Location, Location, Location - Michelle Jackson

Any good property expert will tell you that location is the most important consideration before going to buy a house but for me it is crucial in finding the plot, characters and inspiration for my books! Where to start is the key and I usually let serendipity lend a hand with this matter. For all my books, I have used my own personal travels to set the scene for each novel. So planning a family holiday or weekend away with the girls may well be the starting point for my next story.

I like to write a book in the present and, if possible, reflect what is going on around me socially. This is why my book ‘Three Nights in New York’ was written at a time when people were travelling in their hundreds of thousands to the big apple to shop! My current novel ‘4am in Las Vegas’ came about after I met the NYC tourist board and they suggested that I take on Vegas as my next destination. I was never drawn to visit Las Vegas and it never struck me as a place that I would enjoy – to date I had written about Biarritz and Havana and found myself easily immersed in the culture and landscape of those two beautiful cities.

Havana especially was a place that I had always wanted to visit as I am a big Ernest Hemingway fan.  I made it my mission to trek to all the places that he frequented while he lived in Cuba. I remember clearly sitting on the harbour wall in the little town of Cojimar where Hemingway used to fish and where he found the inspirational character of Santiago for his novel ‘The old man and the Sea.’ While I sat there, near a bust of Hemingway that is beautifully made from the anchors and hooks that the fishermen donated, a wedding party passed by and they were tooting their horns and calling out and I made a mental note to put a similar scene into the novel when I wrote it.

In a way it is like painting a picture with words and this is where my background in the visual arts has helped me considerably. The wedding party was symbolic of the emotions that were passing between my main characters and it was the perfect place for them to show their first romantic feelings for each other. It was also nice after writing about New York to focus on a place that is in great contrast and although they are both beautiful in their respective ways Havana and New York are very different.

But Las Vegas was full of surprises and the one thing which hit me like a thunderbolt was the sense of the unreal and the impossible coming to life. I can vividly recall my first trip down the Strip after my husband and I arrived and the spectacle of the Eiffel Tower, Ceaser’s Palace and Statue of Liberty all in the same square mile. Thousands of bulbs illuminated the night and fountains burst forth in rhythm to the music playing in the background. A massive volcano erupted as we cruised along the strip. My camera was taken out and ready to capture each new sight as the taxi drove us to our hotel. I usually let my camera work in unison with my brain as I take in every little detail that interests me. I know that when I get to the writing process at a later date it is my camera that will reveal little details that I may have missed while I am too busy ‘drinking in’ my environment. I take hundreds of photographs while I am on a holiday and will record the flooring, light fittings and upholstery in every restaurant that I visit. I will then photograph the food on my plate and that of my companions and I have been known to slip the odd menu into my handbag but don’t tell anyone!

If there is a nice bottle of wine I will photograph the label and even though I may never make reference to the actual taste it helps me to give a flavour and mood to a scene when I go to write about it. This process makes it easier for me then to transport my characters back to the place where I have been and as I write their dialogue and actions the scene unfolds in my minds eye clearly as if I am watching a film. With my location set I can work organically with my characters and allow them to show me where they want to go with the plot and how much they want to reveal before moving on to the next scene. The glass of wine in a very plush restaurant may become an intricate part of a tense scene or display of affection between the characters. A whole mood can be created in a setting that allows the characters to say what they need to say. A scene can be turned on its head if the characters have an argument in the middle of this perfect setting. Sometimes I cringe with embarrassment as I watch in my minds eye the characters doing certain things in places where I have been! But I am glad that they do whatever they need to move the plot along.

This is a method that has worked well for me personally and I realise that other authors like to work out the cast and plot before they tackle the finer details. For me however, it is the detail that helps me to write the story.  I think this goes back to my love of the visual arts, beauty and the way that I process information in pictures. I hope that this helps the reader travel with ease to the places with my characters and enhances their enjoyment of the story – and then I get to relive my holiday over and over as I write my story!

Every author likes to put their own mark on their work and the best advice I can give is to be true to yourself and what you like to write. Don’t force your style, subject matter or characters. This will translate as a book without heart and truth and the reader will pick up on it straight away. Your writing is a reflection of you and how you view the world and the experiences that you have had or witnessed. So whatever the key element that gets you writing is, hone it, polish it, love it and it may become the anchor to cement your style and lead to a fulfilling writing career.

(c) Michelle Jackson, October 2011

Michelle’s novel ‘4am in Las Vegas’ is published by Poolbeg Press and out now!

For more from Michelle on Writing.ie, see 
Julie Murphy interviews Michelle Jackson 
Tales of Emigration: Great Writing, Great Places 

For more plotting, planning and research tips, we recommend; 
Ellen McCarthy - Writing Hooks,
Research Matters - Patricia O'Reilly,
Research, How Much Do You Need,
The Unreliable Narrator and the Art of Misdirection,
Story Cubes; Where Great Ideas Start,
Keeping Track of Your Plot,
Help From Hollywoodland 
See Inside Ruth Long's Notebook