“I suddenly realized I was in California. Warm, palmy air - air you can kiss - and palms.” ― Jack Kerouac, On the Road
One of the most important aspects of your story about personal freedom is writing about a journey that feels authentic for your reader. If you think about some of the best novels you've ever read, there is usually a description of a place that is so vivid that it comes to life in your mind. At times, that location is an imagined or fictional place. When a writer is really hitting their stride, they bring a real place to life in the mind of the reader. It is a description so detailed and pleasing that you can almost close your eyes and see it. When it's really good, you want to visit it and see it for yourself.
Your job in the final two stories that you write for this class is to do a little research to really nail down and present the details of a real place for your story. This will bring the story to life on the page. Think about the places your characters will go and how they will get there. What is most important to you when you think about the description of the journey? The present location of the characters at any given moment? What is most important about their destination? What sensory images can you use to draw the reader into your story? What is significant about the places where you choose to place your characters?
For this journal, I want you to name at least one real location you will use in your story. Tell me why it is significant to your story? Tell me 5-10 facts about this location that you will use in your story to bring it to life. Be as detailed as possible. Remember...setting isn't just a place. It is also the time of day, the season when your story takes place, or any other detail most people take for granted.
This part of your story is critical to the success of this particular piece.
Describe the place as if it is a character in your story.
Describe its physical attributes and use literary devices such as metaphors, simile, and personification.
