I did something very different when writing A CHRISTMAS GUIDE TO FAMILY AND MURDER than in the previous books in the series. Not only were they all set in a city, but in cities that already exist in the world; London and Paris. I have historic maps and current maps of both. My characters live on streets that exist, in houses that exist, near real parks, rivers, and other landmarks. My settings have real history and even real weather.
Because of that, I can know how long it takes to walk from one place to another, if they should take an umbrella, or if they should take some other means of transport. I know if a big event is about to happen, what plays are in town, and anything else a character might need to know about their surroundings.
For my latest book, I moved my main characters to a village I made up. Because I’m not that familiar with the villages of Norfolk and I wasn’t able to take another trip, I invented the village of Badenworth, population about 300, located between the real town of Cromer and the city of Norwich. There’d be a grand estate, lots of homes, a high street full of shops, and a church. That should have been workable. In fact, I had a lot of fun creating shops, a pub, and a mercantile. In my mind there was a central green area, like a town square. The church was up on a hill. The police station was at the other end of the High street. Everything was working!
It wasn’t until I read the first draft that I appreciated the boundaries provided by a real location. The police station in the village moved three times. Almost as many times as I changed the distance between the estate and the church. And which way was north? I finally ended up drawing myself a map so I could remember where everything and everyone was located.
The making of a village was more difficult than I’d expected. Every time someone referenced a place, I had to decide where it was in relation to everything else. Someone mentioned the worsted mill. Where is that? The men are taking the train east to the coast. I have my tracks running north and south. I can’t have the village completely surrounded by rail tracks. I don’t always have to mention how someone got from point A to point B in the book, but as the author, I have to know that it’s possible to do so.
In the end I love my little village of Badenworth and I now have a greater respect for authors who create a whole world from thin air for their characters to live in. And because I think you might be expecting it, I will show you the map. Just remember I’m not an artist or cartographer.
