Location! Location! Location!

Location is important in real estate, and important in fiction. I’ve been thinking about where Ashley’s and Justin’s story should unfold.

Hmm.

I know it would be easier for me to locate them near my home. But would that be fair to my characters?

I let my imagination run wild and tried to imagine where they could get married if they decide to marry. The possibilities were endless. So, I did some searching on the web and I found the perfect venue. It is in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville. Perfect.

I visited Nashville briefly years ago when I attended an American Christian Fiction Writer’s conference. However, my time was well-spent learning and networking during the conference. I didn’t have time for sightseeing.

Thankfully, when we drove into Nashville, my husband and I visited the Parthenon. It is a huge, gorgeous building.

But could I locate Ashley’s story in Nashville with only that brief visit?

I read an article where the writer suggested (wish I could remember where and give credit to the author) to write with knowledge about a well-known place a writer should immerse themselves in the location. Considering that advice, Nashville wasn’t looking good for the location.

At the present time, I cannot visit Nashville, and I believe my characters need to be in Tennessee.

So, I’ve thought of a perfect solution, I hope.

I will create a fictional town in Tennessee. Then, if I can visit Nashville again, and depending on what I discover, hopefully, I will put a few Nashville scenes in Ashley’s and Justin’s story.

A fictional town could give me problems, though. I write by-the-seat-of-my-pants. I can imagine creating a scene early in the story and perhaps have the characters skating on a pond and 30,000 words later, have a cemetery at the same location.

Not good.

A plan is needed. I think I need to create a map of my fictional town.  

I need to do research and discover how other authors handle fictional towns in their stories.

Stay tuned to see what happens next for Ashley and Justin.

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