Looking through my posts for August, I realized I hadn't done a story cupboard post yet this month. For some reason these posts seem to get the most hits according to my stats, so they must be of some help to you writers out there. And there's an added bonus, I love writing them!
Our county fair is this week, which got me thinking about setting. For me, the fair is a great story starter. You've got all kinds of wonderful characters, from carnies to clowns, that can stroll through your story.
Oh, and great places to commit crimes. You could hang a body from the Ferris wheel and watch it go round and round. Have someone stomped to death in the animal barns, or smothered with one of the needlework exhibits. And that's just a bit of murder. You've got pickpockets who could pick the wrong pocket, thieves, kidnappers, or rival exhibitors who try to sabotage each other.
Bodies of water are great places to set stories, just ask Mark Twain. You've got oceans, rivers, ponds, creeks, swamps. All of these are great places to hide bodies, kill someone, find buried treasure or just steal from one of the cottages. Back years ago, they used to strip the copper water pipes out of cottages to sell for scrap - still doing it these days as a matter of fact.
And of course you've got grocery stores, parking garages, malls, warehouses, the list of settings goes on and on. You just have to pick a spot and imagine what kind of crime could be committed there and how.
Oh, and if you're writing sci-fi, how cool would an intergalactic carnival be?
2 comments:
An intergalactic carnival? I'm stealing that one.
Help yourself, Katherine, and have fun with it!
Post a Comment