Halloween season gave me an idea for a paranormal genre book. I was wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to use the place I live for a setting. I live on my family farm on the outskirts of town, several thousand acres of farmland, several thousand head of cattle, near a small town on the outskirts of Bakersfield CA, and also has acquired an old military base where the military did stealth research in the 70s or 80s, buildings and radar tower still intact. Do you guys think it would be bad to use everything as it is, with possibly a name change, or should I change more or just create an entirely new setting based on my land?
If the story will work in your setting then l can think of no reason not to use it. I always set my stories in places l'm familiar with but usually give the places different, yet similar, names.
I think an old military site would be ideal for a paranormal genre story. Why change anything? I always use places I know or have known before. Why not?
ditto the 'why not?'... lucky you! a farmer/rancher-owned former military base used for secret research certainly suggests countless story ideas to me! [relax, i don't write fiction any more, so won't steal your location for my own stories] love and hugs, maia
It sounds like a perfect setting for any paranormal type story. You could if you want change the name and a few little things. As many on this forum said write what you know. This is probably while non of my stories end up very good.
Lots of writers use their own locations or places they've lived in the past as settings. Phillip Roth used Newark for "The Plot Against America"; Richard Hooker was born in New Jersey, but attended Bowdoin College in Maine, and in "M*A*S*H", Hawkeye Pierce was from Maine, and both of his sequels - "M*A*S*H Goes to Maine" and "M*A*S*H Mania" - are set there; James Michener's "The Novel" is set partly in his Pennsylvania Dutch country; and Stephen King, who I believe hails from Maine, has set several of his novels in Maine (or places that are very much like Maine).
Use any setting you have been to first hand as a primary source of information whenever possible. You will be able to write with the most detail when describing places you have seen personally. I do however think it is better to avoid using specific names of places that you are associated with. For example, I use the high school I graduated from as a setting, but I don't call it . Just seems like something to avoid to me...
I am a firm believer in writing what you know. Someone famous said that once, though I can't remember who. I could never write accurately about places I've never seen.
Yeah, I do that myself. The detailed pictures in my head are that much easier to relay to the reader.
