I’ve discovered something fascinating about the writer vs the reader in me. As a WRITER, I research the heck out of places in which my characters will be lovingly placed. I jump in with both feet, figuring out the smallest facts, or using some unique architecture of the area, I also try to include an interesting landmark or two to make it really authentic.

Now, having said that… and understanding how much time and energy goes into painstakingly learning all the fine details and explaining them to the reader in some sort of narrative or pages of beautifully-worded description, as a READER, I have a problem going to “those” places the author describes.

In my mind, I place the characters and the settings in a familiar place. Always. I have always done this and I guess I’ll always do it. No matter how many meringue-topped castles the author described in her historical romance set in 18th century Russia, to me, they’ll be somewhere I can walk in and out of in my memories. It doesn’t take away any of the enjoyment I have reading the book. As a matter of fact, since it IS a familiar place to me, I find it comforting and find the story even MORE enjoyable since I can almost imagine myself sharing the scenes.

As a reader, I go along, learn the characters, catch up on their lives and fall in rhythm with the plot, the time period, the backstory, etc. As the descriptions come into play, I follow them until I know what all the surroundings in the story actually look like. But, after the initial set up is complete in my head, they’ll suddenly change to a place where I’ve either lived, or a family member’s lived, or maybe a place I’ve visited -- sometimes even a school I went to, etc.

I remember reading Gone with the Wind in eighth grade. Tara in all its antebellum splendor, so beautifully described by Margaret Mitchell suddenly morphed into my grandmother’s house. Granted my grandmother had a large house (it used to be an old boarding house in the 30’s) but it wasn’t anywhere close to the mansion Ms. Mitchell described. But in my mind, it was the perfect setting for Scarlett to meet Rhett.

My grandmother’s front room with its hardwood floor, fireplace and floor to ceiling windows was always the perfect place to stage fancy balls. The “ton” of every Regency I ever read had their ball hosted by Grandma. Every strong-willed heroine who was ordered to go upstairs to change her daring ball gown used Grandma’s flight of wooden stairs that looked down on the entryway, in full view of every arriving guest to the home. No matter how hard I tried to relocate the characters, they always felt at home at Grandmas. BTW, she’s 90 yrs old now and no longer lives in this house, but don’t tell the new owners I’m still using it, ok?

Although Grandma’s house was my favorite stage, I used other places as well. My old childhood home had a lovely study that I consistently used (and still use) for any and all offices used by any and all handsome, brooding heroes (and the wayward heroines that were discovered in there amongst hundreds of books). There weren’t REALLY stacks and stacks of books in there – it was just a simple study with a roll top desk and a few built-in bookcases, but my mind embellished it with rich wood panels and 12 ft ceilings filled with fascinating tomes. Sometimes there was a cozy hearth in the middle of the room with a velvet settee beside it and a snifter of brandy being carried by an aloof manservant…

See what I mean?

Do you generally “see” the story unfold in places that – though embellished - are familiar places to you?

PLEASE, tell me I’m not alone in this!

Labels: Gone with the Wind, GWTW, regency, Rhett, Romance Writing, Scarlett, settings