Set in Space?

Okay, so here's my post about story settings. This is a MAJOR problem for writers, so it's a good problem for me to tackle in my blog.

Historical Fiction

Have I ever told you guys that I think this is a stupid idea? I mean, it's great if some people want to spend all their time researching an era so they can set their story in it. That's great . . . for some people. Notwithstanding The Dance of the Twelfth Moon, which is really a spoof on a Regency Style Romance, I think that amateur writers who aim to do historical fiction are merely asking for a headache. I think that unless they spend MASSIVE amounts of time researching their setting, it comes off lame, ever so lame, when they actually write the story. There's also the possibility that they will get so hung up on the setting that they'll never actually get their story written. It's just one of the traps that people who WANT to write get caught in.

Fantasy

Whenever my husband reads, he chooses to read fantasy, and when he gets excited about the plot he wants to tell me all about it. Well, I sit and listen patiently until he's finished (I'd like to think this is what I do, but normally, I'm afraid I cut him off after he's done the synopsis for chapter three), and then I respond with one of the following:

• It's just like Lord of the Rings
• It's just like Harry Potter

If you ever wanted to see a guy become completely pissed off in zero seconds, this is a good way. And I shouldn't do it, but I can't help it. Everything he reads does sound like Lord of the Rings. Not that a fantasy setting can't be pulled off properly. I think it's just that once someone has free reign over their setting, they sorta forget to be creative with their plot.

Science Fiction

I sorta favour Sci-Fi. I actually think that the most powerful genre is a combination between Fantasy and Science Fiction. The problem with this one is 'Techno Babble'. It's about as relative to the plot as the setting because it describes the situation. Let me do an example.

• Contemporary Setting "We're trapped. The snow is just too deep!"
• Sci-Fi Setting "We're trapped. The hyper drive just stalled!"

See what I mean? I've been trying to teach myself to spew techno babble like a pro for years and I'm still no-where near the level I need to be. I should probably read more published Star Trek fanfic (notice how I didn't say Star Wars? Yeah, I'm jaded). But then I'd just learn their techno babble. Like that's gonna help me! Sheesh!

Contemporary

*yawn* How boring! Regardless of how boring some authors think this is -- and I know some authors think this. I personally LOVE a setting I can wrap my head around with little effort. I love the extra brain space this setting gives me for thinking about dialogue, the character relationships, the mystery, the plot, and everything else. It may seem boring, since it doesn't require the same craft as the other settings I mentioned, but I think it provides for a lot more fun. But that's not to say that there aren't a lot of challenges associated with writing in a contemporary setting. There are. Basically, I think it comes down to how well you know the world you live in.

Specific Setting

One of my on-line writing buddies once told me that she chose a specific setting for her story because she hated it when people had their stories take place in cities that had no name. I thought this was an interesting gripe. Especially, when I've read a few books that take place in my province and how ABSOLUTELY WEIRD I found them ... and coincidentally totally unconvincing. Anyway, I think this is okay. Well, you could just have it take place in Salem (is that how you spell that?), you know, the non-descript city that all the soap opera's take place in. Yeah, something like that.

Okay, now I'm finished my rampage. And I'm totally out of juice ^_~ as my rpg playing brothers would say.