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17th July 2007
Inglath
Cooper
Writing about the places we know best can show
others what's unique and interesting about our
little piece of the
world.
I started my first manuscript during my junior
year at Virginia Tech. I had a couple of
characters in mind, a flimsy skeleton of a
plot, and one pressing question. Where to set
the book?
At that point in my life, I hadn't traveled too
far past the Virginia state line. And to me,
the rest of the world sounded alluring in a way
the town I grew up in couldn't compare.
So I considered my options. My story could take
place on an island. An obviously appealing
setting. Palm trees, sinking pink sunsets,
water as blue as a robin's egg. And of course,
glistening white sand.
Or what about Italy? A place I had always
dreamed of going. Olive groves, the chiming of
beautiful old church bells, faded stucco
buildings.
I set my first few manuscripts in exactly that
kind of locale. The only trouble was, I had
never been to any of those places. And once I
got past the generic descriptions, I found
myself facing what felt like an empty reservoir
from which to draw my story.
I had read the advice in practically every
creative writing handbook. Write what you know.
And I began to understand that they weren't
just talking about plot and characters, but the
place where the story unfolds as well.
What I knew was southwest Virginia. But what
could the rest of the world possibly find
interesting about it?
Despite my skepticism, I finally started a
manuscript set in a small Virginia town much
like my hometown. This was the first of my
books to sell. No coincidence, I'm
sure.
How did I finally come to see what was around
me and what others might find appealing about
it? By looking at where I've lived and what it
has meant to me.
The physical beauty of Virginia is
indisputable. Spring arrives with its
paintbrush of green. Summer fills the orchards
with apples and peaches, thickens fields with
grass for hay. Fall dips maples and oaks in red
and gold. Winter lays ice across our lakes and
hides our roads under snow.
Those are the broadbrush strokes of my story,
but I believe the details that bring a setting
to life come from the individual places that
populate a small community.
From the Main Street of my childhood, there was
Ben Franklin and the Melody Shop. Kittinger's
Drug Store, Brammer's Five and Ten and N.
Morris Department Store.
Ben Franklin was a favorite. After digging out
coins for the parking meter, we would head
downstairs to the toy department. The snack bar
was also on the bottom floor, and I can
remember the delicious smell of steamed hot dog
buns and french fries wafting up in
greeting.
The Melody Shop was the place to buy 45 rpm
records - yes, I know, I'm dating myself!
Kittinger's for a cherry Coke. And at Brammer's
Five and Ten, my sister and I stocked up on
five-cent candy which we resold at elevated
prices to our cousins in the pretend store we
set up in my grandma's basement.
Country stores show up in my stories on a
regular basis, and I'm sure their origin is the
one owned by my great aunt and uncle. My sister
and I spent many Saturday nights there with our
grandparents. All the adults sat on stools in
the middle of the store and talked, while we
drank Sun-drop and ate Wise potato chips from
bright blue bags.
Much of my love for the place where I grew up
comes from my grandpa. He loved just getting
out and looking at it. Bright and early on
Sunday mornings, my sister and I would climb in
his old blue and white Chevrolet truck and
drive over to the local Quickette for the
morning paper. We always took a detour of some
sort, to check on cows, look at hay, see a pony
he was thinking about buying for us. These were
adventures, and we learned the county roads
like our own backyard.
Pieces of these places have shown up in each of
my books. I loved them, and I think that rings
true with readers. I've traveled a bit since
those first manuscripts, and although I may
venture out in future books to other settings,
it will be with a healthy respect for the gold
in my own backyard.
Inglath Cooper is the RITA Award-winning
author of six published novels. Her books are
often peopled with characters who reflect
the values and traditions of the small
Virginia town where she grew up.
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