I need some help. The book I’m currently working on is set in Anytown, USA, meaning: there is nothing special about this place and it doesn’t have any bearing on the story. Except that there is a garden. This garden is almost a supporting character and is obviously effected by changes in the weather and the seasons. Do I need to pick a real state to put this? Or can I just give enough clues about the weather than I can keep the location vague? Opinions please…
I am not a writer but as a reader I appreciate non-specific settings. They leave it open for the mind to imagine. When you have a specific place my mind feels stifled by parameters. Just my opinion…
I’ve read plenty of books that were not set in a specific place. Yet the author uses so many details of weather, etc, that it becomes like a specific place. Does that make sense? Essentially, you’re making it a place through the details, you’re just not naming it. I know, clear as mud.
That totally makes sense. Thank you!
Thanks Alicia! I agree- it’s nice when you can picture the setting in terms of a place you’re familiar with. India, for example, is wonderful, but I’ve never been there and I can’t always picture the story when it’s taking place there.