I was checking out at the grocery store yesterday with a shopping buggy jam-packed with food. An elderly African American man came up in line behind me with cucumbers and a bottle of Ranch dressing.
“Would you like to go ahead of me?” I asked, continuing to throw cans and boxes at the conveyor belt.
“No thanks,” he said.
“No, really—It’s going to take me a while to unload this cart. Why don’t you just slip ahead of me?” I’m still flinging things on the belt, not even looking at him.
“No thank you. If I go ahead of you, maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Maybe I’ll walk outside and get hit by a car. Because I wasn’t supposed to be there—I was supposed to be behind you at that moment. Instead, my cutting in line sends my day on a different path.”
Now I looked at at him. He solemnly watched me as I continued pelting the conveyor belt with food while I mulled this over.
“Maybe,” I said, “you’d be saving my life if you went ahead of me, though. Maybe if I get delayed by a few seconds then I won’t be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It might be the right decision.”
He nodded. “Just the same, though, I’ll stay put. I don’t want to jinx anything.”
Superstitious place, the American South.
“And..by the way? And I don’t mean anything by it,” he said. “But you’re going to rush yourself right into a grave if you don’t slow down.”
I looked at him again. He gravely studied me above his glasses. He reminded me of that billboard with the eyes from The Great Gatsby.
I slowed down.
This is why my books are full of as many psychics and superstitious people as church-going congregants. The quirky characters around me color my manuscript.
Looking at the mystery market (and the trend may also be true for other genres), there’s a lot of interest in unusual settings for books.
What’s unusual to a publisher? It seems to be anything that’s not in New York, the hub of the publishing industry.
Stieg Larsson’s series is set in Sweden. Louise Penny’s series set in a Canadian village near Montreal is enjoying great success. My friends Jim and Joyce Lavene have a brand new series for Berkley set in the small town of Duck, North Carolina.
The exciting thing for writers is that our own experiences and personal knowledge of our region drifts into our manuscript. Since we live in so many different areas and our readers hail from different regions, it makes our writing seem even richer.
Of course, some writers write about regions in which they don’t reside. Martha Grimes is an American who has done extremely well with her Inspector Jury series set in Britain. I can only imagine the research she’s had to do.
If we write our region? Local color is as close as our grocery store. And we produce something original–an appealing commodity for publishers–in the process.
Elizabeth – That’s what I love about your Myrtle Clover series – it is flavored with delicious dollops of the South. That’s part of what makes your novels special. I actually try to write my region, too. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania and spent most of my adult life in the Philadephia area, so southeastern Pennsylvania’s the region that (I hope) comes through in what I write.
Adding the regions’ flavor to novels is something that draws readers in. Being from the South I know I’m going to enjoy a book about the South because I can relate to it more. But that is not to say that I don’t enjoy books flavored with other regions of the country and world. It’s just sometimes you like to sit down with someone who seems like they’d be a neighbor and have a good read.
Usually I prefer books – if they are set in the real world – to be set in places I haven’t visited. I find them more beleivable if I’ve never seen the places described. That’s just my preference though and it is nice when those places are given individual characteristics that make them feel alive.
Oh I love this. I had started my thesis on rural customs when I decided to stop the program. I am so interested in regional ways that I get very excited thinking about it. Writing about our areas gives others the taste of world that they may never live in…which is so interesting.
Love this post.
My current ms is set in Victorian England – it’s a Steampunk. So… I don’t have the benefit of living in the region. I’ve really enjoyed the research though :)
You shop at the most dangerous/interesting/unusual/bustling grocery stores! Who needs a muse when you’ve got a Safeway?
Whoa! I’ll bet you’ll never forget that man and what he said. What an interesting encounter. Gotta love the south!
Elizabeth – I tried writing ‘close to home’ and decided that I preferred fictional locales based on real places. I felt obligated to get everything “right” when I set a book where I live. But you can’t, not really. The restaurant I set a critical scene in is no longer in business.
But I do like the flavor of the region where I set my books. And I’ve written about places I’ve been.
Right now, I’m reading Barry Eisler’s “Rain” series, and he’s nailed putting the reader in the scene. I feel like I understand so much about Japan now.
Love the exchange you had in the grocery store. That would have given me pause to stop and reflect for the rest of the day. My region is now New Mexico, but I come from New York. Place is something I need to think more about in my writing. I loved what Margot called the “dollops of the South” in your novel.
Karen
Most of my work is set in Texas. And a lot of that is at the coast. Although I’ve lived many places, Texas is home.
What a deep & interesting exchange to have in a grocery store!
My books are set in the South – SC, GA, and FL – and one in NM. I did throw in some regional stuff, but perhaps not as much as I should. If we are influenced by our place of residence, then I can only attribute my lack of really in-depth regional feel to the fact I’ve lived so many places. I’ve seen a broader scope of the world.
My excuse and I’m stickin’ to it!
Once again, here I am swimming against the tide. I don’t place my stories where I live. I’ve never lived there (although I desperately want to).
Elizabeth George was once asked why all her stories take place in England (or thereabouts) rather than the US since she is an American. Her response is the same as mine, “I can’t imagine my mysteries happening any place else.”
What a strange encounter. I loved your grocery line man and I love how you’ve adapted life experience to writing.
ann
What an interesting man. I would have wanted to whip out my iPhone and taken his picture so I could recreate him in a book. I think he’s someone I would want to sit down with and talk.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Totally with you on this one. Great characters for your books are right near you and all around you. I’m a big people watcher/observer and derive most of my main characters from real life people – sometimes building a composite of several people into one. And the regional flavor is best done that way, too.
The Old silly
Elizabeth, I’ll be looking for this scene in a book! LOVE IT!xoxo
I loved your little exchange!
I defintely have a Pacific Northwest flavor to what I write. CONFLUENCE is in a fictional town because there wasn’t a real place I knew that had all the features I needed, but I plunked it right into a geography EXACTLY like the town I grew up in in Northern Idaho, and my trilogy is largely set in Portland.
I somehow think it may not be so surprising that my partial sits with a Portland agent at the moment.
My first book is sci-fi. If I were writing in my region, that would be pretty amazing! Not that I wouldn’t want to go there…
Hmm. I like a man who doesn’t want to tempt fate. How interesting. It makes you wonder how each move, each decision has a different outcome.
I LOVE what you said about unusual setting, that it’s ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF NYC. I had an editor say that my book was so midwestern, quiet, historical fiction that realy doesn’t sell. I guess I didn’t bring out the best details. I’m busy on the rewrite!
Margot–I think the flavor of Pennsylvania comes through your work…at least in “Publish or Perish.” I could definitely see and feel the location in your book. :)
Mason–It’s almost like you get the insider jokes, isn’t it? I know what you mean. I used to love reading Lewis Grizzard’s books–and laugh along while he poked fun at the South. Because we shared the same types of experiences.
Cassandra–That’s the best, isn’t it? It’s like we’re there–AND it’s a fresh, new, different place.
Teresa–Oh, I can imagine all there would be to write about if your topic were rural customs! My mind boggles just thinking about it.
Jemi–When the research is fun, that’s the best. Then it doesn’t even feel like work!
Diane–But all your experiences have contributed to the complexity of your writing–that would make a big difference, too.
Alan–I think I could write 20 books just from my life at the grocery store. Of course, I have to go to the store just about every day because I never remember all the things I need to get!
Stacy–I don’t think I’ll be racing through grocery stores anytime soon. :) And today I’ve been taking it slower, too.
Ann–Thanks!
Helen–He was interesting. I feel lucky to live in an area where strangers talk to each other. I understand that other areas of the world don’t have talkative strangers.
Terry–No, there’ll always be someone who points out little inconsistencies. I’m sure I’ll get that with my Memphis series. That’s why I made up a Southern town for my Myrtle Clover series. I could get the flavor without being so cautious about the facts.
Marvin–I do like characters who are amalgams of different people. And you’re right–with setting, it’s fun to focus on different aspects of a region…it’s not all the same everywhere you go.
Karen–I think you’d have some great insights on your location–you’re viewing New Mexico as a newcomer and from a fresh perspective!
Hi Carol!–Thanks. It may have to be stuck in somewhere. :)
Hart–Good luck with the agent! I don’t blame you for making up a town…I’ve done it for my Myrtle Clover series. I’ve got the Southern flavor, but no one will write me and tell me that Bradley NC “isn’t like that” because the town doesn’t exist. :)
Alex–And that’s the fun thing about sci-fi–you get to design your own setting and no one can tell you it’s not authentic!
Mary–He had me thinking, that’s for sure! I guess our lives are full of things in which timing is a huge factor.
I’d think there would be many appealing aspects of the midwest. The quiet and the sense of community could be good selling points.
This is a great story and such themes have provided a butterfly effect for numerous books and movies.
I have two settings, Orange County, CA and Boston where vents happen and characters live. this contrats provides interesting and engaging possibilities. Even the weather contrast is a secondary character.
Have a great weekend.
Stephen Tremp
Both my books were set in places I knew, lived, and could write about with authority. It gives you confidence, I think. One less thing to research.
My next book…whatever it will be…is gonna be a departure from that. If I write about where I live now, I won’t have much of a history to draw on. Lived here only a year.
Best Wishes Galen.
Imagineering Fiction Blog
I loved that story! He sounds like a neat guy. I’d put him my character book and try to use him in a story.
I read a while ago that Annie Dillard recommended her MFA students go to the bookstore and put their finger where their book would go someday. My finger lay right next to Stieg Larsson’s books. Someday.
I agree, though, that particularity in setting and character are essential, and come from living in our world with eyes wide open. If we’re not alive to the richness of our own space, how can we create rich worlds for our readers?
Yup, there’s fodder for fiction everywhere. I write Southern American as well; my relatives are all Georgia folk and heavily people my stories. :)
Great post. :)
~ Corra
from the desk of a writer
Great character, and right there in line with you!
I read to visit places I haven’t yet been and to recall those I’ve been or lived. When I moved to the San Francisco Bay area many years back, writers like Marcia Muller were my “tour guides” through their novels. (And then I got to help her research Boise for a novel years later!)
Stephen–On both coasts! That’s really cool. I bet you’ve had a great time with it. Have a great weekend, yourself!
Carol–And that’s a fascinating state. I can only imagine all the stories you could come up with there!
Elspeth–And she does an *excellent* job. I’m a huge Eliz. George fan. For me…the research might take up more time than I actually have. One day, maybe!
Galen–Your setting in “Hearts of the Morning Calm” was breathtaking. And, as a newcomer to your new region you’ve got a fresh perspective there.
Carolyn–The best characters are the ones that get me thinking…and he got me thinking!
Simon–You’ll be beside Stieg before you know it!
It’s true, though, isn’t it? There are so many stories, such richness to work with.
Corra–My mother’s family is from Macon. I think I could write a whole series of books set there! :)
Kathy–That’s great! I think it would be interesting to do research for someone. I feel like I’m taking a tour in so many different settings when I read.
What an an amusing story. What a character. Of course, I always imagine that the south is such a colorful place, fodder for many writers.
Elizabeth–There certainly are plenty of them here. :)
That is a lot of the fun of what I’m writing now. It’s not just flavor, the details of home are full of emotion.
The sandy trail behind my Grandmother’s house, the tiny beach near the old hotel, the courthouse on the hill. The empty store fronts even as the beach is full (it is Michigan, after all). It all means something more than sand and structure.
Daring Novelist–And you’re giving your readers the feeling that *they’ve* been there at your grandmother’s house! It really is fun.
What an incredibly interesting man!!!
And I love reading books that are set in places I know nothing about just as much as I like reading books set in places I know well. It is just a different type of pleasure I get from both kinds.