Posted on 11/11/2016 2:31:30 PM PST by Springfield Reformer
Hi everyone. I've been away for a while, and had a lot of time to get my sci-fi romance adventure novel going full steam ahead. I'm at a point in the story where my main character is backpacking her way across Europe on a shoestring, while trying to elude a number of suspicious characters. I spent some time quasi-backpacking overseas a few decades ago, but not along the route my character is taking, which includes England, France, Switzerland and Italy. If anyone has any direct personal experience with these places and is willing to share those experiences in this thread (or by FReepmail), I'd love to hear about it.
Thanks,
SR
Check out the thread below yours.
Use virtual reality.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3492980/posts
Look for the topic on YouTube. People post the most interesting things.
What year is this story taking place?
“So there I was crossing into Italy when suddenly all of these German soldiers came running toward me from the opposite direction, yelling something about a guy named Patton.”
Have a character visit the Camino de Santiago in Spain/France. Movie called “The Way” was about hikers who walk to this; pilgrimage.
Yep, I’m doing that. But Google Earth only goes so far. I would go there in person if I could. There are things I experienced on my solo trip to Israel that just cannot be captured by maps and pictures. Unfortunately, that’s not an option at this point in my life. So next best thing is talking to someone who has that kind of direct contact.
“As the Messerschmitt pulled away, there I was at 10,000 feet, with nothing on but my radio... it was chilly.”
It’s happening in present time. I have it plotted out for 2016, but I’m going to leave the final version a bit more open-ended. But definitely contemporary.
Yep. That’s been helpful too.
I’ll check it out. Thanks. :)
Why don’t you just go backpack the same trip as your characters and write along the way? The problem with making it up is that millions of readers will be familiar with those areas, so any inaccuracies will stand out like sore thumbs.
0:02 / 7:06
Kermie Cam - “A Visit to Eagle’s Nest”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8d9Pkprps4
Spectacular picture. The level of detail it takes to make a story believable varies somewhat. In my case I need to get the reader right there in the Swiss youth hostel watching some insect crawl up the wall. What did it smell like? How did it feel being there? That sort of thing. Kind of a ‘camera of the five senses and the mind.’
I’d love to. But as I explained in the original post, that’s not an option right now. But yes, no disagreement. It is the best way, for those who can do it.
check out google street maps- you can go through some streets all over the world- take down notes of things you see- to give your story the flavor it needs per country-
“There I was, at 5,000 feet, flat on my back, out of energy, out of ideas. . . .at a motel in Denver”
Yes, sorry—I posted before I saw your reply.
Hey Bob, good to see you again. :) Yes, I’m already working with Google Earth, maps, what have you. The grand climax ends up in Rome. There’s a car chase (no, not like Spectre), a foot chase, and another kind of chase. I need the kind of info that’s hard to capture with a camera to make it feel real. Meanwhile, definitely, will use the tools I can find. We live in amazing times.
Just got that movie ,
Watched it twenty times,seriously.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.