Reality vs Fantasy
This is the question my brain keeps zoning in on this week: when writing tales set in the real world, do you use fake names and describe places you know, or do you use the real name and describe the real place?
I've been watching a lot of X-FILES and noticing that they never seem to use real place names (and I know because I keep Googling them and getting X-FILE-related hits). Some of the episodes have commentary. On the tracks the writers will talk about why they named certain towns after high school teachers or cousins or friends twice removed. I find that fascinating. However, I also like seeing real places get a supernatural spin.
Completely non-related: I love accents. To the point that I can tell where a whole lot of people are from just by listening to them speak for five minutes. In a non-bragging way, I can tell the difference between a native Russian speaker and a Ukrainian who speaks Russian. (Yeah, can't pay the bills with my skills either, but it's fun at parties.) I went to see X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE this weekend. The actor that played Gambit was such a disappointment. Why? That was not a New Orleans accent. He was hot. They got the red hair and the flashy eyes right. But, dear, sweet boy, that wasn't the Cajun drawl. *sigh* I almost feel like a bad person for making that a point of contention in an otherwise entertaining flick.
I've been watching a lot of X-FILES and noticing that they never seem to use real place names (and I know because I keep Googling them and getting X-FILE-related hits). Some of the episodes have commentary. On the tracks the writers will talk about why they named certain towns after high school teachers or cousins or friends twice removed. I find that fascinating. However, I also like seeing real places get a supernatural spin.
Completely non-related: I love accents. To the point that I can tell where a whole lot of people are from just by listening to them speak for five minutes. In a non-bragging way, I can tell the difference between a native Russian speaker and a Ukrainian who speaks Russian. (Yeah, can't pay the bills with my skills either, but it's fun at parties.) I went to see X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE this weekend. The actor that played Gambit was such a disappointment. Why? That was not a New Orleans accent. He was hot. They got the red hair and the flashy eyes right. But, dear, sweet boy, that wasn't the Cajun drawl. *sigh* I almost feel like a bad person for making that a point of contention in an otherwise entertaining flick.