The following quotes from genuine reviews suggest that I’m quite good at getting setting right:
‘Julie captures Italy perfectly making you feel as if you are there and desperate to visit once you’ve finished the book.’
‘Love Italy and you really felt you were there.’
‘I’ve read all of the books in this series and after reading them it’s always made me want to visit these places.’
‘I fell in love with the locations, I could actually feel I was there, tasting and smelling every morsel.’
My Romantic Escapes series, published by One More Chapter, an imprint of HarperCollins, are each set in a different country – where the culture, food, drink and landscape are an integral part of the stories. To sum it up: setting is everything.
Part of the success of the novels is, I believe, born from a genuine love of food, drink and travel – both mine and my editor’s. The series came about when, after writing ten books for my current publisher, my editor asked if I’d been interested in writing a book set in Copenhagen to capitalise on the emerging interest in Hygge – which can loosely be described as Scandinavian cosiness. She also wanted to capture the weekend escape type programmes on television with chefs like Rick Stein and Paul Hollywood, where they explored the local food and culture of a city over a few days. Given I was a big foodie and loved travelling, this was right up my street and I promptly suggested two more destinations to follow the first book.
Setting is Everything
As the setting was key, I embarked on a research trip to Copenhagen, which was invaluable. As result of that initial trip, I learned a lot about what I needed to do on future research trips! On this occasion, I was extremely fortunate as a colleague of my husband’s had been a few weeks before and very kindly sent through her top tips for eating and drinking. Now, before any trip, I make sure I do a lot of desk research in advance to make sure that I cover as much ground as possible while I’m there. I find that taking lots of photographs as visual reminders is much better than making notes because when I refer back to them I remember lots of other details like the light, the weather, the feelings of a place.
A research visit can also provide a real flavour of a location. I often notice things that might not be included in online articles or travel guides. For example, during a recent visit to Lisbon for my next book set in Portugal, one of the things that I immediately noticed was the Caldera – the mosaic black and white stone block pavements throughout the city. If you’ve been there, you’ll immediately know what I’m talking about – and this is an important point when you’re creating settings. These small details make the book instantly relatable to anyone that has already been visited. I’m not sure I might have picked up on them without a visit to the city. They are a unique feature on the streets and actually originated in Lisbon. Anyone that has been to Copenhagen will remember everyone cycling everywhere and the compact nature of the city. Again describing those things makes the story more relatable.
The other very useful point about a research visit is that you get your bearings, allowing you to describe real places and understand where they are in relation to other landmarks or buildings. Also using real places and tourist hotspots is like including Easter eggs for readers, providing them with an, ‘Oh I’ve been there’ nod of recognition or the ‘Oh, I’ve always wanted to go there’.
Manipulate the Setting
However, if a lot of the action of the book is taking place in one location, or if a research trip isn’t possible, it’s easier and safer to create an entirely imaginary place. Many people have written to me to ask where they can find Varme, the central location in The Cosy Café in Copenhagen. Sadly it’s entirely fictional – it’s so much easier that way because I can manipulate the setting to suit my plot and not be hampered by the boundaries of reality. No one wants an eagle-eyed reader telling you what you’ve written just isn’t possible. Even if a setting is a real place, don’t forget that you are writing fiction and you can create whatever you want within that world.
To give added flavour, I like to include little nuggets of gold, tiny out of the way places that you might only find if you’re there. A visit to Porto, introduced me to the drink, Porto Tonico, which I’d never heard of before but most visitors would if they’d been there. I always aim to include real cafés, restaurants and bars that I’ve been to and share them with readers for them to try out for themselves.
While I highly recommend a research trip or using a destination you have visited previously, it isn’t absolutely essential and sometimes just not practical. A couple of my books are set in places that due to cost, time and travel restrictions, I’ve never set foot in. To date no one has spotted which ones they are. Not even natives! In these cases, there is a huge amount of information at our disposal but I find the most useful resources are travel blogs, expat’s blogs and You Tube videos. They tend to be more personal and in some instances quite quirky, revealing useful insider knowledge. I’ve spent hours on YouTube looking at drone footage of a particular place to ensure I knew exactly how far away the car park was.
And finally the most important thing when thinking about setting, is that it’s important to recognise that you’re not writing a travel piece. Waxing lyrical about the views, the architecture, the customs or the food, for pages on end doesn’t win any prizes or readers. You’re still writing a work of fiction, readers want to relate to or recognise a place but they don’t want to plough through lengthy descriptions which bog down the pace of the narrative. Always try to have some action taking place within the setting to keep things moving along.
Where ever your writing takes you, enjoy the journey and let it whisk you away somewhere wonderful.
(c) Julie Caplin
About Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin:
Welcome to New York, where the Christmas lights dazzle, the snow is falling and love is just around the corner…
Evie Green’s Christmas dream turns into a nightmare when a viral video makes her the laughing stock of the internet. But then a 5 star hotel sees a PR opportunity and invites her to New York for a Christmas she’ll remember forever.
Enter Noah Sanderson, a disgraced soccer star seeking anonymity. Forced to fake a festive romance for the cameras, sparks fly – but not the twinkling Christmas kind!
As Fifth Avenue sparkles in all its holiday glory, can The City that Never Sleeps show these two frosted hearts that, maybe, the best love stories are the ones you never see coming.
Don’t miss this cozy Christmas spin off series from the million-copy-bestselling author of the Romantic Escapes series! Each book can be read as a standalone.
Order your copy online here.
And read more on setting the scene for your novel on Writing.ie here.
