Scenery and Getting Lost

Scenery and settings are probably the one thing I struggle with the most as a writer.

Right now, all my books are set in the Bay Area—because this is home. These are spaces I know like the back of my hand. When I write about Pharah’s soul food restaurant, The Secret Ingredient, tucked in downtown Antioch, I can see it. I know the exact corner that building would sit on if we lived in that world. I can hear the sound of the train nearby, picture the sidewalk, smell the collard greens. That’s the kind of writing that feels natural to me—rooted in familiarity.

But then I think about Eric Jerome Dickey.

My favorite author. Gone too soon after a battle with colon cancer. If you’ve ever read one of his books, you know what I mean when I say the settings live. He had the ability to travel freely, and wherever he landed, that became the heartbeat of the story. His books took us to L.A., New York, London, Germany, even right here to the Bay Area. And when you read his work, you felt like you were there. Because to him, home was wherever he was currently writing from.

I don’t have the luxury to travel the way he did. Not yet, anyway. So when my stories take me out of the Bay, I research. A lot. I dig into the weather, the street names, the landmarks, the sounds, the feel of a place. I want it to be accurate. I want it to be right. Because even if I’ve never stepped foot in a city, I still want my readers to feel like they’re walking through it.

And just like with character development, that’s what makes the journey fun.

Best,

Meli Mel