According to novelist Richard Russo, one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves as writers is "how to handle the Wal-Mart sameness that is creeping into our cultural life regardless of where we happen to be located." This "creeping sameness" is evident to many of us familiar with Old Town Fort Collins, where Starbucks has set up yet another command post in the newly-renovated Northern Hotel, making it convenient for us to grab a hot cup of corporate coffee on our way to the new Super Wal-Mart. Of course, these businesses provide us with flavorful mochas and inexpensive flip-flops, but how often do we consider the psychological ramifications of living in a world devoid of diversity, variety, and choice; a world where Fort Collins is nearly indistinguishable from Asheville, North Carolina or Sydney, Australia?

Unfortunately, this homogenizing trend is also visible in contemporary fiction. Many stories take place in strip malls, in anonymous suburbs, in unnamed, non-descript cities. While some would argue that this simply mirrors reality, I believe that distinct places and settings are essential for creating a unique narrative voice, for developing vibrant characters and moving plots.

In the end, the only reason to give more attention to place and setting is the belief that place and its people are interconnected, that place is character, and that to have an intimate knowledge of the textures and rhythms of a place is to know its people more deeply and truly. In this workshop, along with discussing work by writers who incorporate a strong sense of place in their work, we will do writing exercises that help us to create setting and atmosphere as a means for revealing the inner lives of our characters.

Email: jhocking@lamar.colostate.edu
Enrollment Limit: 15

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