Writing Setting: Bringing Magical Locations to Life by Sandy Barker
As a travel romance author, I often get asked what inspires me to write about the locations I feature in my books.
The answer is both simple and complex―simple, because I only write about places I’ve travelled to and complex because I choose to write about the places that have impacted me emotionally, places that are special―magical, even.
My first book begins in Santorini and the characters sail to other islands in the Cyclades―these locations hold a special place in my heart because they’re where I met and fell in love with my partner, Ben. And not only did we fall in love sailing the Greek Islands, we were both stuck in our respective ruts when we met and it was in Greece where we each reconnected with our truest selves and completely re-imagined what our lives could be.
I’ve gone on to write Paris and other favourite places in Europe―Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland and Rome, especially―Sydney, where I lived for a decade, New Zealand, a frequent holiday destination, Hawaii where my heart sings, London, a city I called home and love to visit, Colorado, with its sublime natural beauty and my current hometown of Melbourne. And coming up is Bali, where I lived on sabbatical and Tuscany, a place very close to my heart for its history, culture and architectural beauty.
Setting is as critical to my stories as the characters because I explore the transformative nature of travel ― how when a character leaves home and experiences someplace new, that place affects them, transforms them, helps them see the world in a different way. This is why I spend so much of my creative energy bringing those magical places to life.
And I’ve had some wonderful feedback from readers around the world telling me how well I evoke setting ― both from people who have been to those locations and those who long to go.
So, what is my ‘secret sauce’ for writing settings that become immersive for the readers? Essentially, it’s delving into all the senses.
Sight is the most obvious way to describe setting and is a great starting point. I’ll focus on shapes (organic shapes or sharp angles, or something in between?), textures, colours (differentiating between different shades), spacing (is the place crowded or deserted?), architectural styles, and even the number and types of people a character encounters in the setting, because how those people engage with their environment also evokes setting. I like calling out juxtaposition, such as how soft white sands of a beach contrast starkly against the black volcanic rocks that rise from the sea along the coast.
I’ll include the smells and scents of a location. Memory, smell, and emotions are intricately linked, and tapping into this sense can be a great ‘shorthand’ for readers. Consider how the scent of sea air and frangipanis are reminiscent of a holiday in the tropics, or how the smell of hot chocolate, brandy-soaked pudding, or roasted chestnuts evoke Christmas.
The other senses―touch, hearing, and taste―are also highly effective for fleshing out the setting for readers. Is the sand on the beach powdery or coarse? Is the sun warm on the skin or the wind chilling? I’ll ask myself what it physically feels like for this character to be in that location.
Considering a ski resort in Colorado―this person may wonder at how the freshly fallen snow blankets everything like fondant on a Christmas cake; or notice how the chill from the freezing air reaches into their bones and stings their lungs with each inhale; or be drawn to the warm, welcoming glow of the lights from the chalet as they spill onto the snow. These details help conjure a rich and evocative setting for the reader.
I’ll also ask myself what the characters can hear―the sound of traffic, a light breeze rustling the palm trees, a waterfall, children playing? Each sound lends texture the fabric of the setting.
Taste is a little trickier, but I tend to write characters who love to eat, so their meals become part of their overall experience of each location. I’ll create a tantalising description of a dish, a cuisine, or a beverage that’s intrinsic to the location. It then becomes entwined in how I evoke the setting.
With all descriptions of setting, I include details―little nuggets―and try to steer clear of generic descriptors. For example, the local markets aren’t just ‘smelly’, ‘loud’ and ‘crowded’. There are nuances that I’ll want to capture:
The air is replete with contrasting smells, each competing for attention―the sweetness emanating from the enormous mounds of marigolds fights futilely with the fumes from the humming generators. Gap-toothed women chatter between the stalls, their cackling laughter ceasing as we approach. And we move almost as one mass, shoulder-to-shoulder, bumbling along, occasionally extricating ourselves from the swarm to admire an artisan’s work or bravely try a local delicacy.
By combining all the senses as I write the setting, it becomes almost like another character in the story. My hope is that this allows readers to vicariously experience the setting―to fully immerse themselves and feel like they are right there with the characters.
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Author Bio – Sandy Barker
Sandy is a writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list, and many of her travel adventures have found homes in her novels. She’s also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob.
Sandy lives in Melbourne Australia with her partner, Ben, who she met while travelling in Greece. Their real-life love story inspired Sandy’s debut novel One Summer in Santorini, the first in the Holiday Romance series with One More Chapter, an imprint of HarperCollins.
The series continues in That Night in Paris and A Sunset in Sydney and there are two more to come in 2022. Her standalone novel The Christmas Swap celebrates her favourite time of the year, and next up is The Dating Game, a laugh-out-loud romcom set in the world of Reality TV.
Follow Sandy:
https://twitter.com/sandybarker
https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthor
https://www.instagram.com/sandybarkerauthor/
THE DATING GAME
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Category: How To and Tips, On Writing
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