Rosanne Dingli

Rosanne Dingli

Monday, August 30, 2010

Venice: A great location for a book

Vista de la plaza de San Marco (Piazza San Mar...Image via WikipediaVenice makes an excellent location for a writer to put inside a work of fiction. It's not difficult to see why this is. To make Venice one of the places where action takes place when writing a novel solves a number of dilemmas that writers often face.
How can a location solve a problem?

Well - writers like me try to make their readers vividly imagine scenes,  action, people and things. It is difficult for a reader to visualise a fictional place unless an author describes it minutely. I try to avoid lengthy descriptions, because I find it slows down the action. So how do I inject atmosphere without the words? Well - I use places like Venice.

So my action can take place in an easily-imagined location, and my readers can concentrate on what is happening, and the feelings and efforts of my protagonists, without getting bogged down with trying to mentally define the location in which it is all taking place. It helps that I have been there a number of times, and that I know how it feels to turn the corner at the public park and come upon the stretch of the lagoon. I know what it's like to stand aside to let people coming the opposite way across a narrow bridge pass, and then descend its steps into a tiny piazza where window boxes are filled with tiny flowers, next to an antique shop whose owner speaks five languages.

Because I have seen, felt, smelled and tasted Venice, I can make it come alive for my readers, whether they have ever been there or not, without needing too many words, because their imagination is already furnished with photos and films that other people have conveniently put in their minds.

Even if you have never been to Venice, it's not hard to picture, because it is one of the most photographed and filmed places on earth: it is easily brought into focus. You can see, in your mind's eye, the canals, the gondolas, the bridges and the little narrow lanes. You can see St Mark's Square, the Rialto Bridge, and the little islands called Murano and Torcello.

Even if you have never been there, you can imagine taking a waterbus and crossing the Grand Canal. You can see the churches in your head, and imagine how my heroine walks home along the traffic-free streets. You can see Santa Maria della Salute, San Giorgio, and the little shops that sell those beautifully painted and decorated carnival masks.

You can be there in an instant, with the minimum of description required from me.
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14 comments:

  1. That's an excellent tip. It shows how with a little foresight, you can use universal understandings to help draw your readers into your writing. You can even take it a step further and use established knowns to make a comparative analogy or reference, and readers will automatically infer those traits onto your own scene.

    Really nice explanation. Good reminder for folks like me who struggle to tell a story at times and too often take for granted that readers will "just know".

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  2. Nice observation, Paul. I never make assumptions about what readers know, but I do know that some places are just universally recognised. Thanks for visiting.

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  3. Rosanne....enjoyed this article a great deal. So often people tend to go overboard with the details. That is a quick way to lose someone's attention---It is a fine line and it appears your accomplishing what you have set out to do.

    http://www.kathycondons.blogspot.com

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  4. Well you certainly made me feel like I was in Venice. I have never been there but I have been to Florence. Your description put me back there crossing the bridges, seeing the Duomo and hearing and seeing the sights and sounds. A very good tip for writers.

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  5. Very nicely done. You have certainly transported me to Venice in this short post... proving that effective use of the right words can speak volumes!

    http://boaterlife.blogspot.com/

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  6. I really appreciate your visits, thank you! In a few days, I shall write about another location, so have another look in soon.

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  7. nice post... really enjoyed it.... hmm.. What you said is really true... the word "Venice" immediately sparkles up my mind with scenic pictures of canals and boats... and moreover your post is simple and easy to follow...

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  8. This is a comment sent to me through a group:

    Beautifully emotive description, even if its only to communicate how well you know the 'feel' of Venice.

    A wonderful example of a device for fictional or any descriptive writing, the difference between the face of a stranger, a close friend and someone everyone knows.

    I will have to look to my descriptive powers in case you visit.

    If your fiction is as good as your blog I'll also have to put you on my must read list.

    A joy!

    Laine D
    http://www.ThoughtsFromABroad.net

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  9. Daffodil and Laine - what you say about my writing is flattering. I hope my new book lives up to these expectations. It will soon be released by my publishers BeWrite Books.

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  10. You're not kidding. This is great.

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  11. I've always wanted to visit Venice. I look forward to reading more of your articles. Great looking blog!

    http://www.garretts-attic.net/blog

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  12. Thanks, ozonshak! I update quite often, so keep coming back.

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  13. Ah, Venice! The city I did not see in Italy. Thanks for taking me there!

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  14. Dayana - that's what I try to do in my book... take people with me while they're still in their chairs!

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