![]() When it comes to New York, I can always tell when somebody is basing the story only on a research or a weekend trip to the city, and it irks me. ![]() Here’s another writer’s experience I pulled from Absolute Write Water Cooler: And sooner or later, someone always picks up on it. This is a great example of how even the best writers, even the most well-researched ones, can make mistakes. At around the 1:45 mark, she mentions never having been to Canada prior to writing the book. If you’re interested in Penney’s experience of writing The Tenderness of Wolves, check out this video. Driving along the top of Lake Superior takes three days! So imagine footslogging from northern Georgian Bay into Hudson Bay. Going from forests to the treeline would take weeks. The only disappointment is that the distances here are vast and Penney has her characters travel them in too short a time (I think because she has never been to Canada). An Author Who’s Never Been to Her Novel’s SettingĪuthor Stef Penney wrote her novel The Tenderness of Wolves, which is set in northern Ontario, never having been there. The title was named Costa Book of the Year, but one native Ontarian reader told The Sunday Times: You can also find a great deal of information just by logging onto your computer, reading books, and talking to people who have first-hand knowledge. When writing about a place to which you’ve never been, the advantage you have over a historical writer is that-when all’s said and done-you can go to that place. Historical writers must have vast amounts of knowledge on a particular era to make their settings plausible, even though they’ve never actually ‘been there.’ Though the average person wouldn’t be able to pick up on small inaccuracies in research, there’s always someone who will (and will point it out). ![]() But what about the particulars? Do you know how they spoke? What they ate? How they worshipped? What they did for entertainment? Sure, you have some vague ideas about knights, princesses, peasants, horses, castles, and a lack of running water. ![]() Let’s say you wanted to write about medieval times. Writing about a foreign place is, in some ways, akin to setting your novel in a historical era you know nothing about. Is this possible? If so, how can I find out enough details about the setting to make my story plausible? I’m thinking about writing a novel, but I was wondering if I could set the story in a place I’ve never been to. Here’s a new question from a Write It Sideways reader, which I’ve paraphrased for length and clarity: ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |