Working out where to set your story is an important tunnel in the writing rabbit hole. Like most tasks attached to my mission of writing my novel, it has taken more time and consideration than I anticipated. My cosy mystery is set in a small, quaint, sociable town, where people really know each other and cross paths in various settings, for example the gift shop, ice-cream parlour, the wine bar, etc. There are many little establishments that I want to include. I want readers to develop a clear picture of these places as the mystery unravels.

When I think about some of my favourite books, I am remembering the vision that I have crafted in my head, all of which have stemmed from small details within the writing. My vision will be different to others who have read the same book. This led me to consider books that are made into films (or movies for my fabulous American readers). I like nothing more than to watch one of my favourite books come to life on the big screen, it feels like a real treat when it happens. But I’ve always said that I have to read the book first, and if I watch the film first, I’m not reading the book afterwards. I have referred to my love of Harry Potter in an earlier blog…I’m a big fan of Harry Potter films, but I must confess that I have not read any of the books. I watched the films first.

I am sure J K Rowling set the scene faultlessly in the stories, but if I had read the books first, I’d have filled in the inevitable gaps myself, like I do with any story I read. When reading a book we self-construct so much of the content using our own imagination, we do it without thinking about it. Everyone develops the little details in their own unique way – isn’t that one of the wonders of reading? But a film/movie does all the work for us, all the visual details are right there in front of us, with little effort required.

Seeing a novel unfold in a film is fascinating, some of the details are probably quite similar to those we have already conjured up (when reading the book), but some might be quite different. I think this is the reason people are often disappointed when they watch the film, it’s too different to the representation they have already formed whilst reading the book. I have concluded this is why I have to read the book first, because that way, I don’t miss out on the opportunity to visualise all the little details in my own exclusive way. When you are watching a film unravel later on, it is easier to accept the differences, because it is a lot less work to just watch and absorb. Reading requires a lot more investment, for me it becomes tedious to read without the opportunity to craft little details out myself (if a film has already done that for me).

This brings me back to the development of the small town in my own book, where my lead character Martha and her friends attempt to solve a murder. I have to be mindful that I want to immerse the reader into Martha’s lovely little town of residence, but it shouldn’t do all the work for the reader. Too much descriptive text will slow the pace and quickly become boring. There needs to be intention behind the reveal of the little details, leading the reader to develop their own one-of-a-kind place.

Which details of the setting have you grappled with in your own book? For me, Martha’s home has been a big one…I had fallen deep into the writing rabbit hole when I found myself researching Martha’s front door in far too much detail, before coming to the realisation that the reader does not need to know what colour her front door is, or what type of wood it is made of! I know that sounds somewhat neurotic but it demonstrates how lost I get in the detail, often quite unnecessarily.

One question that I have really loved finding the answer to is ‘Where in the world does Martha live?’ I knew I wanted it to be somewhere within the USA – all my favourite cosy mysteries are set in small American towns, so it just had to be this way for my book. But there are 52 states right! So which one to pick? This was fun for me to research because I really enjoy American geography.

I knew it needed to be somewhere with plenty of hot, sunny weather…I love the way everything feels so easy when the sun comes out, life seems to move at a slower pace when it’s hot. I love the clothes, the flip flops, the smell of sun lotion, sitting outside in the garden at 9pm without a jumper (or sweater for my American readers). Even that feeling when you get into a hot car and right away open all the windows, waiting for the air con to kick in, there is nothing I do not enjoy about the hot weather. I also live in the UK, so hot days are quite the novelty!

Can you guess which state I picked? I have put some clues in the pictures below 😉.

I hope you have found this blog helpful to read when thinking about the location of your own novel. Please fee free to share your own experiences, have you enjoyed developing the setting for your book? Did you base your story on a real place, or develop a fictional one? Do you prefer to develop a location that is close to home, or somewhere totally different? Some of you may be working within the realms of worldbuilding, which sounds like a lot of fun and a lot of work! All comments are welcome 📝.