Three Steps to Creating a Contemporary Setting for your Novel

World Building - Creating Fictional Communities

Red fisheries sheds, Tancook Island

Writers can be inspired by characters or an event, but as the story evolves the characters need a place to live. Setting is a character is it's own right and often dictates direction in the story. Some writers set books in real places. In a large city, this works. However, using a smaller, limited population creates privacy issues and limits events. The solution is to create a fictional community to showcase the story. Caleb's Cove in the Caleb Cove Mystery series is a created community inspired by three real-life geographical locations.

Although a contemporary setting is easier to create than a fantasy world, it's still necessary to define geography, to understand and remember the residents' philosophy and to know who in "town" your characters can trust.

To create your fictional, contemporary world:

First:
Brainstorm what type of community you want.

• Do you want a large place or a cozy, hamlet? 
• Will you locate it on the ocean's edge or the prairie's bold sweeping field?
• Canada has been settled by varied ethnic groups over the years. 
• What is the origin of the community? Has the town grown from the WW11 interment camps in Canada? Or did its settlers arrive in the 1700s?
• Is a second language spoken in the area you are creating?
• What about the geography, the buildings, the occupations in your newly created town?

Second:
Find towns and locations that have your wanted ingredients.

• You do not have to take a whole town,  you can choose elements and relocate them to wherever you like in your town. I found elements in a number of places and combined them to create Caleb's Cove, set on Dane's islands off Nova Scotia's South Shore. following are some of those places. 
• Several real locations provided inspiration, visuals and ambiance for Caleb's Cove. However, all people and story events are products of my writer's imagination and other than the awesome ocean setting, bear no connection to any real person in the three background communities.

Third:
Create your town, describe it, download pictures and draw a map of the areas in your book.

TANCOOK ISLANDS, Nova Scotia, Canada 

Tancook Island started it all. I've had a fascination with Tancook for decades. My sister-in-law's mother worked on Little Tancook and I loved her stories and the name. At eight I thought it a great setting for a mystery and wrote (longhand in a Hilary Scribbler) The Mystery on Tancook Island.

Accidentally, or at the bidding of  my unconscious, my mystery series is set on an island off Nova Scotia. Additional details and ideas for Caleb's Cove came from Tancook and two other Nova Scotia locations. (For more on Nova Scotia visit: http://www.novascotia.com/explore)

BELL'S ISLAND 

What is know as Bell island today is actually three older islands that were combined when the road through the LaHave Islands was built. The road now joins Jenkin's Island, LaHave Island and Bell's Island into one large island know collectively as Bell Island.

PETITE RIVIERE

• Caleb's Cove is on a fictional set of islands modeled on current day Bell Island. Bridges join the three separate parts and the main fictional island is larger than the real one.
• The hamlet and various buildings and stores are based on Petite Riviere along the 331 and Fisherman's Wharf located in Eastern Passage, back of Dartmouth.

Fictional World Building

How to build a fictional world?

1) Ask your characters what type of community they want.
2) Find inspiration in places with ingredients your character likes.
3) People the world with family, friends and enemies.
4) Provide jobs on main street; homes on side streets; add beaches, parks or bowling allies as required
5) Draw a map of the village or town.

For Caleb's Cove, I looked to Nova Scotia's south shore islands, ocean-side markets and beaches. I sprinkled in hurricanes, boats, history and ghosts.

 Inspiration #1 - Greater TANCOOK ISLAND, Nova Scotia

WORLD BUILDING - CREATING FICTIONAL COMMUNITIES

Writers can be inspired by characters or an event, but as the story evolves the characters need a place to live. Setting is a character is it's own right and often dictates direction in the story. Some writers set books in real places. In a large city, this works. However, using a smaller, limited population creates privacy issues and limits events. The solution is to create a fictional community to showcase the story. Caleb's Cove in Came Home Dead and Came Home to A Killing is a created community inspired by three real-life geographical locations including TANCOOK ISLAND.


Although a contemporary setting is easier to create than a fantasy world, it's still necessary to define geography, to understand and remember the residents' philosophy and to know who in "town" your characters can trust.

Inspiration # 1 - Tancook Island, Nova Scotia, Canada 

Three real locations provided inspiration, visuals and ambiance for Caleb's Cove. However, all people and story events are products of my writer's imagination and other than the awesome ocean setting, bear no connection to any real person in the three background communities.

Tancook Island started it all. I've had a fascination with Tancook for decades. My sister-in-law's mother worked on Little Tancook and I loved her stories and the name. At eight I thought it a great setting for a mystery and wrote (longhand in a Hilary Scribbler) The Mystery on Tancook Island.

Accidentally, or at the bidding of  my unconscious, my first published novel is set on an island off Nova Scotia. Additional details and ideas for Caleb's Cove came from Tancook and two other Nova Scotia locations. To follow Tancook Island on FB for some great ocean shots, go to: Tancook Island on FB
For more on Nova Scotia visit: Nova Scotia's South Shore.

Sweeping his gaze from left to right Greg checked the altered sandy strip, the docks and the rocky protrusions. The waves still arched and crested against the land, splashing through gaps in the boardwalk and sucking back to display the damage. In the harbor beyond, white caps revealed the sea’s continued turmoil. The rhythmic roar and whoosh was primal. He’d wait for calmer seas before launching the dory even if she was designed for rough waters. And you? What are you waiting for?

Tancook Island-dock in winter

Came Home Dead 

Readers, what location would you like to see in a book? 
Writers, what location inspired a book setting for you?

CREATING A SETTING FOR YOUR NOVEL

WORLD BUILDING INSPIRATION #3

Crescent Beach and Georges Island

Devon turned onto the beach road leading to the island and Caleb’s Cove. Rain sheeted on the windshield, defeating the wipers and distorting her view. Hunched forward, she followed the spit, acutely aware of the white capped waves assaulting the fence between sand and road. Torrents dissected the road and blurred sky, ocean and land into one mass. (Came Home Dead)

The third and perhaps most critical inspiration for Caleb's Cove and the island it sits on, is Georges Island and the road access to it, Crescent Beach. Located in Lunenburg County, the LaHave Islands stagger out from the mainland, forested jewels in the Atlantic Ocean. Although details are altered for the fictional world, Devon drives along this beach road as the hurricane takes over the landscape.


Crescent Beach, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia

The LaHave Islands

Other information about the scenery and the history of the LaHave Islands and area can be found at Lunenburg Region, Nova Scotia. The area is closely connected to the sea, to the Bluenose which is found on the Canadian Dime and the prohibition era rum running.

The land, the history and the people provide a rich background for the Caleb Cove Mysteries. (Even if the actual community and all
the folks in it are figments of my imagination.) Writing the stories is so much easier with so many potential details available in the real world.