The Importance of Setting
One thing I’ve noticed in a lot of books that “don’t work” for me, is that they aren’t steadfastly grounded in a realistic, well-described setting. And this is a shame, because a great setting can really be an enhancement to any book, and if done well, can even become a “character” in the novel. I don’t mean endless descriptions of architecture or itemizations of all the furniture in a room like a moving list, but a sense that the book takes place in a real setting, with consistency of the surroundings, and enough telling details in the description to really root the reader. With that, the buildings, their location, the weather, all become living breathing aspects of the book. It adds a much-needed layer of verisimilitude to the story. So, let’s explore setting for a while. My novel, Deadly Vision, is a Medical Thriller, so naturally I needed to create a University Medical Center. Our hero lives in San Francisco, so my direction...