Setting: More than a Dot on the Map!

Myra Johnson

Whether the locale is real or imaginary, every story takes place somewhere, and every “somewhere” has a personality all its own. A believable setting comprises more than just the geography, topography, flora, and fauna. It’s also about the history, culture, and prevailing mindset of an area.

While I’ve understood this concept for quite a while, it struck me again last month while my husband and I traveled to Montana for a grandson’s graduation party. Neither of us had been to Montana before, so we weren’t really sure what to expect. Mountains, rivers, ospreys, bison, elk, bears . . . yep, saw all of those and more!

But most intriguing were the people themselves. Our daughter and her husband work with an organization dedicated to bringing meaningful worship to individuals and families whose lives revolve around Montana’s great outdoors. You won’t find those people in traditional churches on Sunday morning. Their weekends are more likely spent hunting, horseback riding, boating, fishing, or hiking. 

Elk on the mountainside

Some interesting facts about Montana (taken from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/30000.html)

• Estimated population of the entire state is just over 1 million. Compare that to New York City with nearly 8.5 million, or Dallas, TX, with 1.3 million.
• Number of persons per square mile in 2010 was 6.8.
• The median household income reported for 2009-2013 was $46,230.
• The percentage of people over 25 years of age with a bachelor’s degree or higher is only about 28%.
• Almost 90% of the population is white.

National Bison Range

Bearing all this in mind, maybe you can understand why Montana churches need to employ some out-of-the-box thinking to create a worship experience that is both culturally relevant and centered in the Word of God. 

Montana river surfers

As writers, we need to think outside the geographical box when we create our story settings. We need to capture not only the locale but the overall feel of a place so that our setting is more than just a dot on a map!

Here are some questions to ask as you ground your story in a well-developed setting:

• Who are the inhabitants, both current and in the past? Where did they come from? Why did they settle there, and how long ago?
• How is the economy? Is it business oriented? Manufacturing? Agricultural? Academic? Tourism?
• Are there richer and poorer sections within the town? How does each social class interact with the others?
• How are urban dwellers’ lives different from those in the suburbs and surrounding rural areas?
• What do people do for fun here? How do they typically spend their spare time?
• How does climate affect seasonal activities and industry?

My Till We Meet Again historical romance series is set at the end of World War I in in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The city got its name and reputation from the thermal springs in the area and the supposed health benefits from both bathing in the water and drinking it Hydrotherapy played a significant role in the treatment provided by the Army and Navy Hospital, where some of my characters work and many of the scenes take place. Travelers coming to “take the waters” helped Hot Springs grow into a popular tourist destination, so one of my characters is a hotel manager. The stories also contrast Hot Springs’s social elite with the working class (naturally, with romance traversing those barriers).

Entrance to Hot Springs Army & Navy Hospital

 

Ruth Logan Herne has used upstate New York for some of her story settings. She describes it this way: 

Four distinct seasons, heavy winters, gorgeous orchards and wineries, lots of water, lush and green or frozen and white. The cities have a distinct poverty level in the Northeast, and the suburbs are more secure, but the decline in manufacturing means lots of folks have moved south. 

But the small towns are charming, filled with characters, with twinkle lights in winter and flowers in summer. Farmstands and agri-tainment have taken hold all over.

Nebraskan Mary Connealy shares a few insights about her home state: 

First, last, always in Nebraska . . . the cornhuskers. “What do you think of the new coach?” ONE HOUR CONVERSATION.

In small towns the best thing and the worst thing are the same thing. Everybody knows your business. In hard times the food comes, the visits, the help from all directions. In humiliating times, everyone knows all the details including plenty they're making up.

Out of about three big cities, Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, it's all farm centric. No one gripes much if a huge tractor is in the road. They all know farmers have to move. A real work ethic here—3% unemployment.

A lot of NICE people. A lot of people who know your story back to great-grandparents. A zillion people who are your fifth cousin. And everyone has fun winding around the broken road figuring out HOW they’re related. A few mean gossips but mostly people are just swapping news. And we all know who has the venom and take it into consideration—which doesn't mean it's not entertaining to listen.

It's hard to get divorced in a small town unless you move away, because you keep running into your EX at ball games and school events and church dinners and 4th of July parades. I know plenty of people who have tried to get a divorce and finally patched things up. 

Seeker Missy Tippens writes about fictional small towns in Georgia:

The town I live in isn't nearly as small as the ones I write about. But even in a town this size, I can pull from what I've experienced (especially as someone who moved here as an "outsider”). Most people grew up here and remain here with family nearby. They watch out for each other. And yes, they get in each other's business sometimes. Their church is often very important in their lives and makes up a good bit of their social activity. They watch out for each other's kids. They pull together during tragedies. They love, they fight, they forgive. It's a wonderful place to live and raise kids. And it's a setting I think I'll always enjoy writing because I love writing romantic stories of home and family.

Let’s talk! Share a favorite story setting you’ve used (or read about) and anything special or unique about it. How did this setting influence the development of plot and characters? Or tell us something interesting about your hometown (that’s safe to reveal in a G-rated venue)!

Today I’m giving away a copy of my novel When the Clouds Roll By. If you’d like your name thrown in the dog dish (sorry, no cats around here these days) for a chance to win, just say so in your comment. 

About the book:
Annemarie Kendall is overjoyed when the armistice is signed and the Great War comes to an end. Her fiancé, Lieutenant Gilbert Ballard, is coming home, and though he is wounded, she is excited to start their life together. But when he arrives, her dreams are dashed when she learns Gilbert is suffering from headaches, depression, and an addiction to pain killers. This is not the man she had planned to marry.

After serving in the trenches, Army Chaplain Samuel Vickary is barely holding onto his faith. Putting up a brave front as he ministers to the injured soldiers at the hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas, he befriends Gilbert and eventually falls for Annemarie. While Annemarie tries to sort out her confused feelings about the two men in her life, she witnesses firsthand the bitterness and hurt they both hold within. Who will she choose? Will she have the courage to follow her heart and become the woman God intended her to be?

As the world emerges from the shadow of war, Annemarie clings to her faith as she wonders if her future holds the hope, happiness, and love for which she so desperately longs.