Novels are a work of fiction, but authors must decide how they are going to position their imaginary characters within the real world. Unless the story takes place entirely within a made-up fantasy or science fiction world, the characters will live and interact in the larger real world, and every writer needs to find their own sweet spot between the real and imaginary.
When I started Bicentennial Eve, I had to decide whether the story would take place in a real Wisconsin city or an imaginary one. I decided to place it in the fictional town of Middleport. While it’s inspired by the city where I grew up, setting the story in made-up Middleport gave me more flexibility with the town’s geography and history. The made-up town as a stand-in for a real place is a choice that many writers make; Elizabeth Strout, for example, sets many of her novels in the fictional towns of Crosby and Shirley Falls, Maine.
Other novelists make the choice to set their stories in real communities. Elin Hillenbrand, for example, writes novels located on the real and beautiful island of Nantucket, instead of a fictional island inspired by Nantucket, like Peter Benchley did when he set Jaws on the made-up island of Amity.
Either choice has its tradeoffs. A real place is more vivid to readers, but the author is constrained by the real town’s geography, architecture, and history. A made-up place seems a shade less real to the reader, but it gives novelists creative freedom for making up geography and history that exactly suit the story.
A general rule of thumb is that fictional places with a tiny footprint – such as small towns and small colleges – are easier for readers to accept than large fictional places, such as big cities, huge universities, and massive corporations. Small imaginary places do not disturb the reality of the larger world. For instance, a make-believe town of 1,000 people in northern Wisconsin does not alter what northern Wisconsin is: a tranquil area of lakes, rivers, and forests dotted with small towns. A fictional city of 200,000 people plopped somewhere between Rhinelander and Hayward, however, fundamentally alters the very fabric of northern Wisconsin and shifts the story from realistic fiction to alternative history.
While it’s the specific details that bring stories to life, sometimes vagueness can also serve a story by artfully blending the fictional with the factual without calling attention to the make-believe. For example, in Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware mystery series, the protagonist lives and works in Los Angeles, which is described in precise and loving detail. However, the character often uses an unnamed university for research, simply referred to as “the U,” which the reader may assume is a stand-in for UCLA or USC. By simply not naming the university, the author can create fictional professors, fictional students, and fictional scandals without drawing the reader’s attention to the dissonance of a fake public university inserted into a real city or a real university with imaginary professors and students.
In addition, to setting, writers should consider how their characters will interact with the real world of pop culture and current events. Will they watch real television shows or fictional ones? Follow a real sports team or a made-up one? Attend real colleges or fake ones? Work for real companies or fictional ones? For example, in Steven Rowley’s funny and sweet novel The Guncle, the main character, a washed-up actor, starred in a fictional TV series, but he lives in the very real Palm Springs and the book is sprinkled with references to Amazon, the prime minister of Canada, and other real people and places. In Bicentennial Eve, the characters read real books, listen to real bands, and follow the real Brewers. My rule of thumb was an imaginary town surrounded by everything real in the larger world.
The mix of real and imaginary in a novel is up to the writer. No matter what blend the writer chooses, the key is to be thoughtful and consistent with how the characters interact with the real world around them.
Upcoming events
Nov. 7: Selling and signing books at the Southeastern Wisconsin Book Festival, Carroll College
Nov. 21: Signing books at Literatus & Co., Watertown
On my nightstand:
The Carving of Mount Rushmore by Rex Alan Smith
The House on Hemlock Hill by Brittni Nelson – a new Fresh Water Press novel targeted to middle-school readers
Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments by Joe Posnanski
Looking forward to reading:
Unbroken by Tina and Jason Prigge – Fresh Water Press will release this inspiring memoir on Feb. 14
Julie A. Jacob, Writer 