Driving my car to the airport, I was nearly blown off the road by a car on the highway. It flew by, then cut directly in front of me and sped off.
As I was being passed, I knew what state and county would be on the car’s license plate. Fulton County, Georgia.
Atlanta.
Sure enough (and I’m always delighted when my setting stereotypes prove true), the car was indeed from Atlanta.
Charlotte, NC drivers are very aggressive, too. I’m sure when I’m speeding through small towns, the drivers look resentfully at my North Carolina tag and guess I’m from Charlotte.
Sometimes I think a book’s setting alone—without description—can set reader expectations: e.g., a small town. The reader might immediately conjure up a slow-paced, friendly, gossipy place. You don’t really have to work too hard if that’s what you’re interested in portraying. But if you want to twist it and show how cliquey, insular, and suspicious of change these towns can be, you’re taking the reader in a different direction.
I’m not a big fan of setting description; actually, I tend to skim through it when I’m reading unless the setting is very interesting to me—like Louise Penny’s books set in Canada. But just like I enjoy describing characters through dialogue and quirks, I like giving the reader a sense of place through the residents’ behavior and mindset.
Although I would have initially been disappointed if the car blowing me off the highway was from a small town in Mississippi, I think it would have intrigued me more. Why are they driving so fast? Are they late for their plane? Have a medical emergency? What’s the story?
Great post. Yes, we do steriotype all the time, don’t we?
And I too almost always skip over descriptions when I am reading – would rather conjure my own landscapes and people.
And good to know you enjoyed your trip.
I love that instead of feeling road rage or fear from nearly being run off the road, here you are thinking about stereotypes and setting. I always skip descriptions when I’m reading. It’s a character flaw.
karen
Haha! As someone from the Atl area, that’s just too true!!!
Setting is one element that I have a lot of fun with in writing. I love for it to have a huge influence on the storyline.
Yeah, I’m not as worried about setting as characters.
I’ve lived in many big cities, so I still drive fast and aggressive. And I can tell the moment I swing off I-95 that I’m back in pokey-slow Eastern NC!
L. Diane Wolfe “Spunk On A Stick”
http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
Your posts are always so creative and fun to read and I love the photo that goes along with this one. Stereotyping seems almost instinctive – I guess that’s why it’s always fun to read something that goes against what we’re expecting.
Sorry! Hit the publish button by accident. Hence – delete.
What I was GOING to write was: Stereotypes become stereotypes because there really are a great many of whatever type of person.
However… Not all English men wear bowler hats and carry tightly furled umbrellas (although some still do). If you drive to the Canadian border you are not going to be met with 10 feet of snow in July. Not everyone in a small town is friendly, nor is everyone quirky but adorable.
It’s a tricky road to navigate, but I try my best to avoid stereotypes. I think it’s lazy. (although it can be fantastic for quick hits of comedy!)
Elspeth
I have to admit when I am cut off in traffic, instead of wondering about their story, I might be seen screaming about their story. “Where do you think you are going?” and “Do you want ME to be your medical emergency.” :)
I have to be careful about sterotyping real people and places. Wrong. But, it sure helps when writing about people and places.
Rayna–That’s true…our imaginations come up with the best settings.
Diane–They do drive that way, there! I’m sure those drivers don’t appreciate us.
Jane–Thanks so much! I love the picture, too.. Art Inconnu is one of my favorite sites.
Karen–For some reason, setting description isn’t interesting to me. I’m not sure why…and it makes it hard for me to write it.
Kristen–Sometimes setting IS a character, isn’t it? I think those are fun to read.
I’m also not a big fan of wordy setting descriptions. I prefer to have the action get the point across where the physical space matters, and the interactions where the feel does.
It’s funny though–sometimes stereotypes can work against you. When people hear I am from Idaho, it conjures some pretty strong images, none of them accurate of my home town (Moscow). I think the real trick is being aware of the possible stereotypes so you know if you need to UNDO anything.
Hart–They can absolutely work against you. My concern with setting my books in the South was possible preconceived reader expectations about the education level and capability of my sleuth. I quickly introduced her as a former English teacher.
Moscow? Wow. And you’re right…we can’t have our blinders on to what reader stereotypes of different areas might be.
Yes, I am that driver from Atlanta (most likely).. sorry, I was probably in a hurry to get to something that in reality is not all that important ;)
Great post, and how I do love stereotypes. I think they make world better… I find even more interesting to build up a stereotype, only to tear it down right before the reader’s eyes.
I like this topic and your observations/thoughts on it. I also prefer to “know” where & in what time period the book setting is through hints given by the author – cars driven, weather conditions, style of clothes, dialects/accents spoken, etc., rather than just being “told” in a data dump.
Marvin D Wilson
The Albuquerque drivers excel at a couple of things: tail gating and more ominously, running through red lights—you know, just after your light has turned green. So, you gotta use caution or you’re in an accident. This latter one is new for me, so, I’m still learning to look *before* I pull into the intersection. We also see a lot of anti drinking and driving commercials here. Not sure if that’s just me or there’s a problem larger than we had in Seattle. Don’t wanna stereotype, you know.(grin)
Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Great post, Elizabeth! I hadn’t thought much about stereotyping a place before, but you’ve got some excellent points!
I tend to be pretty sparse in description, prefer to leave a lot up to the readers’ minds. But I think I’m going to do a quick skim, and see if I’ve got any stereotyping going on!
I’m not a fiction writer, but your blog gets me to thinking of how principles from fiction carry over to other forms of writing. Every written piece has a setting of some sort. I’ll give more thought to that. Thanks.
Elspeth–I think it’s lazy, too. But it is quick. I think setting stereotyping can be used well if you’ve got just a chapter in a particular setting. Or if you’re really limited on word count and don’t have a lot of room for description.
Marvin–I like that, too. Those are the first clues I look for when I’m watching a movie and I look for them in books, too.
Galen–Interesting! I wouldn’t have thought it of Albuquerque, which sounds to me like it should be a laid-back place. (My stereotypes at work again.)
Jm–I thought you looked familiar! :) You raise a good point…it might be fun to take the reader on a ride where you play into his expectations and then rip them to shreds later. Interesting!
Jemi–I’m frequently pretty sparse, too. I’ll usually just paint broad strokes.
Warren–I think setting can reach into other types of writing, true. Plus, the same advice really applies to stereotyping people/characters in books.
I generally hope the people speeding by me get to where they are going safely. But perhaps our reactions can be somewhat stereotypical.
Tara–You’re very generous! And you’re right…sometimes I feel like I’m really stereotyping different towns.