what are the pros and cons of writing about a real place vs a fictional place? For example, the story takes place in a county in North Carolina..... do you use a real county, or make up your own? would this be harder as opposed to making up your own town in a real county?
For your specific example, it would probably be better to use a preexisting county, but I'm sure you could make your own town if it's small enough (Lovecraft was known for having some of his stories be set in the New England area but he created the fictional Arkham and Innsmouth for his stories. But his stories have an element of fantasy and superstition, so he could get away with it IMO). But for my writing in general...I can't write about real, existing places. Because if it's set during a time that is known about, you'd have to ensure you get enough facts right so that readers aren't turned off by it. I prefer writing about completely fictional settings. It gives me much more freedom. However, the cons of writing a made up place lie within getting enough details that make the place feel believable. History, the culture, etc. Making it feel alive. Keeping consistency.
I think the real game changer is freedom. I am extremely paranoid when I choose writing real world because then I have to commit to getting everything right, which involves a huge ammount of research and it won't be long until I have to compromise my vision because checking everything becomes so troublesome it paralyses and sabotages the writing process. Not to mention that I just cannot accept that it's inevitable to commit some small mistake only the most niche of readers will notice, however just the thought of it is so rage inducing that I find myself into a page tearing rampage soon after. I find that my fantasy writing ends up being way more detailed and life-like than real world writing because I have the freedom to go wild on details and the small things that make a big difference on ambientation.
The pros of a real place would be that it's actually real therefore you'd have references to use from history, you already have a culture created and embraced by it's inhabitants and you also have a functioning society in that county. It's all already built for you, all you need to do is plop your characters in there and imagine them interacting with that culture and society. If your characters have a different culture or came from a different society then you've just created some interesting conflict/dilemma and that interests readers. It's all easier. The cons of a real place is the lack of freedom when it comes to the interactions your characters have, you're going to have to stick to a rigid frame that will not budge otherwise it becomes inaccurate and readers will call you out on it. You're not going to be able to add any new cultures in there nor will you be able to put in a different society. While it may be easier to write, it will also be very boring if you're looking to spread your wings out a little bit. It's also going to require you to do some research into the place, you're going to have to learn everything about it if you're going to portray the place properly and something may come up that you don't like but you can't just delete it or get rid of it since it's a part of that place. All your character actions, behavior, mannerisms have to reflect on this real place because people in real life will judge and react according to those actions. The pros of a fictional place would be the fact that it's not real and therefore you are the ultimate decider in what it is and what happens there. You can hand wave any inconsistencies without consequence, you can create your own culture, your own society, your own people and even your own kind of rules. It's very fun, it gives you a ton of freedom to go wild and you can just alter things around if it doesn't suit your current story because it's not a real place. You can just change how people behave or think about something if it doesn't go the way you want it to. You don't even need to create a complete history, you can leave details out since nobody is going to know about these details when reading your story and they don't have a real place to use for reference. The cons of a fictional place is that you're going to have to think a bit more deeper, you're going to have to think about creating a culture, creating a society, creating traditions, laws, ambitions. Once you've thought that up, you're going to have to think about how it affects this place, how will people act when born and raised under this fictional society? You'll need to think about how it all came to be and why it did. It's necessary because it all has to show in the characters that are native to this fictional place, you can't just plop some characters who were born there and have them act like somebody from New York, can you? You're going to have to maintain consistency throughout and that can be a nightmare when you don't have decades of history backing up your fictional place. So all in all, it's entirely up to you and it's largely dependent on the kind of story you want to tell because there is no easy way around either choice.
Use a bit of both. Mine is based in the English countryside but using an actual village there brought up too many road blocks. So I created a fictional village and loosely based it on an actual village. Further on in the story the characters travel north into Scotland and the East Coast of England, but again I will create fictional places loosely based on actual places. It gives a lot more freedom (IMO) but working from real places gives a good strong base to start from. Best of Luck. V
When you take real place to a story, you make it fictional. It will be a part of a fiction and by that it's narrative essence is fictional. When you write about a fictional place, you bring it's features to the real world. Storyworld is almost always between real and imagination.
Write about what you know, what it feels like when you don't know, and what you want to see made real, then make it real. Make it yours.
I believe is easier to create a place on your imagination, you can always get inspired by a culture, a certain story event on the past and then write the way you want.
Well if you use an existing place everything there for you. The layout of the area, maps, names, people, language, culture, history. It has a feel to it. But creating your own you have to do all the work which can be tedious if you're not into world-building nor interested in learning. However, you can make it your own. I did extensive research for my book because I wanted to create my own place but also have it be realistic. So I found this abandoned ghost-town that really exists. I stole ideas and the basic layout from that town but nobody would ever know because I changed so much. The centre building for the town was a community town, I just changed it to a cathedral for my book. Then gave it a more Gothic Victorian vibe.
How many counties are in North Carolina? Unless someone is intimately familiar with the state and its counties most people will accept it and continue reading. If a reader can accept a fictional country or an uncharted island, a fictional county in a real state won't bother them. Is it harder? If anything, I think it's more liberating.
If it was me I would write about a fictional place. That way you decide what's allowed and what's not allowed, basically if you create it then you know everything about that place. You can make it as wonderful and light or as horrible and dark as you want to. When I'm writing I almost always write fictional places and worlds, I dream them up, shape and mold them before bringing in characters. The only thing holding you back will be your imagination It's how much you can dream up, and I guess, how real you can make it for your characters and for the readers. I guess doing a real place would be easier because you can look it up and check back through history for important facts and dates, etc, but for me I'll always write about fictional places as I just love dreaming up and creating worlds and characters
I prefer fake country where laws are simplified, but with well known references for buildings. Describe a place a bit like a buddhist temple, and the reader fills the gap without going into too much detail. You don't want your treasure hunters of some kids' story getting into the legal matters of digging permissions for a specific time some hundreds of years ago. Laws change all the time, how cases are judged is fuzzy, archives are lost, maps are confidential and information is often inconclusive unless you trust sketchy sources.
Yep, that's what I'm doing with one of my stories and it will definitely be what I do once I start delving into folk horror (essential really). The places I'm using are very like the areas in which I've lived/currently live, which means I can literally go for a walk and take photos, make detailed notes, sketch, take sound recordings, observe what goes on and how it changes with the time of day, or weather conditions. At the same time, you can infuse it with memories, stories and anecdotes that your neighbours or people you chat to in the pub, or at the bus stop, share with you. It also has the great side benefit of increasing your attentiveness/mindfulness meaning that you get more out of your day. When I'm consciously tuning in instead of unconsciously tuning out (as we usually do), I see more, hear more, experience more of all the little things going on around me. Super zen.
Haha! Just reread what I wrote. I'm not really some Jedi master, senses tingling with the slightest change in the force all day
For my story, I’m using a set of prexisting towns. My personal pros and cons are the following: Pros: established culture, dialect, etc. to work off of. I live where my story’s setting is, so I know a lot about what I’m writing. It takes place in the future, so I don’t believe my creativity is being limited. In fact, I think having a prexisting location I’m familiar with gives it a boost. Cons: must avoid being too descriptive of real houses, stores, and other buildings. Also, I’m not going to include or even mention any real people. The way I see it is this: if you’re gonna write about a real place, you have two main options. You can keep it vague (in a large area like a state), or use a specific location. When using a more particular place, you can make up a town, etc., or use one you know a lot about.
I originally set my book in a fictional South American country and even finished the story. However, on reading through later several times, I realised that it would have more impact in a real Argentina and with people and places that I know. It brings a familiarity to the story and since I live here, I know all the places mentioned. I haven't used real names or referred to any, living or dead, but instead included many of the local idiosyncrasies. I'm also looking to having it translated to Spanish (Argentine, simple), so it made a lot of sense telling the story in a real country. It required a rewrite, but I think it was worth it.
