I’m one of those people who has a really tough time writing settings if I’m not looking at the setting I’m writing.
This is why I acted like an insane tourist in Memphis and took hundreds of pictures of…everything. Who knows what might be needed for a future book? I believe I frightened the good people of the Peabody hotel.
I’m also a fan of snapping pics of abandoned houses, old barns, and decrepit rural downtowns. They tell a story. And may host a few ghosts.
Daylight Noir: Raymond Chandler’s Imagined City by Catherine Corman was a full of Los Angeles locales that told stories. And that likely had a ghost or two wandering around.
Corman, in the book’s introduction, explains that Chandler created a world in Los Angeles that’s full of falsehoods:
Only Marlowe is thoroughly genuine. He is incorruptible, searching for the truth in a city of well-guarded secrets…his solitude is writ large on the surrounding environment.
I first discovered the book on Lesa’s Book Critiques blog. To me, it’s 
a great tool for capturing a mood. The author of the book has cleverly included quotes from Raymond Chandler’s novels on each page. The black and white photos, the sharp angles of the buildings and the shadows they create are very evocative…to me it lends a lonely, deserted feel to each picture.
There’s also a certain seediness to some of the locations, which I enjoyed:one photo showed a set of cement stairs leading to an old door with a cracked-paint threshold. You can easily imagine some dark characters holed up inside.
Even my small-town settings aren’t all cheer and light. As Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple pointed out, evil can reside anywhere—even in villages. Keeping a book like this on my shelf can help me create an ominous mood.
Daylight Noir: Raymond Chandler’s Imagined City by Catherine Corman. Charta, ©2009. ISBN 9788881587247 (paperback), 128p.
what a fantastic picture. i’m sure you a big noir fan. :)
I wanted to let you know about my blog address change. *sigh* If you’re following me, my posts now won’t show up in your feed, dashboard, sidebar, whatever. So please forgive me, but you’ll have to change the address for my main writing blog, Where Romance Meets Therapy, to http://jeanniecampbell.blogspot.com. To do this, you have to “unfollow” me and follow me again. Sorry for the confusion!
Jeannie
The Character Therapist
What beautiful photographs. With visuals as good as those, no wonder you get inspired!
You always make me “think” as a writer with your blog. Thanks for all the great information.
Elizabeth – Those are really *stunning* photos! No wonder you’re inspired by them. You know, there’s a lot of research that shows that we know and learn in different ways. One of them is visual If you’re a “visual” kind of thinker, it’s no wonder that you’re inspired by what you see.
I actually try to avoid writing setting as much as possible. I suck at it. That’s why I concentrate on dialogues.
Steamy Darcy
The photos look fantastic. I think this book could come in very handy – especially when you know the mood you want to convey but feel you haven’t quite reached it.
How interesting! I can see how it would be helpful to have visuals to look at when creating a scene for a book. Kind of a “spark” for your imagination…
I learned many years ago that I’m a very visual person. I need photographs (or travel shows) to help me describe the settings of my books. Good thinking to take so many of your settings, Elizabeth! I’m having to rely on the internet or old picture books to give me my pictures.
I belong to the Agatha Christie school of thought – my stories are set in non-threatening locations; it’s the characters that bring the threat.
Elspeth
One of the many reasons I take so many pictures as well!
Wonderful picture. And I agree, it’s wonderful to go to the place of your book’s setting(s) and take pictures. It helps a lot when months later you’re trying to describe something. If you can’t get there, search online for photos.
Helen
Straight From Hel
You know, you and L. Diane Wolfe – you both are photographers as well as writers and I can see where the two arts benefit each other. I’m thinking I should get me a camera and start shooting wherever I go also.
The Old Silly
Capturing place is the most important part Elizabeth!
Jeannie–Thanks for the heads-up! I’ll make the change. Yes, I do like noir, oddly enough…just a totally different approach from a traditional mystery.
Rayna–The pictures really are gorgeous, throughout.
Enid–I’m not so hot at it, either. I think it’s easier to create a mood or an atmosphere through setting than just a list of descriptive words (which I sometimes do.)
Jane–I’d like to have a few books like this with different types of photos. Nice to get into the right mood so quickly.
Crystal–It definitely helps to have something sparking fresh ideas.
Journaling Woman–Thanks so much for coming by!
Margot–I’d love to see one with Agatha Christie settings. Wonder if there’s such a book?
Diane–I’m going to have to come up with a better method of organizing my photo files! Maybe a CD…
Helen–I’ve done some online photo searches, too–but I have to admit I get distracted when I surf the internet too much. Better for me to take my own pics!
Marvin–You know, it’s a lot of fun. I love looking at things through a lens. Maybe that’s the commonality between writing and photography: a degree of distance between ourselves and life. I’m one of those who is more comfortable observing than participating.
Carol–Very true! Thanks for coming by.
Elspeth–I love that school of thought, Elspeth! Or maybe a setting can seem *so* tranquil that you just know it’s being set up for a tragedy.
I love the tools you’ve given us–both the photographic spree and the book. I find when I write settings I either over or underdo description unless the place is really solidly in my head,and I think what you’ve done works for that!
Hart—That’s what I tended to do, too. I’d rather incorporate setting to create a particular mood or atmosphere.
I’m also one of those people who can’t describe a dress I just bought. When my girlfriends ask me, I’ll say, “It’s…well, it’s black.”
Sounds like an awesome book! I love the idea of matching the photos to the quotes – that would be a lot of fun :)
I have spent many long days searching through Los Angeles since I first arrive in 1974. It’s a truly creepy city in many ways. My daughter’s obsessed with history, and we actually drove to the very house that Clint Eastwood’s recent movie “The Changeling” featured, just last weekend. Talk about creepy.
I love this post. I love the photos you’ve pictured. And the book you’ve featured sounds like it’s right up my ally. I’m going to order it right now! Thanks for the tip.
Elizabeth–Great! I hope you enjoy it. I think it’s one I’m going to keep nearby as I write.
Jemi–I thought it was a clever idea. And it made me want to read more Chandler.