Write Where You Know

Today’s post is by novelist and platform expert Kirsten Oliphant (@kikimojo).

Most authors have heard the common advice to write what you know. But does the same hold true about writing where you know?

In other words, when deciding on the setting for your novel, is it better to choose a real place or create a fictional town, city, or even country?

As with most writing advice, I don’t think there is one definitive answer when it comes to the setting of your book. Either choice could work well. But there are definitely some pros and cons to consider when deciding whether to use real or fictional locations. 

Pros and cons of choosing a real setting

There’s something really special when you’re reading a book and encounter a place you’ve actually been. Writing about real places can forge an immediate connection with readers who have visited or live there. It can endear your book to them and bring a sense of nostalgia or even a feeling of homecoming.

Choosing a real setting can help you bring the story to life, especially if you’re able to visit and spend some time there. You can pick up details that help a setting sing—the kinds of awnings that hang over shop windows, how a place smells, or how locals dress. Let’s not forget the added bonus of traveling as a business expense! (I am not certified to give tax advice, so please consult your accountant about this.)

Another benefit of choosing a real place is the ability to make connections with businesses or bookstores in the area. Local publications may be willing to share a press release or even write an article about you and your book. People often want to celebrate and share books that have a hometown feel or connection. You could contact local bookstores or gift shops to see if they would carry your book.

There can also be legitimate downsides to choosing a real place as your setting.

Even if you’re able to visit the location and take pictures or make notes, businesses and other details may shift and change. If you choose to highlight a restaurant that goes out of business, for example, this could date your book. You also want to be sure that you’re not writing anything negative about a real business in your book. (See more about legal issues when writing about real places or people in this article.)

It can be challenging to capture the vibe and more subtle things about any area if you don’t live or spend sufficient time there. Traveling to a place can give you a sense of it, but not as much as living there for even a short period of time. If you’re relying on just online research or anecdotes from residents, it can be even more challenging to write about a place.

Recently, I read a book set in Houston where the premise was set up around the main character needing an apartment. Based on the circumstances of the apartment hunt, it was immediately clear to me—someone who’s lived in the Houston area for twenty years—that the author didn’t do enough research about Houston real estate. Even small details that don’t accurately represent a real place might frustrate readers who are familiar with the area. Instead of having local residents, businesses, or publications celebrating a book, you might find them criticizing it. Mistakes and mischaracterizations of a real city or town can alienate readers instead of endearing them to you.

Pros and cons of choosing a fictional setting

If you aren’t able to adequately research an actual place or simply want to have more freedom, choosing a fictional setting may be a good option. Creating your own location means that you get all the creative control you want. This eliminates the possibility of getting details wrong or having to extensively research.

When writing a beach series, I chose to create a fictional island rather than a real place. I considered setting the books in Nag’s Head, where I spent many summers growing up. But after a quick research visit, I realized the area had changed so much that I no longer felt like I could accurately write it. Instead, I invented a fictional island but drew from the memories and feelings I had visiting Nag’s Head without the risk of making mistakes about the real place.

Creating a fictional world allows you to shape the location in a way that organically serves your story. In some books, the setting acts almost as its own character. It can bolster the plot and also the characterization of its residents. You can tailor the surroundings to suit the story.

While inventing your own fictional setting can be a great choice, it doesn’t necessarily mean less work than researching a real location. Even if you’re writing contemporary fiction, creating your own town or city requires extensive worldbuilding. You need to have a sense of geography, topography, weather, businesses, as well as the cultural identity and vibe of the town. It’s a lot of work to invent your own setting.

With my Love Stories in Sheet Cake series, I created a fictional town called Sheet Cake, Texas. The premise of my series hinged on a family of former pro football players purchasing—or Schitt’s Creeking—the town. I keep an extensive list of townspeople, businesses, holidays, and town history in a planning document that I revisit with each new book in the series. This allows me to really make the setting an integral part and, in some cases, a driving force to the stories. It’s a lot of work but brings the series to life in a way that choosing an actual location wouldn’t.

Final tips on setting

• Visit real places and notice the little details. Even if you’re going to make up your own town, visit a few small towns to notice the little and big details you can incorporate or tweak to fit your book.
• Consider the kind of history and backstory for a town that could serve thematically or even to set the tone. A town founded by violent acts as opposed to by a fun turn of luck could have long-reaching, even if subtle, impact on the story.
• Find a happy medium between real and fictional. In my latest novel, If All Else Sails, I set the first part of the story in Kilmarnock, a real city, but created fictionalized stores and businesses. For the sailing part of the book, I used actual chartbooks and my aunt’s journal to plot the course my characters took, adding my own fictional details along the way. I also contacted The Bookshelf on Church, a local bookstore in Kilmarnock, to let them know about my book and give them the publication information. While I don’t live close enough to consider an in-person event, the next time I visit family, I promised to stop in and sign any copies or bring some of the stickers and prints that go along with the book.

Setting can make or break a book. Whether you choose a real or fictional location, the more detail and depth you can infuse into your setting, the better you can draw readers into your story.

Kirsten Oliphant

Kirsten Oliphant writes as USA Today Bestselling Author Emma St. Clair. Her books feature sassy heroines, witty banter, and love stories with heart and humor. She has an MFA in Fiction and lives in Katy, Texas (go, Tigers!) with her hubby, five children, and two Great Danes. Her favorite place to write is tapping on her phone while on the elliptical machine. No Emmas have been hurt in the writing of these novels. (Yet.)