Eagle River, WisconsinWhere will your story take place? That depends on your character.
Here are some questions which may help you decide setting:
Is your character urban, suburban, countrified?
What pastimes does your character enjoy?
Is your character single, married, divorced, separated? Any children?
What family members will the character relate to?
What kind of friends will your character bond with?
Does your character like to hear noise or only enjoys peace and quiet?
What about animals? Does your character require the company of one or more? What kind? A dog, cat, bird, horse?
What kind of job does your character have or is that person retired?
Does your character enjoy traveling?
Would your character rather live abroad than in America?
Or is your character afraid to leave the house at all?
Does your character like company or is your character a loner?
These are basic questions. I'm sure there are lots more, but at least they'll get you started. Answer them and you'll have a clue as to where to place your character. It may even be a quaint Wisconsin town like Eagle River.
Morgan Mandel
www.morganmandel.com
http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com
It's also worth keeping in mind that the character will be shaped by the place they live. Even before they get to choose where to live (someone else chooses it for them), they are influenced by their surroundings. And then when they're old enough to choose, that choice says a lot about them.
ReplyDeleteGood checklist for believable character development, Morgan. I use a similar technique when I write.
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