Back to digging that hole

Setting. It's the place where your story happens, right? But it's so much more than that. It's time period. It's genre. It's "flavor." It's texture that adds to the details of authenticity you'll add later in the writing process. In well-crafted books, setting takes on its own persona.
When choosing a site to build a house you stand in on spot and look all around. What will the view be? Which way will the windows face? Do I have an ocean view or am I overlooking a landfill? Not that every book needs a pristine vista; some of the greatest books written have a junkyard aura. Think John Steinbeck.
My first series (Lake Emily) is set on a farm in modern day Minnesota. Once I'd established that, there were a lot of facts that were already set in place for me. I would be employing up-to-date technology in the running of my farm. No horse and buggy or hand milking of cows. In Minnesota, as in every region of the world, we have a particular way of communicating. We say "toast" with a long O. We don't talk more than is needful. We believe in "Minnesota Nice"--helping our neighbors in times of need, but we don't need to tell everyone about it. "Don't you think?" is an everyday expression. We don't use hand gestures liberally. We eat bland foods, mostly white in color. Hotdish, Jell-O salad, SPAM, and beef commercials are regular fare. Lefse and Lutefish are for special occasions. Don't say "bubbler" when you mean "water fountain"--only Wisconsinites say that. And "pastries" are not "bars"--you'll be run out of the town if you confuse the two!
While setting adds details that will lend to that vivid dream you're creating, it is also a basis of who your characters will be. Placing a flamboyant, outgoing character in rural Minnesota will automatically set up a certain dynamic. Think these things through carefully before deciding, and be sure you're well versed in your locale. Readers want to get lost in your make-believe world but to make that transition they need a firm footing reality--that is the job of setting.

More tomorrow,
Traci DePree