Sense of Place has always been my thing. Probably because I’ve lived in Italy for thirty years. Collecting even the smallest impression, the tiniest detail around what creates a Tuscan atmosphere and or a Neapolitan character has been my livelihood, as well as my passion. Place has been the cornerstone of my books, the foundation of my travel articles. But while sight, sound, smell, touch and taste are, and always will be, the traditional go-to approaches to sense of place, I find storytelling nowadays is about so much more than those five senses.
Bear with me. I would like to bend the parameters of your understanding of sense of place for a moment. Let’s colour outside the lines and look at how technology can now add more sense of place than any parish calendar hanging on your elderly character’s wall. If we push the boundaries, my thoughts are that we can understand how much technology can contribute to our atmosphere. Unless you’ve set your book before the early 1990 ’s, texts, emails, mobile phone photos, cell signal strength, and voice messages are now a part of your character’s lives. But how can they impact sense of place?
In Gabbie Stroud’s novel, The Things That Matter Most, her character Derek is an overworked teacher. Derek is only a few years off retirement. The school workload overwhelms him when he realises that he is irreparably behind with years of school paperwork. After struggling with the paperwork till 3am, an exhausted Derek breaks down when his ‘entire document disappeared. The desktop screen of his beautiful Christmassy family was presented with an error message right on the top of baby Jenny’s face. Encountered problem…needs to close…
Gabbie describes only Derek’s office chair – ‘an ancient thing that wheezes beneath him.’ She doesn’t delve into the art collection on his wall. Gabbie’s sense of place is completely within Derek’s clunky computer. We relate deeply to Derek’s battle with technology. The tension in this scene is fantastic. We are right there with him, in his sweltering, small, home-office, inside his head, feeling his defeat – isn’t that sense of place? His crashing computer has helped us feel all his frustrations. We understand Derek’s world and his place within it because the digital sphere has outpaced him. Not to mention his screensaver that also gives us an insight into place and character.
Keep an eye on your inbox for the second in our two-part series on Sense of Place and Technology. Originally featured in Northerly, the latest edition of the Byron Bay Writers Festival magazine, this series explores how we can preserve and evoke a strong sense of place in our writing using our digital life. Let’s look at how digital toys can work hand-in-hand with atmosphere and belonging
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Only One Spot Left! Join Us in Florence, June 1–5.
The Art of Plot and Theme.
Your Story’s Soul and Skeleton.
Writers! One final place remains for our Art of Writing retreat in Florence, June 1–5 — and it might just be yours.
This intimate, inspirational week is designed to deepen your understanding of plot and theme, the engine and the essence of your story.
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DIALOGUE ALERT!
Free Zoom Author Chat: "Time to Write" with Jane Corry
Mark your calendars. This TIME TO WRITE is for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of dialogue.
Date: June 17
Time:
• 10:00 AM (UK)
• 11:00 AM (Italy)
• 7:00 PM (Sydney)
Jane Corry will be joining us to discuss:
- What is the purpose of dialogue in storytelling, especially for beginner writers to understand?
- How do you make dialogue sound natural without it becoming boring or too realistic?
- What are the biggest mistakes new writers make when writing dialogue?
Bring your questions and get ready to write better scenes, sharper character voices, and dialogue that moves your story forward.
Lisa
