Techniques to avoid having to mention place names?

[TheExperimentalist]

Does anyone have any techniques for avoiding listing where something is taking place, in a scenario where place OVERLAP, but not the place itself, is important to the plot?

For example, say one character needs to have been born in the same city as another for reasons important to story later on. The city itself doesn't matter, just that they're from the same one. Let's say the dialogue calls for something like:

"...and after high school, I left [place] and moved here."

"Oh, did you grow up in [place]? That's where my sister-in-law is from!"

How do I avoid having to fill in something specific for [place] (either by making up some fake city name, or worse, choosing a real one and thus locking the story in geographically).

Glossing over or summarizing the dialogue is also not really an option, as the cases where I've got this problem all occur during the course of an important conversation, and the equivalent of bringing up the sister-in-law is actually the impetus for the next major plot point.

Anyone else struggle with this and have any clever ideas or techniques?

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Most of my stories take place in City I Don't Name, in State That Does Not Exist. Deliberately, both to avoid having to learn geography (which I don't enjoy) and because this place has some pretty unsavory laws and customs that I don't want to attribute to any real location.

--Annie

 

[dirk2024]

I have not. But then, a real or imagined city name doesn't take me out of the story.

I have one story where I created a fictional home town for the MC. I researched actual physical characterists of the region that I found online to help me create the surrounding area and the town itself.

However, the main character also spent time at a specific, real life army base outside of El Paso TX. That took a little reseach as well.

In the end, I have no idea if it meant anything to any of the readers as I didn't receive any positve or negative comments on either location. However, it did make the story more interesting for me to write.

 

[caleb35]

Most of my stories take place in City I Don't Name, in State That Does Not Exist. Deliberately, both to avoid having to learn geography (which I don't enjoy) and because this place has some pretty unsavory laws and customs that I don't want to attribute to any real location.

--Annie

I love visiting City I Don't Name in State That Does Not Exist (capital: Springfield). Every time that I go there, there's something new that I haven't seen (read about) before, like there's a piece of every town and city that you can imagine there. Truly, it's a fantastic place where fantasies occur daily/nightly.

 

[YmaOHyd]

Does anyone have any techniques for avoiding listing where something is taking place, in a scenario where place OVERLAP, but not the place itself, is important to the plot?

For example, say one character needs to have been born in the same city as another for reasons important to story later on. The city itself doesn't matter, just that they're from the same one. Let's say the dialogue calls for something like:

How do I avoid having to fill in something specific for [place] (either by making up some fake city name, or worse, choosing a real one and thus locking the story in geographically).

Glossing over or summarizing the dialogue is also not really an option, as the cases where I've got this problem all occur during the course of an important conversation, and the equivalent of bringing up the sister-in-law is actually the impetus for the next major plot point.

Anyone else struggle with this and have any clever ideas or techniques?

In that specific case, I'd just lock the story in geographically. If it's critical to the plot that two characters are from the same place, I think not saying where it is would just draw attention to it -- unless you can establish landmarks that're big enough in-universe that the characters would know them. A high school probably isn't big enough, unless you cheat:

"You remember that show Volleyball Vixens?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Was based on a real place. That's where I went to high school. I was born down the street, actually."

"Wait, really? That's crazy, so was my sister-in-law!"

 

[Voboy]

I set 90% of my stories in the same town, a place called Seaborne: it's coastal, medium-sized, and contains all the settings I ever need to use. Inland there's a state forest; beyond that are a few other towns, for when I need to branch out. I never name the state, but I think it's somewhere on the Chesapeake Bay or nearby. It's far enough north that they get some snow when I need it to snow.

Nobody has ever complained that it's unrealistic. So, OP, I'd suggest just inventing your own location. No need to get specific. If you write enough stories there, the town will grow on its own, organically, just like a real town does. You'll invent people to live in your town, and after awhile it'll feel like a very real place.

 

[YmaOHyd]

I love visiting City I Don't Name in State That Does Not Exist (capital: Springfield). Every time that I go there, there's something new that I haven't seen (read about) before, like there's a piece of every town and city that you can imagine there. Truly, it's a fantastic place where fantasies occur daily/nightly.

It's like Tahiti, it's a magical place.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

It's like Tahiti, it's a magical place.

True story: in one of my stories ("Winnings") the main characters travel from City I Don't Name to Island That Isn't Tahiti.

OK, "Winnings" is not a true story. But you know what I mean.

--Annie

 

[VerbalAbuse]

True story: in one of my stories ("Winnings") the main characters travel from City I Don't Name to Island That Isn't Tahiti.

OK, "Winnings" is not a true story. But you know what I mean.

--Annie

you could name the island Tahini.

 

[old_prof]

True story: in one of my stories ("Winnings") the main characters travel from City I Don't Name to Island That Isn't Tahiti.

OK, "Winnings" is not a true story. But you know what I mean.

--Annie

Can I believe Winnings is a true story if I want to?

 

[TheExperimentalist]

True story: in one of my stories ("Winnings") the main characters travel from City I Don't Name to Island That Isn't Tahiti.

OK, "Winnings" is not a true story. But you know what I mean.

--Annie

True part: "Winnings" is a story that you wrote.
Not true part: The events of the story called "Winnings".

I getcha.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I have created a whole geography of fictional Maine towns; Londonderry, MicMac Falls, Saw Whet, Port Harmony. But they exist within the same world where real places, Portland, Bar Harbor, Baxter State Park, etc.

One of my avid readers put them all together and by cross referencing all mentions of real places, identified the imagined locations of my fictional towns with fairly good accuracy.

It struck me as kind of cool, and I was flattered by their effort , but gave me the willies at the same time. Maybe it's best to either stick to the real world or keep things in an entirely fictitious one.

 

[ColtonWrites]

I mean, if it's just that the two characters share a hometown, I would say just lock in a real place. If they're never going back there, it doesn't matter, right?

 

[Writer61]

This question made me think about my own habits regarding place names.

Plenty of my stories are set in real cities I name, but there is at least one town I am familiar with that is unnamed, and multiple villages with invented names. In other words, the more specific a location is, the vaguer I get.

For a couple of recent stories, I have narrowed down the RW location and invented somewhere to occupy that spot. Knowing where it is helps me with details like what can be seen from a window, where the sun is at a particular time of day, etc. None of these really matter to the reader, but it helps me visualise the place, which I hope comes through.

Naming places is fun. My stories include three English villages with names inspired by cricketers, and one in Germany, which is a pun on what happens there.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Can I believe Winnings is a true story if I want to?

Do you believe in "Winnings"? Say quick that you believe. If you believe, clap your hands!

 

[Writer61]

I mean, if it's just that the two characters share a hometown, I would say just lock in a real place. If they're never going back there, it doesn't matter, right?

Even if they do go back, what's the problem with stating that they come from Toad Suck, Arkansas?

 

[TheExperimentalist]

I mean, if it's just that the two characters share a hometown, I would say just lock in a real place. If they're never going back there, it doesn't matter, right?

My original post was just an example, but that could be true sometimes.

However, in one case I'm struggling with, no, they're not going back there, but another major piece of backstory also occurred in the same place.

In a different WIP, the characters reconnect online first with a lot of "are you still in [city]?" and "remember the time I was visiting family in [suburb of city] and we nearly got the chance to meet up for real?" and actually takes place there. (In that case I'd settled on an actual, real-world city to use, but I'm not entirely comfortable with it and was considering if there were other options.)

 

[old_prof]

Do you believe in "Winnings"? Say quick that you believe. If you believe, clap your hands!

 

[Voboy]

In a different WIP, the characters reconnect online first with a lot of "are you still in [city]?" and "remember the time I was visiting family in [suburb of city] and we nearly got the chance to meet up for real?" and actually takes place there. (In that case I'd settled on an actual, real-world city to use, but I'm not entirely comfortable with it and was considering if there were other options.)

Well, yes. Just invent your own place.

Two unrelated stories happening in the same fictional place is a great way to lend verisimilitude.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Just pick a really common name.

According to the USPS:

There are 32 cities named “Franklin,” making it the most common city name. “Arlington,” “Clinton,” Springfield” and “Washington” are tied for second place at 29 locations each, while “Fairfield” and “Madison” tie for seventh place with 28 locations apiece. The most common Post Office name is “Clinton,” with 26 locations, followed by “Madison” at second (25) while “Franklin” and “Washington” are tied for third (24).

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

One of my SRPs was entirely based around real locations about 30 miles from here. Why bother creating a fictional location smaller than a planet?

 

[Writer61]

This question made me think about my own habits regarding place names.

Plenty of my stories are set in real cities I name, but there is at least one town I am familiar with that is unnamed, and multiple villages with invented names*. In other words, the more specific a location is, the vaguer I get.

For a couple of recent stories, I have narrowed down the RW location and invented somewhere to occupy that spot. Knowing where it is helps me with details like what can be seen from a window, where the sun is at a particular time of day, etc. None of these really matter to the reader, but it helps me visualise the place, which I hope comes through.

*Naming places is fun. My stories include three English villages with names inspired by cricketers, and one in Germany, which is a pun on what happens there.

At the other end of the scale, because I needed some specific characteristics, I have also created an archipelago in the Caribbean with a name that echoes a RW one, together with an explanation for its name.

After all, we are writing fiction.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Windward and Leeward Islands exist, was it Midward?

 

[old_prof]

I made up a greek island with a cursed stone chair on it. Praxos. Even made up a fake wikipedia article about. No I didn't post it in wikipedia. MMC read it to FMC after she made the unfortunate choice of sitting in it.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

One advantage I will add to using real places is that some readers really like it. I got this comment on a story:

I enjoyed your story. The location was surprising as that is my home area. I was born and raised in Auburn Indiana many years ago. I will be pulling into the Hampton Inn in Auburn in about 11 days.

Full Disclosure, I've never been anywhere near there, just internet research and the power of Street View.