are easy to understand but authentic to the time. That and cadence are really all I have.
Books like E.M. Forster’s A PASSAGE TO INDIA, or one of my favorites, THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS by Arundhati Roy, have literally transported me into their worlds and opened my eyes to new things. New ways of seeing. But in truth, all good novels evoke a sense of place, whether it’s small town life, Victorian London or a fantasy realm.
How do you get under the skin of your book, and plunge your fingers into the soil of your world? And when it comes to reading, which book gives you the strongest sense of place?
8 Responses to “Evoking a Sense of Place”
I have to agree with you on the dialogue issue, Michelle. I really don’t want to have to translate a book when I’m reading. This sorta bugs me when reading a book set in Scotland and the author goes overboard with the brogue. I have to stop and think about what was said. Draws me right out of the story.
Right now, I’m finding it easy to immerse myself in my UF. I’ve been reading a lot of them lately and it has sorta permeated my present work. Write something dark? Go back the next day and make it darker.
God, I love this profession.
I agree about the dialogue issue, too. How cool that you made a lunch for yourself that you made your hero. That’s really immersing yourself.
I wrote my current book, not knowing a lot about the city I was setting it in, though I emailed a friend who lives in the area and I looked up articles and YouTube videos. I started the book, thinking I could put the place information in later. So when I finished the first draft, I checked out two great books from the library on the place. One was so interesting I read the whole thing for enjoyment. I also asked another friend who has been the city often about it. When I did the first revision, I changed only one thing.
The friend who lives in the city volunteered to be a beta reader when I’m finished. I’ll see what she thinks then.
LOL, Liz, yes. The Scottish brogue is often done to death. I had a friend from Glasgow to stay over Christmas, though, and we keep catching ourselves using a Scottish burr from time to time since she’s been.
Edie, while I’m sure you’ll be spot on, I really, really hope you get to visit that city yourself – oh, around the end of July?
Michelle,
I’m reading a book now, beautifully written and a story that could captivate;however, I’m plodding because of the dialogue which is overdone to create unusual speech patterns. Way overdone. Consequently, this is very slow going and I’m feeling as if I’m not getting invested in the characters because the the difficulties of understanding their speech. A case of way too much, way too often. At least for my taste.
When I set a story in a setting, at least with my books so far, I’m very familiar with the settings and if I’m not in it, so to speak, I’ve surrounded myself with photos, and of course, music which I think reflects the overall mood of my wip.
Great topic today.
Hey Michelle, great blog girl!
Since my settings are all small-towns of my imagination, I can immerse myself into my storehouse of memories and the fact I live in a small-town to this day. I know the feel of this world, and it speaks to me.
I can’t really see me placing my work anywhere else.
Mary Jo, isn’t that always such a shame. I’ve read a couple of books that could have been so much better had the dialogue not been so irritating.
I also love getting into the feel with music. For my current series, I tracked down some Renaissance court music. I listen to it now and then.
LaDonna, that comes across so strongly. You bring small town life to the page.