Okay, here's the deal. When did people become "that" instead of "who?" I hear this on the radio on the TV ( and shouldn't news reporters know better )? and unless my memory is wrong, have even read it in places. Why? How hard is it to remember that people require a "who"? And here's another--myself instead of me. My boss did this all this time and it drove me crazy. Are we so afraid to be in the spotlight that we have to say, "So-and-so and myself did such-and-so?"
Characters cannot float in space. They need a world to walk in, to talk in, and to live their lives joyously I start with the characters: I ask them what type of community they live in. I find places with those ingredients and use the pieces. I add family, friends, and enemies. I provide jobs on the main street; homes on side streets. I surround the place with roads, beaches, parks, or businesses. I daw a map of the village or town. For Caleb's Cove, I looked to Nova Scotia's south shore islands, ocean-side markets, and beaches. I sprinkled in hurricanes, boats, history, and ghosts. ( The Caleb Cove Mysteries - 4 books) Writers can be inspired by characters or an event, but as the story evolves the characters need a place to live. The setting is a character in its own right and often dictates the direction in the story. Some writers set books in real places. In a large city, this works. However, using a smaller, limited population creates privacy issues and limits events. Th...
