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Q&A In a thriller, should my famous cities be familiar, or fresh?

If you're going to set something in a familiar city, I want all the details to prove you know it. I want it to be like when we watch Elementary or Person of Interest and we're constantly pausing to...

posted 11y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T12:00:19Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/9458
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T03:12:07Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/9458
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T03:12:07Z (almost 5 years ago)
If you're going to set something in a familiar city, I want all the details to prove you know it. I want it to be like when we watch _Elementary_ or _Person of Interest_ and we're constantly pausing to see what street the show was filmed on because we recognize the bodega on the corner.

If you're just setting the book in A Major City, and the character and flavor and personality of the city are not any real part of the story, then pick something fresh. Don't send your character to W80th Street and not bother to mention Zabar's.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2013-11-19T11:02:00Z (about 11 years ago)
Original score: 1