Hey! Where are we?

Setting. That Place where the book sends you, where -- if the author is fortunate and talented -- you want to stay. It's vivid and evocative and necessary to the story.

If you're a writer, one of the things you learn is how to create a setting that serves as a vehicle for visual and emotional impact, that helps define characters, that subtly influences the opinion of the reader.

If you're a reader, stick with me. This isn't just about writerly tips, but about how understand a bit more of what the writer does can add to your enjoyment of their work.

When author Joyce Yarrow talks about setting, she talks about the "Place of Place." It has been inspirational to her body of work. She bought a ticket and followed her P.I. protagonist from New York to Moscow, and from that experience populated her novel Russian Reckoning with fascinating characters as well as evocative surroundings. 

Author Jeanne Matthew as purchased several tickets -- from Austrailia to Norway to Greece and more -- and used the knowledge she gained to give purpose and depth to all her characters, not just her cultural anthropologist protagonist.

Kait Carson stays closer to home with her Florida-based novels, using setting as a character that can turn from benign and beckoning to dangerous. Her characters must learn to cope.

Author Lisa Stowe pulls the setting even closer -- within the confines of a valley in the mountains of Idaho -- to build tension and danger while showing the reader the worth of her characters. 

These authors (click on their names to find out more about them and their work) all make setting do "double duty" by being a character in and of itself, by showing aspects of their characters that make them more real to the reader, and to influence the opinion of the reader. 

Yes, we're a sneaky lot. We use sight, sound, touch and smell to access the reader's emotional triggers and draw them to a character or push them away. Dialog and action can sometimes be too obvious or overused.

So, how do we do it? I'll tell you my process. The authors above aren't much different -- I know because I've talked to them all about this very subject. 

I start with each scene and ask myself what it should accomplish. Are the characters in that scene brave, bored, excited, in love, frightened? A combination? Are the words coming out of their mouths truth? When I can answer that question for each character, I can then decide how to let the reader know. Their reactions to their environment can help me do that. When Thea walks into the cavernous archives at the Burke Museum (Levels of Deception), we learn a lot about her by her overwhelmed reaction and then resolve to figure out how to accomplish her task. Oh, and by the way, the reader has also been handed a gift: the scene is a foreshadowing the nature of the conflict yet to come and how Thea will tackle it. Cool, huh?

I can also use setting to show a character's comfort or discomfort level. Every time Thea goes to the barn and methodically goes through her riding routine we are reminded of how she reestablishes her own sanity. Paul Hudson feels at home getting his hands dirty on a paleontology dig. One wouldn't expect him to be comfortable in a billionaire's home. However, when we see him there we also see how he's comfortable enough in his own skin to not be overly impressed or be swayed from his goal. Good for him. We like him for that!

A character's "world view" is going to be reflected by their interaction with setting. Someone whose work, traditions and habits center around, for example, roaming the city streets in the week hours is going to have very different observations and feelings than a character whose work and habits have him frequenting the servant's domain in Downton Abbey -- even if they are both up to no good. 

Setting can show us a character's strengths and weaknesses, comfort and discomfort, motive, desires ... all without a single "tell". If you're a writer, make setting work for you. As a reader, you can smile when you catch the author being clever. A good writer won't mention anything that doesn't have a purpose. Setting is one of those things.

I highly encourage everyone, be you reader or both reader and writer, to check out the authors I've mentioned. They are talented women with wonderful stories, all there for your enjoyment. Catch them at being clever!

Look! Up in the sky ... or right in front of you

Kait in the cockpit 

Kait Carson is another wonderfully talented author I have known for years and consider a good friend. However, because about 3,000 miles separate us, we have never had the pleasure of hacking out plot lines over coffee at the local Starbucks. Nevertheless, I often pick her brain knowing she has the ability to see an array of story possibilities in any given situation. She pushes and prods and coaxes the writer's standard "What if" question into giving up the details. 

Take it away, Kait! Let us in on your secret!

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Ideas are everywhere

Driving down the road a few weeks ago, I saw a young man on a bicycle. Not unusual. He turned to look over his shoulder at the car approaching and I saw the most spectacular jaw line I have ever seen. Strong, chiseled. He is clearly someone you can lean on in an emergency. I knew instantly that he’s a character in my next book. I also know he’s got piercing blue eyes. A muscle in his jaw jumps when he’s angry. He’s a lawyer and he has a secret that he guards with his life. The same secret that can cost him his life and that my sleuth, Hayden Kent, must uncover. All that from a glimpse of a jaw.  Go figure!

My first book, Zoned for Murder came from a real life incident. It was 2005, the height of the housing boom in South Florida and one of my friends was the local zoning officer. She had the thankless job of citing the folks doing below standard work on homes to insure quick sales. She also needed to ride herd on the rest of the community for more typical zoning violations. One day she mentioned receiving death threats. Both against herself and her dogs. Zoned for Murder was born from that comment. I wondered what if. What if someone did try to murder a zoning official? What would push someone over the edge from disgruntled citizen to murderer? It didn’t take long before I had the answers to the questions and my sleuth, Catherine Swope was caught up in a murder investigation that threatened her own life.

Murder in the Multiples, the second in the Swope series, sprang from a photo of a mansion up for auction.

The home was gorgeous. It was confiscated by federal agents as spoils of drug profits. That’s all it took to play the “what if” game. What would happen if a Realtor bought the house for re-sale? What would happen if the re-sale buyer of the house were the rival bidder’s husband? A doting and well-meaning man who was blind to his wife’s secrets? What would happen when Catherine found her rival dead in the bathtub on the day of the closing? Who gains, who loses?  My husband created a dummy cover for Murder in the Multiples to help me visualize the house and the day of the murder. He drew his inspiration from what I told him of the story.

Death by Blue Water, the first in the Hayden Kent series, sprang from one of my passions. Scuba diving. I am a rabid wreck diver. One day, at 120 feet, a plastic bag floated out of a cabin and past my face. What if the bag was a hand, floating up to a window from the cabin floor attached to a very dead man? What if I had an appointment to meet this man? What if this man was the brother of the man who recently jilted me? What if, what if, what if. My husband created a dummy cover for Death by Blue Water based on how he sees the inciting incident.

So, where do my ideas come from? Everywhere. Sometimes it’s something as concrete as a news story, other times it can be as nebulous as a glimpse of a biker’s jaw. The most important part of the process for me is the what if question, and how my imagination answers that. Things are never what they seem to be.

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Kait Carson currently lives in an airpark in Florida, where she mixes scuba diving, flying and a day job in with her writing. Her work has appeared in "Chicken Soup For The Soul" (writing as Kim A. Hoyo), "Cup Of Comfort" (writing as Kim H. Striker ), "True Confessions", "True Romance", "True Stories" and "Women's World". Zoned For Murder is her first full length mystery. Death by Blue Water and Murder in the Multiples will be available soon.

You can catch Kait any time at http://www.kaitcarson.com

The Traveling Interview

Author Kate Wyland emailed me the other day and suggested I might enjoy being part of a traveling interview. For those of you stopping by for the first time, I write a mystery series set in Snohomish, Washington and laced with humor and romance. Because I have a new Thea Campbell Mystery -- Shooting To Kill -- coming out soon, and because I trust Kate to be tasteful and ... well ... fun, I agreed .... And then I looked at the questions.  Much to my delight, they are good! And because the same questions pass from author to author any reader who follows the trail will find out about the various differences and amazing similarities between us. Happy reading, everyone!

What are you working on right now?

Currently, I’m outlining the plot for the sixth Thea Campbell mystery.

How does it differ from other works in its genre?

Although my mysteries have serious themes and deal with tragedy, I mix in a good deal of humor. Because I’m one of those people who often see the irony and humor in life’s events and relationships, I include those elements in each story. After all, even the most noble of individuals are capable of sincere eye-rolling moments! Plus – and this is truly important – there are always horses in my books, as well as (at least) one riding lesson that should satisfy the reader who is also a rider, and should give the non-rider a vicarious feel for what it is like to strive to communicate with an equine partner.

What experiences have influenced you?

What hasn’t influenced me? The sum of life’s experiences is on every page and in every character. That said, I really don’t think I would have gotten to the point where I was determined to write my first book if not for my son and his particular challenges when he was young. No, it wasn’t him saying “sit down and write,” but rather, “stop what you’re doing and be here for me.” It was the “being here,” the many empty hours of waiting to be needed, that gave me the impetus to make something positive of that time.

 

Why do you write what you do?

Conflict is fascinating. It exposes the inner workings of each individual, for good or bad, for tears or laughter. Sure, all books contain conflict, and it’s pretty clear that humans enjoy the vicarious experience. We risk little, but can gain in wisdom.  The habit of mysteries to resolve the conflict and put the world to rights is, for me, extremely satisfying. I like to think of it as the triumph of Justice, which I feel is a pretty basic human need. Sometimes, we call it “Hope.”

How does your writing process work?

I am a Plotter and an Outliner. I didn’t start out that way, but the more I’ve written the more my process has developed. This is what I typically do: I start with a body. It doesn’t matter if I know who it is or why they died -- I’ll find out. Once I do, I work on the villain. I want to know this individual and what motivates them. I want to know all their shameful secrets and what they want in life. At that point I can intersect their crime with my protagonist and write the story from her point of view. After all, she is the one who will be responsible for bringing the villain to justice. Even though I know she will, I can’t make it easy for her. What would be the fun in that? The more crises and problems I can create for her, the better.

What is the hardest part about writing?

Being able to evaluate one’s own work. What is in my head isn’t always what appears on the page. This is why it’s so critical to find critique partners or editors who can articulate problems they find and point out when the page and the intent don’t mesh. It can be something as simple as having a couple of sentences out of order or a word that implies something other than what I intend. A good editor will be able to read, understand and communicate what is veering off from my intent. It isn’t always easy to hear, but there will be a ring of truth to it that can’t be ignored. It’s impossible for a writer do this for herself.

What would you like to try as a writer that you haven't yet?

There are a number of genres I’d like to try my hand at – techno-thrillers, romance, etc – but to do so requires the ability to write full time. To do that means I must be earning enough to quit the day job! I’m not there yet, but my hope is to be able to reach enough readers that it becomes possible.

Who are the authors you most admire?

There are many! And not all of them are well known. What they have in common is the mastery of the craft – the ability to turn loose the reins of their imagination, and at the same time retain mastery over the intricacies of the language in such a way that the reader is transported completely away from the here and now.

Who are new authors to watch out for?

Here are a few I love – and I’ve put a link to each author with their name. They are different genres and sub-genres, and I’m betting several of these will appeal! Check them out!

KateWyland -- mysteries with romance and horses.

Lisa Stowe -- traditional mysteries set in the mountains of Idaho.

Kaylan Doyle -- sci/fi fantasy with romance and adventure. 

Jeanne Matthews -- traditional mysteries with a globe trotting protagonist. 

Joyce Yarrow -- Chandler-esque mysteries with a PI who is also a poet. 

Lisa Love Harris -- mysteries with a dash of romance and an antique-loving Texan protagonist.

Kait Carson -- traditional mysteries set in Florida with an ex-cop protagonist.

What scares you?

Snakes.

Next up? Where do you go from here? Check out Lisa Stowe. She has a wonderful blog called The Story River where she reflects on the craft of writing and all the thought provoking people and situations she encounters. Plus, she's doing these questions, too!

Thanks for stopping by!