1. GhostWolfe

    GhostWolfe New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    78
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Brisbane, Australia

    Same location, alternate setting

    Discussion in 'Setting Development' started by GhostWolfe, Feb 26, 2013.

    In my recent novella, I created a fictional city & gave a few of the suburbs names to build a fairly simple setting. It's an intentionally vague current/modern setting of ambiguous northern hemisphere location.

    I'm currently formulating a new work, which I also want to set in a current/modern fictional city, except this will be a supernatural world.

    I know that the two works deal with different parts of the city - the former is highly restricted to a particular part of town, while it's fairly easy to explain why the latter doesn't deal with that area. So I'm thinking about recycling the fictional city for the new work.

    My question is: for people who read both, will this be annoying or distracting?
     
  2. iolair

    iolair Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2009
    Messages:
    263
    Likes Received:
    4
    Location:
    Exeter, UK
    Having thought about it, I doubt it would cause people a problem.

    To clarify, would it (or would it not) be possible for both stories to co-exist in the same city/universe, or does it require them to be treated as alternate universes.

    (Personally though, having developed also a detailed city in an 'ambiguous northern hemisphere location' I'm definitely just using it for one series of stories, and would not use it elsewhere. And I do mean 'detailed' - I even made street plans for every 30 years as it grew, to get the right feel for me even though I was only using it in near-modern day. The whole feel of the place is integral with the feel of the stories.)
     
  3. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2006
    Messages:
    19,150
    Likes Received:
    1,034
    Location:
    Coquille, Oregon
    if it's not a sequel or one of a series set in the same city, i see no good reason to use the same fictional city in two different novels... especially since one is the real world and the other a supernatural one, i'd strongly advise calling the one in the second novel something else and not using the same landscape/details...
     
  4. SaikoMatsui

    SaikoMatsui New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2013
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Philippines
    In my opinion, mixing these two worlds would be fine and it is possible for them to co-exist but for the matter of whether it will be distracting is more of how the world would be described.
     
  5. GhostWolfe

    GhostWolfe New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Messages:
    78
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Brisbane, Australia
    It's mostly laziness on my part because I find naming realistic city suburbs significantly harder than epic-fantasy locations.

    Thanks for the replies :)
     
  6. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2006
    Messages:
    19,150
    Likes Received:
    1,034
    Location:
    Coquille, Oregon
    i was tempted to use the 'L' word... it's good that you can see that it's the main un-motivating factor here... lazy writers don't generally go far...
     
  7. The Tourist

    The Tourist Banned

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2012
    Messages:
    1,081
    Likes Received:
    28
    Location:
    Wisconsin.
    Well, in two classic John Ford westerns the hero is seen galloping off into one of the "mittens" in Monument Valley at the end. It didn't seem to hurt his career...
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice