Nice, and resonates with me. After 30 years writing non-fiction, mostly about the outdoors, which involved a lot of travel to wonderful places, I'm much more focused on fiction in the last few years… but my outdoor experience feeds into the stories and the settings in all sorts of ways. My current series is set in an imagined world; it's essentially a future Earth, but not tied to a specific geographical location. Still, individual places within the world are mostly hybrids or approximations to real places I've been.
I enjoyed listening to your reading of this post last night in bed; it made it much more personal. Then today looking through your photos. They remind me that Fife has o lot more sunshine than west Perthshire, where west coast weather blows through the glens!
Yes, it would be lovely to see some illustrations of your stories.
Thank you so much, Felicity. I appreciate knowing how the post is experienced! I'll definitely put together a Post/Newsletter once I get the illustrations together with the illustrators names!
Given the photos of where you live, no wonder you love setting! I do love a story with good setting, it can add so much atmosphere and even tension to a story, and in some excellent cases serve as a kind of character itself. I'd love to see the illustrations!
I'm very lucky! I agree about settings serving as a kind of character. For me, quite often setting has even come first because I so wanted to tell a story soaked in the atmosphere of the place...and I'd ask myself...what story could happen here? Yes, I will look out the illustrations for a post in due course. Currently, my files are boxed and under sheets whilst a renovation happens upstairs. I ought to get hold of them soon! I will most likely devote a post to the illustrators and their work! Thanks, Stephanie!
Some of my stories are set in a fictional East Anglian seaside town, which takes elements from real places that I know and love in that part of the world. I recently gifted the town it's own non-league football club, so it's very much an up and coming area 🤣.
I thought I replied but I can't see it!!! That's fabulous Vicky!!! I wrote myself a fictional apartment in the upstairs of a former library because I never could afford such a place! It was the setting for my story The Library of Second Chances. We are so naughty!!!
HaHa! Half-hearted drizzle is a good description! Here on the coast, I've always referred to mizzle being drizzle/mist/sea mist, or very low cloud coming over the sea, like a fine net curtain lol. As I live on the east coast of Scotland, mizzle is a regular occurrence!
I’m very lucky. Even when there’s a fine net curtain! I will try to remember to use more local photos in my Posts/Newsletter as I do forget that my ordinary is not so ordinary to someone else. Thanks.
Oh, how fabulous! I gifted myself a lush apartment in an ex-library in town (in a fictional sense - I could never have afforded it!!!). It was the story The Library of Second Chances. I've never stepped foot inside such an apartment but built it all fictionally, just for me! Ha ha! We are naughty!
You’re in a lovely spot. We will be doing a cat-sit in Kirkcaldy in March and are looking forward to exploring that bit of coast a bit more (were based in Aberdeen). I remember going to the Minack during eclipse-week in 1999. I cricked my neck looking up at the sky earlier that week, and when we went to the theatre a couple of days later, I could barely turn my head to the left, so I had a restricted view of the play!
Oh how wonderful to be at the Minack during the eclipse - very special indeed! Kirkcaldy is shining today and the promenade is full of walkers, wagging dogs and children zipping along on scooters. Perfect views for miles (no cats!) but windy! If you’re looking for any recommendations for March - cafes, writing spots, theatre etc, do pop me a query! There’s a great FB page called Love Kirkcaldy. 👍
Nice, and resonates with me. After 30 years writing non-fiction, mostly about the outdoors, which involved a lot of travel to wonderful places, I'm much more focused on fiction in the last few years… but my outdoor experience feeds into the stories and the settings in all sorts of ways. My current series is set in an imagined world; it's essentially a future Earth, but not tied to a specific geographical location. Still, individual places within the world are mostly hybrids or approximations to real places I've been.
That's wonderful that your travel and non-fiction inspires your fiction tales!
I enjoyed listening to your reading of this post last night in bed; it made it much more personal. Then today looking through your photos. They remind me that Fife has o lot more sunshine than west Perthshire, where west coast weather blows through the glens!
Yes, it would be lovely to see some illustrations of your stories.
Thank you so much, Felicity. I appreciate knowing how the post is experienced! I'll definitely put together a Post/Newsletter once I get the illustrations together with the illustrators names!
Given the photos of where you live, no wonder you love setting! I do love a story with good setting, it can add so much atmosphere and even tension to a story, and in some excellent cases serve as a kind of character itself. I'd love to see the illustrations!
I'm very lucky! I agree about settings serving as a kind of character. For me, quite often setting has even come first because I so wanted to tell a story soaked in the atmosphere of the place...and I'd ask myself...what story could happen here? Yes, I will look out the illustrations for a post in due course. Currently, my files are boxed and under sheets whilst a renovation happens upstairs. I ought to get hold of them soon! I will most likely devote a post to the illustrators and their work! Thanks, Stephanie!
You live in the most beautiful place! Thank you for sharing with us.
Thank you. I am very lucky indeed.
Some of my stories are set in a fictional East Anglian seaside town, which takes elements from real places that I know and love in that part of the world. I recently gifted the town it's own non-league football club, so it's very much an up and coming area 🤣.
I thought I replied but I can't see it!!! That's fabulous Vicky!!! I wrote myself a fictional apartment in the upstairs of a former library because I never could afford such a place! It was the setting for my story The Library of Second Chances. We are so naughty!!!
I sometimes find that my replies to notes have mysteriously disappeared. There must be some secret place on Substack where they go… 🕵️
A Secret Anthology Of Notes
I never knew mizzle was a combination of drizzle and sea mist, I always use it to mean half-hearted drizzle!
HaHa! Half-hearted drizzle is a good description! Here on the coast, I've always referred to mizzle being drizzle/mist/sea mist, or very low cloud coming over the sea, like a fine net curtain lol. As I live on the east coast of Scotland, mizzle is a regular occurrence!
I like the image of it as a fine net curtain. Very envious of the landscape you enjoy up there as a backdrop for your writing
I’m very lucky. Even when there’s a fine net curtain! I will try to remember to use more local photos in my Posts/Newsletter as I do forget that my ordinary is not so ordinary to someone else. Thanks.
Oh I would love to see some of the illustrations of your stories. And hear more about places that have inspired you
Thank you, Donna. I will put some of the illustrations together into a post!
Oh, how fabulous! I gifted myself a lush apartment in an ex-library in town (in a fictional sense - I could never have afforded it!!!). It was the story The Library of Second Chances. I've never stepped foot inside such an apartment but built it all fictionally, just for me! Ha ha! We are naughty!
You’re in a lovely spot. We will be doing a cat-sit in Kirkcaldy in March and are looking forward to exploring that bit of coast a bit more (were based in Aberdeen). I remember going to the Minack during eclipse-week in 1999. I cricked my neck looking up at the sky earlier that week, and when we went to the theatre a couple of days later, I could barely turn my head to the left, so I had a restricted view of the play!
Oh how wonderful to be at the Minack during the eclipse - very special indeed! Kirkcaldy is shining today and the promenade is full of walkers, wagging dogs and children zipping along on scooters. Perfect views for miles (no cats!) but windy! If you’re looking for any recommendations for March - cafes, writing spots, theatre etc, do pop me a query! There’s a great FB page called Love Kirkcaldy. 👍