Comments on: Writing Locations as Characters

By: Eldred Bird

Eldred Bird — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 05:35:25 +0000

In reply to Julia Archer. Thanks, Julia!

By: Eldred Bird

Eldred Bird — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 05:34:40 +0000

In reply to goldy4348. Thank you, Sandra! I envy you your travels. It's so much easier to bring a location to life if you've had the opportunity to experience it yourself.

By: Eldred Bird

Eldred Bird — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 05:26:46 +0000

In reply to jamesr403. I've been on that main street, so I know exactly what you're talking about! I also agree about not overdoing it. I feel the same way when developing characters as well. There's a point when you can go too far and end up pushing the reader away instead of pulling them in.

By: Julia Archer

Julia Archer — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 10:59:25 +0000

I love the article and I love the comments, too. Eldred you have clearly touched a chord with your advice and examples. My longtime interest in location as a character will step up to another level after reading this.

By: goldy4348

goldy4348 — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 05:54:02 +0000

Being born in a city where four seasons in one day are a distinct possibility - will comfortably fit into my stories. Melbourne Australia is my birthplace and I can hopefully weave this personality to make the reader sit up and take note. As well as the stark contrast of having lived the adventure of the 99% humidity of a Tel Aviv summer and what this does to your personality. You have the gift of descriptiveness, Eldred. Thanks.
Sandra Marie

By: jamesr403

jamesr403 — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 05:36:07 +0000

Eldred, thanks for the thoughtful essay. I write about Huntington Beach -- Surf City, USA -- and that influences almost every aspect of the stories. I try to think about kids when my characters are outside. Here we have skateboarding on every paved surface, in addition to the usual shooting hoops and playing soccer. Main Street is crowded, with racks of t-shirts on the sidewalk, people carrying surfboards, and tourists with cameras. All of this is good for a sentence or two -- I have to be careful not to overdo it. I guess I have two tips: look at what kids are doing, and don't get carried away and ramble on like I have in this comment.
Thanks again!

By: Eldred Bird

Eldred Bird — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 03:11:21 +0000

In reply to dholcomb1. We were in the Sevierville area of the Smokies a few years ago. You could feel that the mountains had stories to tell!

By: dholcomb1

dholcomb1 — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 02:29:28 +0000

I love using the mountains of East Tennessee as my location, in part because I know it so well, but also because it's not just mountains. There are rolling hills, the weather can change by going down into the valley just a few miles away, good farmland, and more.

denise

By: Eldred Bird

Eldred Bird — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 15:34:19 +0000

In reply to ecellenb. I love that you're flipping it and giving weather attributes to a human rather than human attributes to the weather! It really paints a clear picture of Hanna's mood!

By: Eldred Bird

Eldred Bird — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 15:31:29 +0000

In reply to Terry Odell. Having spent some time in Florida, I can totally see that. One of the reasons I like setting most of my stories here in Arizona is because we can have everything from Florida sticky hot to Colorado type snow, depending on where you go within the state.