Being inspired by a sense of place

[John Dean]

As some of you may know from my previous blogs, as a writer I am always inspired by a sense of place; it is something that features prominently in my DCI Harris novels (I am close to finishing the new one).

Whether it be a gloomy city or a stunning hillside, a glass-strewn council estate or a majestic waterfall, something about my surroundings triggers ideas.

So how do writers create sense of place? For a start, it is crucial if you write about a place that the reader can see it.

You have choices: do you write rich and vivid prose to paint a word picture or do you keep it minimalist - describe a tree in a park and we all see a different tree and a different park? Perhaps we only need to say it is a tree in a park?

If you seek to describe the setting, and the reader does need something to focus on, seek to use the following components:

Physical characteristics - what does it look like, any quirks which bring it to life?

Use your reader’s senses - what does the place smell, taste, sound like etc?

What does it feel like to be there? Whatever you do, do not make it too long (three or four major characteristics should do it). Description is important but overdone it slows the plot – modern readers tend to want pace so it pay to ration it.