For those few of you who read this blog, you will be aware that I am in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign to get my debut novel published. One of the things I have decided to do is write an article, or release some new material, for every twenty five books I sell. Yesterday, day five, I reached my first ten percent, so here is today's bonus.
One thing that is crucial for a fictional writer is to choose or create the perfect setting for their story.This choice depends on what your category of fiction is. Fantasy writers have the ability to create their own world, full of mythical creatures. Science fiction writers can do the same, but with a multitide of planets or space stations to choose from, even pushing the boundaries of the physics of our own world. Romances can be set anywhere in the world, as long as there is somewhere for the heroine to meet the man of her dreams. If you have chosen to write a fictional version of an actual historical event, for example the Tudors are very popular, your location has been chosen for you.
Dystopian novels can either be in a world that has been created, or an alternate world. By alternate I mean an alternate timeline, as of course so far our world has not been destroyed. So where to choose? Looking at books and screen plays that have been turned into films or tv series, cities seem the obvious solution, New York being by far the most popular. However, I decided to follow my favourite author Stephen King and his beloved Bangor, and use what I know, Britain. As most of my potential readers will be from this country, I wanted to write about places that they may recognise. However, instead of choosing London, I decided to plump for my home town; Newquay.
For those of you who don't know, Newquay is a small town in the South West of this country, well known for it's nightlife and it's surfing. It's a small town, surrounded by beaches, and perfect for my story. My story is in three sections, and starts and ends in Newquay. It's somewhere I have lived in for most of my life.
But why not London? It seems the obvious choice. Any dystopian story is set during or after a significant event, and the fall out from that event would be far more descriptive in a city setting. However, my story starts before, and covers the whole thing from the protagonists point of view. There is also the point that for this particular extinction event, the cities would be the first to die out, later extending to the farther reaches of each country. If something like this ever happened, which thankfully is pretty much impossible, it is likely that people would hole up, and watch the events uncover via the television or on the internet, at least for as long as they could.
I wanted to focus, not on the event itself, but on the aftermath, and on the shock of her eventually seeing the devastation on a much larger scale. Plus, I needed her not only to record what had happened, but to set out on a journey, and if she started in London there was the difficulty in deciding where to go, not to mention how she would get to another country. If she is somewhere else the choice is obvious; head to the capital in search of other survivors.
So there is the reason why I chose Newquay as the initial setting of my novel. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and help me get to my target. The next bonus will be unlocked at 50 pre-orders, and will be an exclusive excerpt.
Emma x
One thing that is crucial for a fictional writer is to choose or create the perfect setting for their story.This choice depends on what your category of fiction is. Fantasy writers have the ability to create their own world, full of mythical creatures. Science fiction writers can do the same, but with a multitide of planets or space stations to choose from, even pushing the boundaries of the physics of our own world. Romances can be set anywhere in the world, as long as there is somewhere for the heroine to meet the man of her dreams. If you have chosen to write a fictional version of an actual historical event, for example the Tudors are very popular, your location has been chosen for you.
Dystopian novels can either be in a world that has been created, or an alternate world. By alternate I mean an alternate timeline, as of course so far our world has not been destroyed. So where to choose? Looking at books and screen plays that have been turned into films or tv series, cities seem the obvious solution, New York being by far the most popular. However, I decided to follow my favourite author Stephen King and his beloved Bangor, and use what I know, Britain. As most of my potential readers will be from this country, I wanted to write about places that they may recognise. However, instead of choosing London, I decided to plump for my home town; Newquay.
For those of you who don't know, Newquay is a small town in the South West of this country, well known for it's nightlife and it's surfing. It's a small town, surrounded by beaches, and perfect for my story. My story is in three sections, and starts and ends in Newquay. It's somewhere I have lived in for most of my life.
But why not London? It seems the obvious choice. Any dystopian story is set during or after a significant event, and the fall out from that event would be far more descriptive in a city setting. However, my story starts before, and covers the whole thing from the protagonists point of view. There is also the point that for this particular extinction event, the cities would be the first to die out, later extending to the farther reaches of each country. If something like this ever happened, which thankfully is pretty much impossible, it is likely that people would hole up, and watch the events uncover via the television or on the internet, at least for as long as they could.
I wanted to focus, not on the event itself, but on the aftermath, and on the shock of her eventually seeing the devastation on a much larger scale. Plus, I needed her not only to record what had happened, but to set out on a journey, and if she started in London there was the difficulty in deciding where to go, not to mention how she would get to another country. If she is somewhere else the choice is obvious; head to the capital in search of other survivors.
So there is the reason why I chose Newquay as the initial setting of my novel. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and help me get to my target. The next bonus will be unlocked at 50 pre-orders, and will be an exclusive excerpt.
Emma x
Sounds really interesting Emma,well done for being brave enough for doing it too,always best to follow your heart. Good luck with the sales...Booker prize next?!
ReplyDeleteBig hugs
Donna xxx
Thanks Donna, for someone who keeps herself to herself promoting this is pretty hard for me to do! However, it is the best thing I have ever done bar none, I'm really proud of it, and I feel it deserves to be published. I've just got to convince 222 more people to pre-order!
DeleteEmma