In memorable fiction, the setting often carries the impact of an additional character. Think of the Island in Lost or the southern town of Maycomb in To Kill a Mockingbird or the Overlook Hotel in The Shining.
This happens in “real” life as well – if we are able to see and enter it.
My wife and I recently enjoyed an evening away at an Indianapolis hotel. Downtown was busy as families enjoyed a rare sunny day. Traffic crawled past street crews making improvements, which we observed during dinner at a sidewalk cafe.
We are closing in on our forty-second year together. Five different homes in four states. Four children and five grandkids. Eighteen different jobs between us. Three of four parents passed on. That’s a lot of history. We decided that it we would take a personal retreat in a few weeks to envision the rest of our journey together.
Then something happened that broadened our perspective even more. We spent a few hours exploring Indy Underground and the Indianapolis City Market next door.
A thirty-minute tour revealed “The Catacombs” to us. After signing a waiver because of its uneven surface, we discovered the subterranean complex that is all that remains of Tomlinson Hall. The immense building burned in 1958 after a seventy four year life hosting thousands of guests at events from conventions to rodeos.
I found myself imagining the effort it took to construct the massive building. What quantity of sweat and blood was shed mortaring hundreds of thousands of bricks together? How many working men went home grateful for a steady wage that provided for their families for the year of its construction? What was it like for the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic when they gathered there in 1886 for a fundraiser or for advocates of Prohibition who rallied there in 1892?
Our guide told us that there are no remains in the Catacombs, though many have speculated about what could have happened in such a setting. For instance, spirit hunters have searched for supernatural evidence and say there’s reason to believe it is haunted.
And then there was City Market with its century-long history of people coming every day to buy and sell, engage in plans, get engaged, and eat fantastic food (like Gomez BBQ).
What does this have to do with writing fiction? Every setting on earth (even Antarctica since the late 19th century) holds a human story that deserves to be recalled and explored. This is the passion of the historians of the Indiana Landmarks Center. Its tagline is Imagine Indiana without the places you love. Impossible.
Writers take what is and create what could be. Speculative fiction authors know this in their bones. Some especially adventurous souls build whole worlds that they populate with believable characters, conflicts, victories, and defeats.
Imagination takes us to places otherwise inaccessible. I’m glad we decided to visit these historic places and walk in the steps of people long gone but very much like us – men and women who wanted to make the most of their days, leave good footprints, and be remembered. Sounds like an ending worth reading to the last chapter!