Very early this morning (around 1 a.m.), my family arrived back home after a couple of weeks away. Despite the mess still cluttering the front hall, the heaps of laundry waiting to be cleaned, and the piles of mail to sort, it's a wonderful feeling to be home. It's interesting, too, how everyone in the family makes contact with what is important to them. My younger daughter was barely in the door before she ran to check on her hermit crab; I snuck a peek outside at my garden with a booklight in the dark before I collapsed into bed.
It makes me think about story characters and how details about their home settings can add authenticity to a story. The details work to create the feeling or mood that you want to convey. Familiar and personal objects help project that feeling of comfort that comes when you are in your own place. But you could create a spooky or tense mood by including details that surprise your character or make them feel out of place -- a box that wasn't there before, lights that don't work, a mysterious puddle of water on the floor.
If your main character was away from home for a while, what would they do first when they got back? What kind of home does your main character have? Do you spend a lot of time thinking about your character's home?
This so true. The setting is a huge part of the mood of a book. And my MC did leave home for a while and then go back. It was fun to write!
ReplyDeleteGreat questions! I'm copying them down in my moleskine.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely important things to consider!
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