ARTICLE
How to Make Authentic Story Locations When You Haven’t Been There
THE POWER OF REALISTIC FICTION: MY DINNER AT THE HOTEL & RESTAURANT MONTEGRINO, TIVAT, MONTENEGRO. by William Gensburger As a writer I believe it is my job to convey as much reality as possible in the settings and characters of what I write. Often, however, I may have no experience of the setting in which I am writing. With the technology of the age is it possible to create a real and vivid setting, so real that locals could authenticate it? To answer that question I asked writers I know how they deal with reality if they have not been to a location. Here are some responses: “Google is usually my first and main stop. I try to search as specific a term or name as possible, which, if one exists, will produce an official website. If it’s a town or city, I search for the chamber of commerce and tour companies (for larger cities), then for any 48
blogs focusing on the location. If it’s a business, I most always find a website that gives me what I need.” Anna J Stewart, www.authorannastewart.com “I do web searches, local tourist information sites are often useful. TripAdvisor and other similar sites can sometimes have useful tidbits. Finally, Google Earth or other Online mapping/streetview type sites, are very useful for seeing buildings and getting an impression of places close up. Realtor sites can also be good sources for specific buildings.” David M Kelly davidmkelly.com “Google is usually my first stop. Then after I have exhausted all the links generated from that venue, I will check and see if anyone I
know is from that particular area and ask them a few questions to get a better feel for the place. Given my travels around the U.S. there are very few place I haven’t personally been to so I can also draw on my own memories of the place and the people who live there.” Richard Paolinelli www.scifiscribe.com “It depends on if I have personal experience of the place I am writing about or not. If not I try to use local sites of the town/city and follow up with Internet searches for clarification on locations, streets, stores etc. When I can physically visit that is the best option.” Mandy Barnett www.mandyevebarnett.com Google seems an obvious choice,
Books ‘N Pieces Magazine — April 2022 — www.BooksNPieces.com
