Location, location, location

I use real locations when I write. It's not a conscious decision, nor do I think of it as a hard and fast rule. It’s just what works for me. One day I could write a story set in some really cool fantasy setting that was created solely from my imagination, but for now, I find my stories in the quaint little towns that embody the southern charm that is Louisiana.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I’ll plop a restaurant or school or anything else I need where one really doesn’t exist but I strive to show the natural appeal of these neat little places. The photographer in me loves to have actual images to refer to when writing descriptions. I use maps, and Google driving directions if my characters have to visit another location. I try to incorporate local customs or food if at all possible. If you’ve never been to Louisiana – the food alone is worth the visit!



Crawfish and corn - Yum!

My husband knows this about me and is currently trying to talk me in to writing a story set in Costa Rica. And of course, we’ll have to travel there for “research” and then the trip will be a write-off, right? Not sure Uncle Sam will agree with that but it’s fun to talk about.

Actually, I’m thinking more about a "girls’ trip to New York" story. Shopping and plays on Broadway. Maybe a museum visit or two. Out on the town every night. 

I’ll definitely need to research that.

100 Sentences

How well do you know your characters? It’s a good question. My first answer was: Pretty good since I’m the one that created them! But there’s more to it than that. I ran across this post by Mary Kole, agent with Andrea Brown Literary. The first part of it really caught my eye.

This is just a piece of the article:

 Brainstorms and Tips

This works best with a character or a setting that’s giving you difficulty. Concentrate on  this place or this person and write 100 declarative sentences about her, him or it. Sounds simple, right? Well, it really calls into question how well you know what you’re writing about.

And so to prove to myself that I really know my characters – I took the challenge with the main character of my new WIP in mind. 

The first twenty sentences were a piece of cake.

By the time I got to sixty-five, I didn’t think there was anything else to say about her.

Mary warned me it would be hard, and it was, but I finished– and it was totally worth it. Through this exercise I learned so many things about her. And even though some of the sentences were - Her favorite dessert is Bananas Foster - it was important for me to know that she’s not a single scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cup kind of girl. No, she likes her desserts with a little flair. She likes a dessert that you have to ignite. And through this list making process, several other aspects of her personality showed themselves.

The entire post by Mary is great and has some really awesome tips. I’m moving on to the “Reading Aloud” exercise. I’m sure my family’s gonna love me after that one!   

And since all this talk of Bananas Foster has my mouth watering - I want to share this recipe from the website for Brennan's Restaurant (one of the best places to eat in New Orleans):

This is the actual Bananas Foster recipe from the original source and creator of this dessert: Brennan's Restaurant. In 1951, Chef Paul created Bananas Foster. The scrumptious dessert was named for Richard Foster, who served with Owen on the New Orleans Crime Commission. Richard Foster was a frequent customer of Brennan's and a very good friend of Owen.

BANANAS FOSTER

• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup banana liqueur
• 4 bananas, cut in half
  lengthwise, then halved
• ¼ cup dark rum
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
  
  Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.