The Importance of Scenery

Scenery is not only important in a story for your reader to "see" the setting of the book, but its also important for writers to be able to see that scene vividly in their minds. Obviously as writers we might have a grand imagination and most of the time can picture our settings in our minds. But I really love to get visuals on settings. It helps me to not only put myself in that scene, but to get a sense for everything that might be happening--the temperature, the weather, the scents, the surroundings, and also a real live picture can really get the mind working creatively.

Recently, we took a trip to the Smoky Mountains and went hiking at a botanical gardens. It was different than any other garden I'd been too--it was just all natural greenery. I took tons of pics because even though I write in historical European settings a lot of the places I saw were bringing my own story ideas to life.

My advice--if you pass something in your daily travels that you think would be a great setting for your book, take a picture.

This reminded me of  a road that my characters might ride on in a carriage or by horseback.

Perhaps a cave where characters might seek shelter from the rain.

Took this in the car, I just couldn't resist the rolling hills and water.

Doesn't this bridge bring all sorts of scenes to mind?

A babbling brook my character might stop to drink at.