WRITING PROMPT: A Sense of Place with Bethany Hegedus

Writing Prompt/Superb Settings by Bethany Hegedus

My first two novels, Between Us Baxters (WestSide Books, 2009) and Truth with a Capital T (Delacorte, 2010) are both southern novels—one set in the civil rights era South and one contemporary—as in the present day—the events in the book could be taking place today, at this very moment. This one. Now. Or whatever moment the reader picks up the book and delves into Maebelle and Isaac’s story.

Both books are set in fictional Georgia towns. Between Us Baxters takes place in Holcolmb County, Georgia in 1959 and Truth with a Capital T takes place in Tweedle, Georgia. (AKA: Twiddle-Your-Thumbs-Georgia, as there is not a lot to do.) I choose both to be in fictional towns rather than real-life towns as I like to be influenced by reality but not be tied to it. But, when it comes to setting aren’t we supposed to be portraying something real? After all, I write historical and contemporary fiction—not fantasy.

Well, for me, to produce realistic and vibrant settings I like to call upon a place, but to not stay tied to that place. For Between Us Baxters, I imagined Holcolmb County as Burke County, Georgia—a county not far from Augusta, Georgia where I taught high school in the mid-1990’s. I called upon the pine trees I loved, the willow I would sit under as a girl, and the scent of rain as it transformed red, cracked Georgia clay into mud. I used my senses—calling upon real details—the way a windshield fogs in the South from the inside out due to humidity, the way a tree can not only shade you but welcome you, and the way a trip into the woods alone can turn from feeling freeing to daunting in a matter of minutes as the sun goes down.

For Truth with a Capital T, I drew on the small town of Halleyville, Alabama where my grandpa and grandma Bell lived. My last trip to Halleyville, Alabama was when my grandpa died. But, I do remember being in the car, signing Kenny Rodgers songs on the trip from Chicago, and crossing over a bridge on the way into town. The bridge was just an itty, bitty thing. It went up and and then down—kind of the shape of a slinky (Yes, I am a 70’s kid) and before we knew it we were on the other side of the bridge. That bridge had a nickname and I am a sucker for nicknames: The Kiss-Me-Quick Bridge, because if you were going to kiss someone as you went over it better be quick. That bridge and its nickname worked its way into Truth with a Capital T. It is an integral part of the plot. Many a scene takes place under the bridge, in the muddy waters below and it is a place of great significance as Maebelle explores her family’s history and their mysterious past.

Writer Prompt/Creating Superb Settings

Think of a place that you love. That feels familiar to you. It can be a large scale, like an entire town, or small scale, like a tree or a bridge. Imagine being there. What do you see? What can you hear? How does the air smell? Brisk? Clean? Are you indoors or outside? Now, picture your main character in this spot. How does he/she think or feel about this place? Is it special to them or is it common place? Does your character have the same feelings about the place as you do or are they different, how so and why?

Have your character move around this place. Are they walking? Jumping? Sitting? Standing? Caressing worn upholstery? Kneading dough on a hard counter? Are they wading through a stream? Turning the pages of a book? Facing an enormous crowd? Watching a sunrise? Is anyone with them? If so, who? Is this person friend or foe? Does your character need to hide or does your character welcome this new guest? Are the quarters cramped or expansive?

Is this place currently in your work-in-progress? Could it be? Should it be?

When creating settings we have much to think about.  We need to think about character, about the time and place of the story, but we can also spend some time not thinking, but imagining.  For me, the magic happens when I plumb my own memories, combine those memories with who I know my main character to be, and then and only then do my settings come close to being superb.

Books by Bethany Hegedus:
Grandfather Gandhi (forthcoming Atheneum Books)
Truth with a Capital T (Delacorte Press, releases Oct. 12th!)
Between Us Baxters (WestSide Books/09)

Co-Editor, Hunger Mountain Young Adult & Children's
www.hungermtn.org/   
readergirlz Austin Host
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For more about Bethany, visit her website at:
http://www.bethanyhegedus.com/

Writing Prompt/Making Sense of Scenes with Jody Feldman

Setting plays an important role in a story. Whichever setting you choose, your character then uses its senses to interact with it during the course of his/her tale.  Today's Guest Blogger will help us to "Make Sense" of a scene in which our story is set through a quick and easy exercise.

I am pleased to have Jody Feldman, author of the fun and challenging mid-grade novel The Gollywhopper Games (set in a toy and game company headquarters!)here today to share some tips on how to bring our own settings to life, as she has done in her own books. 

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Making Sense of Scenes by Jody Feldman

I sometimes have confidence issues when it comes to setting, so I often look for unique places that can act as additional characters in my books. In The Gollywhopper Games, it’s the toy and game company headquarters. In The Seventh Level, it’s the assistant principal’s office, the school roof, and various other specific bits inside Lauer Middle School. For a book currently with my agent, it’s urban caves and for my WIP, it’s … well, it’s not time to talk about that yet.

I have one of those minds that needs to see the scenes – like a movie playing behind my eyes – before I can write effectively. So you would think that being able to visualize everything might make setting easy for me. The reality is, because I have this private viewing, I sometime forget my readers can’t see what I’m seeing. Often, I have to go back and layer it all in, from the big picture through sensory detail. Truly, that’s not a bad thing. When I concentrate on setting in isolation, I learn much more about my character when the world comes through his or her point of view. With that in mind, I offer this writing prompt.

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            Your character’s science teacher has been talking about the senses in class. It’s a nice day and she’s aching to get outside, so she has everyone in the class pair up, walk anywhere around the school grounds for ten minutes then reassemble to write a couple paragraphs about the outdoors. What does your character write?

            Now, suppose the scene above happened with one difference. The reason the teacher paired up the class? One of each pair is wearing a blindfold, and your character’s the one. What does your character write now?

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THE SEVENTH LEVEL 

(from the book jacket)

Lauer Middle School has a super secret society. The Legend. No one knows who is in it. Or how they pull off the spectacular school-wide events.

Seventh grader Travis Raines may be about to find out.

A shiny blue envelope marked FOR YOUR EYES ONLY mysteriously appears in his locker. You have been chosen, the message says.  But if Travis is to become Legendary, he must first solve the mind-bending puzzles and complete each challenge. Then he needs to stay out of trouble. The assistant principal has her eye on him.

So do his parents.

And even if he does all that’s asked of him, Travis still has one question: Is the message really from the Legend?

ABOUT JODY FELDMAN

Jody Feldman never knew she always wanted to become an author (something she now knows.) The Gollywhopper Games (HarperCollins/Greenwillow) was named the 2008 Midwest Bookseller Choice Awards Honor Book and is or has been on 12 state reading lists. Her second book, The Seventh Level (HarperCollins/Greenwillow) debuted four months ago on the Summer 2010 Indie Next List. When she’s not trying to dream up a plot for her next book, you can often find Jody watching football, working puzzles, cooking something new, and trying to find a way out of doing laundry. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

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