daringthepen:

You’ve got your main character.  You’ve got your plot.  You’ve got a lot of things figured out.

But how the heck are you supposed to get the reader to understand the atmosphere of the town your character comes from?

It can take practice.  Consider your own hometown.  Plop yourself down in the middle of your hometown, watch for a second, and then start writing about it.  Talk about the buildings; how do they come across?  Are they austere and reflect the nature of the people?  Or are the people very friendly despite the buildings’ appearances?  Is it a busy street?  Are lawns well kept?  Make sure you mix it with the general attitude of the people living in the town. And add your perspective of the town.  If you like it, your description of the town is going to appear favorable.  If you dislike it, it will be portrayed in a negative light.

Sound confusing?  Don’t worry.  I’ll give some of my own examples.

From one point of view:

“Miles from the closest city, A— town sat out in the middle of nowhere.  The nearest neighbor was always on the other side of a line trees, leading to quiet evenings without a care for what the neighbor was up to.  Lawns were kept only half mown; only businesses near the center of town made sure they looked presentable.  The general store on the corner of the town’s one busy road served as the local haunt for the entire town. If there was a story to be told, it would first be told there.“

Same town, different view:

“A—- was miles from civilization.  Even the closest neighbor was so far away that a battle with eighteenth century canons could take place on the front lawn and no one would hear the racket.  People let their yards become so overgrown that children could easily get lost among the grass.  Only the center of town where the businesses were kept up any semblance of a good appearance, but it said nothing of the treatment strangers would get inside.  The general store in particular was the worst of the culprits.  It certainly had that unique, old town feel, and if you were from the area, you were greeted like an old friend.  But if the people didn’t know your name, it was clear they didn’t want much to do with you.”

When you’ve written your description of your town, take that description and try writing it from a different perspective.  Don’t like your town?  Write about it through the eyes of someone who likes it.  Like your town?  Write about it through the eyes of someone wanting to leave.  And try to make it sound genuine; not as though you were mocking someone with an opposing viewpoint.

Try this with nearby towns too.  Towns and cities where you’re familiar with, and you know the culture of, or the general attitude of the people living there.

Also, carefully read how other authors describe their characters’ hometowns.  One example that comes to mind is how Rowling describes Privet Drive in Harry Potter.  She describes it as being pristine and orderly, but paints it in a way to make it obvious to the reader that most, if not all, of the residences have an air of being stuck up.

Now, I have been using towns and cities as the example, but like in the Harry Potter example, sometimes a street holds a different attitude than the rest of the town.  My examples are drawn from smaller town experience, where the community is a little more connected beyond just a street or drive.  However, this is not always the case, and you should take this into consideration as you create your character’s hometown.  Maybe your character’s side of town is drastically different than the other side of town.

Remember, this is something that might take you some practice.  But have fun with it.  Give your description some personality.