This week, we finally managed to install our new (not new ) item of furniture - a mid-18th Century grandfather clock. It's not bright and shiny like more modern ones, but a dark oak with a warm patina which the beeswax polish is drawing out. In order to set it up, we had to do a certain amount of research - how to hang the pendulum, where the weight went on the endless chain - and it got me thinking... where and when did certain divisions of time come from? The time periods which I have written either had household clocks or didn't, I have not written novels from the time of their invention. Clocks have been around for a long time, and the obsession with measuring time in an ordered fashion dates back to at least the ancient Sumerians. It was they who established a circular reading of time and, I imagine, the sixty seconds/minutes came about as much because it was an easy way to divide a circle as anything else. But it wasn't until much later that the precision of seconds ...
Mehrangarh Fort - the inspiration for Caer Cleon in Doorway to the Sunset
Writing a blog about writing settings is like writing a blog about the length of a piece of string. The fact is: the setting will likely depend on the genre and, as I have said many times, Middle Grade is an age range, not a genre.
But, I can at least offer some hopefully-handy tips on how to get ideas for your setting.
Firstly, it helps to have some idea of your setting to begin with. Do you want the scene to be in a forest, or perhaps you're looking for some building inspiration. This is where I get really controversial.
When to use AI
AI gets quite a bad press in the creative world, and for good reason. But to have a blanket ban on using AI to help you with the creative process is to shoot yourself in the foot.
There is a time and a place for AI, and one of those times, I would argue, is when looking for inspiration. There are some good picture generators out there, and all you need to do is write a description and it generates a picture. The great thing about AI pictures is that they're instant. And, while it would be good to commission an artist in the post-writing phase, I wouldn't recommend this pre-writing.
To help with inspiration, type in a description to an AI imaging website, and see what it comes up with. Perhaps they won't fit with the idea in your mind, but what have you wasted? A few seconds.
A Picture Tells a Thousand Words
Caer Cleon in Doorway to the Sunset is based on Mehrangarh Fort because it came up on my desktop one day and looked so awesome! I could imagine birds floating in and out, and decided it would be perfect for the buzzards' magnificent stronghold. Yes, over time, the building changed and adapted to suit the needs of the story, but it was great to have an idea from a picture when I first started writing.
When to Plan Your Settings
Well, this really depends on your writing style. Personally, I'm more of a pantser than a plotter, meaning most of my ideas come to me as I'm actually writing. For some stories, I plan the plot meticulously, but the settings are often something that comes as and when I need it.
I'm certainly not saying this is the way to go, but it works for me. I find, if I plan the setting while I'm actually writing, I can make it exactly how I need it to be.
Just one warning, though...
When you have made decisions about your setting, whether it is before you write, or during the writing phase, do make sure you keep a notebook of what you have decided. Trust me, you'll need it!
What's New With Crowvus?
What's new? We've been poorly, that's what! Other than that, it has been redrafting and book covers! We now have a book cover for Beneath a Darkening Sky by Judith Crow that is being published in October this year. I can't show you just yet though - we'll be scheduling a time for a cover reveal soon! Watch this space!
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