Because I need a little motivation

[kriadydragon]

I know this is going to be a redundant question, because I know people do this all the time, but how often do you write stories that take place in cities or countries you've never been to and know next to nothing about (until you research, of course)?

I'm about to write a story that takes place in Ireland, but the thing is I always feel a bit guilty writing stories in other countries since I'm not from there and know only what I research. A part of me feels like I don't have a right to write about places I don't know or have never been to. And it's not like the story needs to take place there, that's just where the plot decided it wanted to happen.

I have no intentions of changing the location - since this is where the story wanted to take place then this is where it'll take place, and I have no desire the change the location. I just need help getting past this reluctance.

Or do I need to change my mind and have it take place closer to home? :/ I know it would probably be easier but... I don't really want to :/

Comments

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

Or do I need to change my mind and have it take place closer to home? :/ I know it would probably be easier but... I don't really want to :/


NO!!!
Do not even go down that road...........
If that is where your first thoughts took you, then stick with it

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and the thing about me is that once I make up my mind it can be hard to change, specifcally where stories are concerned.

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

(((((NODS))))))
You need to stick with the original plan
To do otherwise would throw a monkey wrench in it
and lead to all sorts of problems.

[karri-kln1671.livejournal.com]

I tend to write in a US setting, because, more important for me than the researchable geography and so on, I have a better understanding of the nuances of language, custom, culture, etc. for the US. I've seen/read so many things with Brits trying to write an American character or an American trying to write a Brit in which it was blatantly obvious that the writer was the wrong nationality that I'm wary of doing it.

Generally, if I don't want a US setting, I go into fantasy or sci-fi and go to a different world altogether.

That said, I have read writers who pull it off just fine. I'd say, if you really want to set it there, then set it there and find yourself and Irish beta to fix the little nuances that are hard to pick up via research. (ie. the different usage of words like clever and smart when said by a Brit verses an American.)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's those little nuances that make me nervous about writing stories that take place in other countries.

[karri-kln1671.livejournal.com]

Here's my friend, Dot: http://dot-o-choillmor.livejournal.com/profile . She's lives down in the Cork area of Ireland and would, I expect, be happy to talk to you.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you :D

[race-the-ace.livejournal.com]

You don't know me, but a friend pointed me over here (because I did a semester abroad in Ireland), but I think you should go for it! It's always tough writing in places outside of our comfort zone but there's definitely people out there to help you along the way, should you choose to want that, and doing research will definitely be helpful even if you haven't visited.

I'd actually recommend maybe watching some movies that take place in Ireland, such as Once or Leap Year or even In Bruges (dark comedy) since it has two Irish actors in it. Leap Year was super cheesy but actually pretty accurate in a lot of ways.

If you do have questions, you can hit me up with them and I can try and help you as much as possible (even though you don't know me). :D

Good luck!

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

*Waves* Hi!

Thank you so much for offering to help. This is the first story where I've really had to research and I'm feeling a bit over my head. So any help, even a little bit, would be much appreciated.

My two biggest questions is what would "the middle of nowhere" (the boonies, schticks, etc) be referred to as in Ireland and if they have a different way of referring to a private investigator (or do they call them PIs or detectives too?).

[race-the-ace.livejournal.com]

The country or the sticks (which I think is generally just for places outside of Dublin [they're pretty snobbish about being from Dublin]). A culchie or a bogger is someone from the country.

As for PIs, that I don't know at all, sorry. I know that crime in Ireland was very low, so low the cops (Garda) didn't carry guns. A little googling seems to suggest it's also private detective.

Oh! Something else that can help you. You probably already know this, but just in case, each country has it's own google and different results will come up depending on which country's you're using. Ireland's is google.ie . I say this because if you try googling things there, you're more likely to get an Irish version or an Irish answer or in this case confirmation that they're called private detectives.

Hope this helps!

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D

[race-the-ace.livejournal.com]

Np!

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

I know where you're coming from, and I have the problem all the time. Most of my fanfics take place in the US, in places I've never been (e.g. New York) that I only know from photos, moving pictures and tales of others. It can be hard to write, and it always helps if you have a good beta who will call you on things that don't work.

I've been to the US multiple times, so it's not like I don't know anything about the country or the people. But it's just that extra bit harder to write something that's set in a place you've never been to yourself.

I've been to Ireland twice, but the first time was in 1998 and has almost entirely been wiped from my memory. The second time was a 5-day trip to Dublin. I can't really claim I know enough about the country to help you out. Now, if you set this in Scotland, that would be a whole other matter. :-)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Heh, I do live in the US - have moved around quite a bit in my life so have been to a lot of places - and I still get nervous writing even US locations. Even places I actually lived! There's just so many little things that you can't really research unless you know someone who's lived in the place you're writing about. Like how New York doesn't actually have alley ways in which to have your character mugged. I had no idea about that. Or if you want to write about crop fields in Kansas go with brome or corn.

Now, if you set this in Scotland, that would be a whole other matter. :-)

That's ironic because my story was inspired by a movie set in Scotland, but because the actor in said movie is Irish in real life I decided to go with Ireland (I'm sort of borrowing him as the template for my character). The inspiration often dictates a lot more about the story idea than it probably should, so I end up writing in locations I know nothing about.

[frith_in_thorns]

I have never left Europe (and it's not like I've done much travelling within it) and I write about the US aaaall the time :P In my experience, people care about the story much more than the little details, so don't stress about it too much :)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D That does help me feel better. I'm rather self-conscious about these things, especially since there are people who can be rather protective of their country and culture. And then, of course, there are the nit-pickers :S

[frith_in_thorns]

Heh, back when I was writing for CSI: NY, the climax of one of my stories was set on the Brooklyn Bridge. The topography of which I got completely wrong. (I had no idea about a raised walkway section, and assumed it would have sidewalks on either edge and a barrier along the middle, like road bridges I'm used to.) If I'd realised what the surface of the bridge was actually like, I would have had to rewrite that bit of plot quite considerably! XD

(I think I got ~20 comments on that chapter. Only one person told me about my fail, and she did it in a "it doesn't really matter, but FYI" sort of PM.)

I think it's definitely very valid to be careful about how you present people, and the sorts of cultures people belong to, but there is much more leeway with settings. And, really, as long as you don't fall back on stereotypes (which I know you won't), I seriously doubt you'll go wrong with the people, either :)

[sholio]

Good luck! :) I am currently struggling with this myself. I worry about it more in original fiction than fanfic -- fanfic, at least, takes place in "TV land", where shows are often filmed in different locations than they are supposedly set, and geography is stretched or squeezed to make the plot work.

I think others are right that if you do research and are respectful towards the place you're writing about, people will be forgiving of minor mistakes. For my book set in Ithaca, NY, I've been stressing over such ridiculously minor things as whether I've described the right kind of bushes growing in the ditches along the roads -- something that I expect 99.99% of the people who live in the town would never notice! But really, if the book has likable characters and an interesting plot, your readers will be focused on that. A handful of readers with very specialized knowledge may notice details that are slightly wrong, but there's no avoiding that; I expect that every book has a few things like that in it.

I think this was already recommended, but I've found it very helpful to read books and watch movies set in the time and place I'm researching to get a feel for the general cadence of characters' speech. Books like, say, memoirs or travelogues written in a chatty style are especially useful for finding out some of the little details of life in a particular place. (Obviously there is always a risk of accidentally repeating someone else's errors, but as long as you research the big stuff, I don't think every last detail in someone's memoir or movie has to be fact-checked.)

There's always little_details for asking specific questions -- I've used it myself with the Ithaca novel. I've also noticed that when you ask a question, you tend to get WAY more information than you asked for ... but in a very good way! People tend not to just stop at "Yes, there is a McDonalds in Dublin" (or whatever) -- they go ahead and give you personal anecdotes and disagree with each other where their personal experiences are different, which is absolutely great information for a writer!

Oh, and also, I've been trying not to worry about it TOO much on the rough draft, beyond doing the research that I need to do to write it. But you can always fix something that is inaccurate at the second draft stage.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D

I'm such a self-conscious person and nit-pickers have a way of intimidating me, so I worry too much about the little things when I know I really shouldn't. Right now my biggest worry is trying to prevent Americanisms from creeping in but without caving to using every little bit of Irish Vernacular I've researched (by the way, Googling "*location* vernacular" - like Irish or English or Italian or whatever - helpful as all get out).

I am feeling a lot better about tackling this, though. I totally agree - movies and books that take place in the location you're writing about are awesome. And having people in which to ask those questions you can't research are wonderful. I think the only real set back is that I'm focusing a little too much on keeping out Americanisms and balancing the vernacular and not so much on the story itself. I really need to get out of that head-space since, as you said, I can worry about it later.

[kajahryujin.livejournal.com]

I think you are completely fine to write a story based in a place that you yourself have not been before. That is kind of what authors of historical fiction and some other genres do. I have read really good novels where an author got enough facts correct that you could tell that they were trying. A friend of mine, who is a published author that has reviews for some of her books that are very good, has never been to the Middle East. She just finds people that have lived there or been there for other purposes and asks them questions about it. She also told me that she did an extensive research of the cultures and peoples that live there. From what I could read the book had things portrayed in a correct manner. Researching using the encyclopedia and books about the country will probably be better than the internet in some cases, since so much of that is swayed by popular opinion. At least if you do that it is better than just making stuff up as you go along. Also, you could search newspaper articles and things like that from Ireland using Google and acquaint yourself with how things work around there both from a vocabulary and geographical standpoint. Having a good map of the area would be great.
In closing, I think that so long as you put forth a good effort to research the area you want to use you have every right to set a story there. Just make sure not to give into stereotypes that you would read or see about the people of that country and you can portray it accurately. One of my favorite authors sets stories in modern day London, despite never being there. My acquaintance from the UK said he never would have guessed that.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like the newspaper article things:D I hand't thought of that.

I've been researching like crazy, using books, movies where I can find them, asking people, and Google has actually been nice to me and given me some actually useful research results. Right now my only hiccup is that I'm focusing a little too much on the vernacular and not enough on the story, which I need to worry about later if I want to do the story itself justice. I have a bad habit of trying to get everything right the first time even though I know that's impossible.