A Sense of Place

Liz Kessler

Author Liz Kessler shares some writing tips that relate to a sense of place as part of a blog tour for her new book North of Nowhere.

I've been asked to share some writing tips that relate to a sense of place. I'm really pleased to do this, because a lot of my books were inspired by a place, and the setting of a book is always a really important thing for me.

My second ever book, Emily Windsnap and the Monster of the Deep, began with the Bermuda Triangle. There's something so magical and exciting about a place that is known for its unsolved mysteries, and all the question marks about the place were the starting point for this book.

My third Emily Windsnap book, The Castle in the Mist, was inspired by the magical and beautiful St Michael's Mount in Cornwall.

St Michael's Mount, Cornwall

My first standalone book, A Year Without Autumn, only really got off the ground once I made the connection between the time travelling lift and a timeshare apartment that my family had been going to for over twenty years.

And my brand new book, North of Nowhere, was inspired by a place in Devon called Hallsands, a town that was completely destroyed by a storm about a hundred years ago.

Hallsands, Devon

It's clear to me that my inspiration comes very much from the world around me. So here are my top five tips if the same is true for you.

1. Invest in a camera and never go anywhere without it. It doesn't have to be a top of the range digital SLR camera with twenty lenses and bells and whistles. Just a decent camera that takes decent shots. I actually have two. One's waterproof so that I can take it to the beach with me, or out on a sailing or fishing trip! And if all else fails, I'm rarely seen without my iphone, which has a decent enough camera for emergency pics!  The thing about having a camera means that anytime you are somewhere inspiring, you can snap it quick, and know that you've always got the photo to remind you of the inspiring place. When I'm writing a book that was inspired by a place, I usually have photos of it around me - I even make one of them my computer's desktop background so it's the first thing I see when I sit down to work. It all helps to keep the place fresh in your mind.

2. If possible, go to the actual place that has inspired you. It's all very well hearing about a place or reading about it, or even researching it online. But nothing's as good as actually experiencing with your own five sense the feeling of the place itself. I knew I wanted to write a book inspired by St Michael's Mount as soon as someone told me about the place. But nothing I read or saw about it compared with the inspiration I got when I booked a week in a hotel right opposite it!

3. Try to be inspired by especially lovely places, and then tip number 2 is a LOT of fun! I have been to beautiful towns in Cornwall and Devon researching my books. I've even had an amazing fortnight of snorkelling in Bermuda and an incredible ten day boat trip along Norwegian fjords during the midnight sun. And all of it led to (hopefully) bringing my books alive with the magic and atmosphere of these places.

Midnight sun, Norway

4. Keep all your receipts. Research trips are tax deductible!!

5. Most of all, try to be open and receptive to the world around you. The more you experience your world as a place of creative inspiration, the more gifts and pleasures and ideas it will offer up for you and your writing.

Happy writing, and happy travels!

North of Nowhere  was published earlier this month by Orion Children's Books

Visit Liz Kessler's website