This weekend, I get to don an I-will-actually-wear-this-again-because-it's-so-cute bridesmaid dress and watch one of my best friends since childhood get married. Yippee!!! Parties, old friends, hotel room service... what's not to love? (Okay, I probably won't order off the room service menu because it's ridiculously expensive. But still. It's nice to know that if an emergency arose and I absolutely needed a chocolate shake, someone would promptly deliver it to my room.)
The wedding is in Kansas City, a place I visited a few times during my pre-writing days. But now that I'm pursuing this publication thing, travels are a little different. I'm a sponge. What if I'm walking down the same street as a future character? I notice smells, catch the vibe, watch the people, note any oddities that make a place particularly unique. Basically, I turn the knob on my observational tendencies to the max.
Can you guys relate? Have you ever fallen in love with a place, knowing you will see the same setting again in your story?
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25 comments:
I'm the same. Everywhere I go I watch everything in ways I never used to before. I haven't had place love put into a story yet, but I know it will happen.
Good luck with being a bridesmaid. Hope you enjoy the day. :)
Have a great time at the wedding! That's so great that the dress will be wear-able again. I definitely fall in love with places and elements weave their way into my manuscripts. Usually, I go seeking places that will mirror the world I need to describe. That way I can get the sensory details right. Have fun and PLEASE order a chocolate shake from room service. It'll be worth the ten bucks! ; )
You totally have to order room service. It's mandatory!
I know exactly what you mean? Last year I visited San Francisco, thinking I might use it in a story one day because it's such a well-known place. I took lots of pictures and tried to write down my memories. Lo and behold, I used it as the setting for my next story because it was perfect for that novel.
It helps to much being to the place you're writing about. Experiences get you so much further. Take notes and pictures if you can. And have fun!
Glad you liked the dress -- my hubby's from Kansas City, so I like visiting there. I'm still in love with with the state I was born in (North Carolina), so it's the setting of my current novel even though I haven't lived there in years!
Yes! now I pay a little closer attention to places I vacation or visit--just in case I want to use that info in my writing. :)
Have fun!
Lindsay: Yup, writing sort of breeds observers. :)
Molly: My sister and I splurged once and ordered milkshakes via room service. Ahhhh. You're right, so worth it!
Avitable: Well, if it's mandatory...
Cindy: Thanks for the advice! Maybe I will do some journaling while I'm there. :)
Kristi: Dude, I would totally use North Carolina as a setting if I knew it better. SO gorgeous.
Jennifer: Yup! It's funny how writing pervades the rest of life!
I really like your blog! I'm a new author and have enjoyed this new experience. I find that it's the most difficult and most rewarding. I'm also a graphic designer and love having that creative outlet as well.
Thanks for your post! I will be back for more updates. :-)
Melissa Nielsen
frommysomewhatseriousmind.blogspot.com
www.printhis.biz
Melissa: Thanks for visiting! It's so fantastic to have a creative outlet. Glad you have two! :)
Oh, what a treat to get a dress cute enough to honestly wear again! Score. (I hope you'll show a picture...I gotta see a bridesmaid dress that can be worn in real life:)
And you're right, even if the dress was ugly, celebrating love with old friends, parties, room service...it all adds up to FUN. And fodder! ;)
We travel a lot, and yes, I actually keep a small notebook in my purse...so I don't forget anything. Taking pictures, even cell phone pix, is a great idea.
Safe journey...and have a blast in that cute dress.
What a fantastic experience. Best kind of weekend! And yes, I knew when I first moved to the UK that I would set a story in the village we moved to. And I did!
AND, I'm kind of jealous that you got to wear a bridesmaid dress that wasn't hideous :D
Lovely layout to your blog, by the way!
Isn't it cool how everything looks altered in a writer's eyes?
Enjoy KC, and have a great time!
Oh yes. Definitely! For me it was Wroclaw in Poland. I'm still waiting to use it in a book, but it's there and waiting!
I can relate. There are certain places outside of where I live that I remember vividly, and that I'd like to use as settings in stories.
I've definitely done that. Everything I experience has the potential to somehow make it into my writing, be it a sight, scent, taste, or sound!
Lola: Thanks, Lola! It is a major score. :)
Carolina: Thanks for visiting! A village in the UK? Yup, I'm jealous.
Lydia: Yes, lots of alterations!
Talli: Oh yes! Poland pretty much demands some setting love.
Medeia: Yup, bring on the travels!
Heather: Same here! All sorts of Sam stuff bleeds into my writing, intentional and unintentional!
Hello again. I am back to tell you that I have a blog award waiting for you.
Medeia: Thanks for sharing some award love!
Ahhh, sounds like so much fun! I feel like a sponge, especially in old towns I use to live in or really beautiful places. I keep a little notebook in my purse for emergencies so I can jot down those good prose that come to mind!
Oh yeah, travel & trips = HUGE inspiration for me. Just like you said: for setting, characters, incidents, etc. I hope you get a good story (or two or ten) out of this!
Alexis: Yes, notebook in the purse is key!
Kristan: Thanks, amiga! Definitely loved the Kansas City vibe. :)
Sammie, I wish I had an experience like that where my nob on the observational tendencies are turned up. I never had one of those experiences and I can't relate to that at all, but boy do I wish I could. You are oh so cool.
Travel is an education in itself, isn't it? I fell in love with New Zealand just from the books and the sites I've visited.
One day I will go there. A goal! Roland
Roland: I think that goal is pretty fantastic.
Good luck with being a bridesmaid.
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