Novels with Real-Life Settings/Locations?

[Trish]

Hello everyone
I've noticed that a lot of stories in here lean towards fantasy worlds or fictional settings. Nothing wrong with that! I believe people should be as creative as they want to be 🥰 This is just something I've observed.

Lately, I've been more curious towards stories that take place within Real-life settings. I feel it's a lot more grounding, and relatable to see a story that resembles reality.

It's not just about mentioning what city or country a story takes place in, or what language is used in the story-- It could also be about how the characters talk, think, and act like they're really people from that place. Things like local slang, cultural references, environmental descriptions, everyday-routines.... all of that stuff that really embrace the setting of the story. And not just "This takes place in X, have fun."

So I've made this thread, wondering if other people have written things like this, or know of stories that do it well, or if other people just have the same thoughts of me x)

Feel free to discuss, share, and whatnot!

Which I will also do so, for my novel right here~
It takes place within the Philippines. Made for Filipinos to bond and relate to (though can also be enjoyed globally), while also enjoying a deep sense of Supernatural-Horror and Drama. From tackling serious topics (societal issues, abuse, etc.) to showcasing different perspectives on what it's like for someone to live in the Philippines (showed with multiple characters, environmental and cultural descriptions, etc.), I feel like I really did my part in embracing my story's setting! Even though the story itself is fictional, it feels real in a sense, due to those aspects.

Have a great day!

Read Guevarra's Nirvana | Tapas Web Community

[Paul_Tromba]

I write historical fiction so most of the places are real and I have to do a lot of research into the time period, culture, language, etc. Of a place. That said, I do have the, "it happens in the this place and time period, have fun," as part of the hook.

[jwabeasley]

I have added a lot of fantasy and fictional elements but my story's setting is heavily based on Hinton, West Virginia, which is a beautiful little town with a great history and good people. I can get easily bogged down on worldbuilding specifics ("Where should the powerlines be? Where's the water treatment plant?") and using a real town as a basis helps reduce that complexity for me.

[moontokkym]

I write futuristic sci-fi but it's set in the French city of Nantes, and many of the cityscapes especially in chapter 3 are "modernisations" of actual current streets and places, with more to come. People have said it's weird to see places they know drawn like that xD

[jwabeasley]

People have said it's weird to see places they know drawn like that xD

I used to live in D.C. and I felt the same about Fallout 3. Same with Gunsmith Cats and Chicago or Fallout NV with actual Las Vegas. I haven't been to Nantes but I know the feeling!

I had the reverse of it though when I visited LA for the first time. Every other street corner was serious deja vu.

[Trish]

This is beautiful 🥰 I love seeing clear references to real life locations, a fantasy story on top of that also sounds pretty cool! I know it's a good feeling to be reading something, and being like "Wait, this place looks familiar!"

[Trish]

Loooove that . It does seem odd yet interesting to imagine European-styled cities as modernized. Mind sharing the story here?

[kyupol]

MAG-ISA is set in Toronto

Yonge and Dundas square...

Read MAG-ISA / PARA-SAYO | Tapas Web Community

[applebun]

The comic I’m currently working on (which will probably release at the end of this summer) is historical fiction with a large part of it set in Shanghai. There are some cultural references, and even a whole season that revolves around a single proverb. Obviously, I have to research this stuff a lot since I’m not even Chinese, and I’m often reeeeally insecure about whether or not the stuff I’ve dug up is actually correct. But for me, personally, details like that are what makes a good piece of writing.

[moontokkym]

As this isn't a promo thread I'll not muddy the waters and post here, but the link's in my bio if you want to snoop :3

I wanted to have a story that felt more grounded in a specific place and I'd also had enough of scifi always being in LA or Tokyo or even Paris, so it's "mid-to-large city in the West of France". The first two chapters have very little of specific street lifting as it's set in the destroyed outskirts, but chapter 3's opening pages are set in a specific neighbourhood in the city.

[ThunderChicken]

Wild Nights, Hot and Crazy Days is a true story that takes place in real life settings, although those settings are mostly 25-40 years ago

Defining Daecon is a shapeshifter fantasy set in the real world and in modern times, and the characters use modern technology (except most of them don’t use cars because they can shift into birds and fly)