Romance stories set in your hometown or city.

[Ron]

In an article in the Boston Globe, Meredith Goldstein a Globe advice columnist (Love Letters) reveals that she is a big romance novel enthusiast. For someone who writes about love and gives advice, it is perhaps a no-brainer that such a columnist would be into romance novels. But there is a caveat, Ms. Goldstein does not like romance stories based in the city in which she lives. She, in this case, unfortunately knows well the city of Boston. What some authors may think to be a sexy location... well, she does not see those locations quite the same way. I can see her point but I don't entirely buy into it. I live in Boston and I've written a short romance story set in the Boston/Cambridge area (Promise and Opportunity - written nearly four years ago) for a prompt and I think it works fine. Also, I wouldn't mind reading a gay romance short story/novel set in the small town where I grew up. Why not?

 

I would love to hear what your feelings are about romance stories set in your hometown. Can you just not get into it? Would it be a distraction from the pleasure of reading? Will you read just to see if you can gain some juicy gossip? Are you disappointed that no one has ever written a romance novel set in your hometown?

 

What do you think?

 

Meredith Goldstein article.

[FormerMember4]

I don’t mind stories about hometown, or city I live in. With that said; I am more critical. It’s sloppy writing when author doesn’t research locale.

[Brayon]

I've never read one set in Tampa, that was a love story, but there is a Horror/Paranormal one called The Vampire's Apprentice that was set in Tampa. It was good, had locations I knew in it, and took a lot of liberties with locations. But then again, I'm doing that in a story I'm writing. It was not off-putting at all but made me feel a little prideful that my Hometown was featured in a book.

 

On GA, I am writing an ongoing, romance set in Tampa called Finding Eros in Florida. It's a work in progress.

[mogwhy]

I think it is kind  of neat. i love it as long as the author knows/researches it well.  if i'm going to read a story based in any of the "hometowns" lived in, but i want the location to be real.

[Valkyrie]

I don't mind stories set in my hometown as long as they are done well.  I've read several stories on site that are set in New York State, some of them in areas I am quite familiar with.  It's very clear who knows the areas and who is simply using place names or the Internet to rely on information.

[Brayon]

1 minute ago, Valkyrie said:

It's very clear who knows the areas and who is simply using place names or the Internet to rely on information.

This is actually one of my concerns with my story set in Washington D.C. I've been using Google Earth, Google, and a friend that lives in D.C. to get information for the story, and I'm hoping it's not falling flat when I talk about places.

[Valkyrie]

Just now, BHopper2 said:

This is actually one of my concerns with my story set in Washington D.C. I've been using Google Earth, Google, and a friend that lives in D.C. to get information for the story, and I'm hoping it's not falling flat when I talk about places.

You should be good if you are using someone from the area as a beta reader.  My story "The Hollow Hills" is set in Vermont, and I've been there a handful of times, but not enough to be intimately familiar with the area.  I had someone who knows Vermont well contact me and ask me some specifics, and from there he became a second beta reader for portions of the story involving areas I'm not familiar with.  

[Brayon]

2 minutes ago, Valkyrie said:

You should be good if you are using someone from the area as a beta reader. 

He's read the parts I've done with D.C., and so far only had to change a couple of things.

[Defiance19]

I read a story a while ago, that was set in my actual neighbourhood.. The author mentioned the Hotel, library across the street, schools and bagel store. It was pretty much like stepping outside and being part of he story. 

The story wasn’t that great but the accuracy of the setting kept me reading excitedly to see where else I recognised. 

 

 

[Daddydavek]

I've always believed writers should write about what they know and everyone should know their hometown.  Having said that, if you write about another locale, please do your research as someone will always be willing to take offense that you got it wrong.  I've seen lot's of writers use a fictional locale because they don't want to identify places that someone might want to check out....and be disappointed.  If you take artistic liberties with locales, it might be best to add a chapter note alerting everyone.  

[Krista]

I just find it easier to write about places that are similar to where I live as I am seeing the places with my own eyes. It doesn't bother me, but since most of my stories are in a small town/rural setting stories that don't portray that well... I am critical of those moreso than stories I read based in large cities. New York might as well be a foriegn nation to me since it has been ages since I've been there. 

[FormerMember4]

2 minutes ago, Krista said:

I just find it easier to write about places that are similar to where I live as I am seeing the places with my own eyes. It doesn't bother me, but since most of my stories are in a small town/rural setting stories that don't portray that well... I am critical of those moreso than stories I read based in large cities. New York might as well be a foriegn nation to me since it has been ages since I've been there. 

Scenery also depends I’m less critical of a place like NYC. Author should have basic understanding. However; I lived there for years. Stores and restaurants come and go so often. 

[ReaderPaul]

The advantage of a fictional place is obvious-- no one can go there and see how the author warped the geography.  A fictionalized place is more tricky.  Someone might figure it out.

 

Authors should also do their geography homework.  One author not on this site invented a fictional city, then put it in a fictional location.  Oops!  There was a town of that name right where the city was supposed to be.  However, there is a big difference when comparing a real town of 2,000 with a fictional city of 200,000 people.

Several years ago, an author wrote a fictional romance featuring the area of the Midwest where I live.  While she got some of the main street names right, many other details were messed up.  I agree with others who say words to the effect of, "Either know a real town/village/city, or research, research, research!"

[Brayon]

41 minutes ago, Daddydavek said:

If you take artistic liberties with locales, it might be best to add a chapter note alerting everyone.  

I know for me, I have a note in my Story Description, that I've changed stuff. Also, added a chapter note, that I changed a train station to a fictionalized version after I got a PM from someone that travels through that station every so often.

[mollyhousemouse]

one of the authors here has written a story that takes place in and around where i live.

he's not from here.

he's got it almost all right, to the point where i routinely "see" the main characters.

when it's done right, there's a bit of a thrill in it.  shoddy research makes it a non starter.

as for fictional places, as long as the geography is consistent first chapter to last, it can be just as enjoyable.

[Timothy M.]

I guess the only GA romances set in my home towns in Denmark will be the ones I write myself.   If anyone uses a place I'm familiar with, it would be fun but I'd probably be critical of any mistakes.   Especially spelling mistakes  

Thankfully, so far no one from London has called me out on any mistakes in the story I have set there.

The author on GA who does the most meticulous research on locations, as far as I know, is @AC Benus. His story topics are usually filled with awesome pictures of places. 

[Former Member]

40 minutes ago, Timothy M. said:

I guess the only GA romances set in my home towns in Denmark will be the ones I write myself.   If anyone uses a place I'm familiar with, it would be fun but I'd probably be critical of any mistakes.   Especially spelling mistakes  

Thankfully, so far no one from London has called me out on any mistakes in the story I have set there.

The author on GA who does the most meticulous research on locations, as far as I know, is @AC Benus. His story topics are usually filled with awesome pictures of places. 

Since all the stories here are posted in various forms of English, I’d be more concerned with how they mangle Danish! And that they didn’t mix in things that are Swedish, Norwegian, German, or Dutch! Maybe even Austrian (eg the pastry Austrian bakers created)!  ;-)

 

 

I’ve read stories set in Hawaii, a state I lived in as a child. One author was convinced that everyone sprinkles in Hawaiian words, one per sentence – because that’s what they do on Hawaii 5-0! As if Hawaii were a foreign country instead of a US state of nearly 60 years and a US territory for another 60 years before that! The Hawaiian language was suppressed for much of that time. The 2015 estimated population of Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders is just under 10%. Politically and economically, the state is dominated by whites and Asians.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Former Member

[mogwhy]

i once read a book that was set in a town that i spent my summers in. it was weird reading a story and they were describing the house i was sitting in. for the life of me i can't remember the name or author of the book. i did read it in middle school

[Timothy M.]

23 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

Since all the stories here are posted in various forms of English, I’d be more concerned with how they mangle Danish! And that they didn’t mix in things that are Swedish, Norwegian, German, or Dutch! Maybe even Austrian (eg the pastry Austrian bakers created)!  ;-)

 

 

Absolutely   https://satwcomic.com/wrong-identity   

sorry about the slightly    SATW comic, but I couldn't resist.

[Former Member]

3 minutes ago, Timothy M. said:

Absolutely   https://satwcomic.com/wrong-identity   

sorry about the slightly    SATW comic, but I couldn't resist.

How do you think I know about the Danish?  ;-)

 

 

Armistead Maupin wrote the Tales of the City series, mostly set in San Francisco. The first few books were originally serialized in the newspaper. When we first moved back to the Bay Area in 1978, I started reading the serial and was shocked and pleased to discover locations and events that were mentioned on the news! The stories, while heavily fictionalized, helped me understand the culture and geography of the Bay Area.  ;-)

 

If you read the books or watch the three TV miniseries, you should be aware that the earliest books are more fantastical and madcap than the later books because Armistead thought he needed to have a hook at the end of each newspaper entry. Eventually he realized that his readers would continue to read the series even without the silly tricks. Since he was writing each column just before it was published, the story incorporated real-life events pretty much as they happened. It also meant that when he wasn’t feeling well, there were no new columns in the paper and there were no predictions as to when the story would resume!  ;-)

[Carlos Hazday]

11 hours ago, BHopper2 said:

This is actually one of my concerns with my story set in Washington D.C. I've been using Google Earth, Google, and a friend that lives in D.C. to get information for the story, and I'm hoping it's not falling flat when I talk about places.

 

I'm willing to help you out. I've lived in DC, visited multiple times (will be there in April again) and my long-running series uses Washington as the characters' home base. A couple of readers have told me they've used my story as a guide when visiting the city.

[Carlos Hazday]

I'm big on using real settings. But unless I create a location, I want it all to be as accurate as possible. I just took a day trip somewhere last week so I could better describe a placeI'd not visited in over 10 years. I'm doing the same next month and then again the following one.

 

Miami has been featured in many a book. Not so much romance stories as crime and mystery ones. Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiassen, and Edna Buchanan may be the best-known ones. I love to read about the place I grew up in but as with most others commenting, I hate it when authors mess things up and it's clear they were not creating their own spaces.

 

I've had a few Australian readers praise my descriptions of places my characters visit in Oz, but I've also been told my use of Oztrayan isn't always the best.

 

Edited February 13, 2018 by Carlos Hazday

[Cia]

I've done it, but I'm far more likely to use a region close to me as a model for a fictional city or town than a real one. It is very important you get it right--especially from the tourist point of view if that's what you're using. It does drive me crazy when I come across authors who clearly didn't do their homework, like in 50 shades of crap when the author had the character go through a city south of the starting location on their way north to a different city or an eBook I once read that placed the city in a real town on the coast but put it in the wrong state entirely! They so clearly didn't even look at a map that it infuriates me. If you're going to take the lazy way out, don't use a real location! 

[FormerMember4]

7 hours ago, Timothy M. said:

I guess the only GA romances set in my home towns in Denmark will be the ones I write myself.   If anyone uses a place I'm familiar with, it would be fun but I'd probably be critical of any mistakes.   Especially spelling mistakes  

Thankfully, so far no one from London has called me out on any mistakes in the story I have set there.

The author on GA who does the most meticulous research on locations, as far as I know, is @AC Benus. His story topics are usually filled with awesome pictures of places. 

There’s no doubt about AC. All you have to do is read Famous Barr series. Meticulous with locale detail.

The same can be said about @Carlos Hazday. He may use fictional names for some businesses, but he’s meticulous on landmarks and their placement within the city.

[Ron]

18 hours ago, Defiance19 said:

The story wasn’t that great but the accuracy of the setting kept me reading excitedly to see where else I recognised. 

I can definitely see myself doing just this for the fun of it. There's a large number of TV shows set in Boston and I used to like trying to name the locations of the scenes.