A Sucker for Setting

I admit it. I'm a sucker for setting. Novels I read, poems I love, movies I watch all have me in the first moment when they draw me into a world that I romanticize. And it doesn't have to be an exotic place. A coastal town, for instance, is enough. In fact, a coastal town will draw me in each time and not let me go. It is for this reason that one of my favorite places to travel to is the North Shore. I'm talking about Minnesota and the towns spread along the shore of Lake Superior. Duluth has long been a special place to me, as well as Grand Marais. I readily admit that being born and raised in North Dakota is probably the reason I love coastal settings so much. I dream about those places I don't regularly visit. 

The reminder of my interest in coastal cities is Jaws. This was the movie my wife and I watched last night as part of our October tradition. It is one of those movies I've watched only once or twice before, but each time that setting just draws me in. Of course, the characters aren't too bad, either. But that setting is where it's at for me. 

A lesson is to never underestimate the power of setting when it comes to writing our stories. I have known this for years now, and that is why I let me readers know upfront what setting they are about to be transported to. A novel I've been working on for the past month is set in Old England, a time of castles and creatures. That's the only line an audience needs to be all in. A coastal city where swimmers are vanishing is enough to draw me in, too. It doesn't hurt that Jaws' story is itself excellent. Well done, Jaws.