Not all of us have the time or budget to scope out the locations we want to write about. You don't need a plane ticket to write a destination romance. There are some easy ways to make sure you're capturing the feel of a location without ever visiting it.
Research Checklist
Start by gathering relevant information about the place you want to write about. This includes:
- Currency
- Language
- Regional slang
- Social norms
- Safety
- Meeting spots
- Main transport
- Weather
- Legal drinking age
- Local customs
- Key/famous areas
- Local sports team
Places are always changing so you don’t need to stress about being 100% accurate, but note down the basics in your writing hub or planner.
Virtual Walk
Some writers find it helpful to take a virtual walk around the streets of a new location using an app like Google Maps (street view)
Another option is to watch virtual tours or vlogs on YouTube. Note down anything you see that catches your eye.
Anything you see, you can jot down in your free settings cheat sheet in the fillable tables you'll find in there.
Local Beta Readers
A beta reader is someone who reads an author's work-in-progress manuscript and provides feedback, suggestions, and critiques.
By selecting beta readers local to your setting, you can ask them whether you’ve made any mistakes, and whether you’ve captured the setting well.
You can find beta readers on...
- r/BetaReaders
- Critique Circle
- Beta Books
- Book Country
Square Brackets
You might find it helpful to save all this meticulous research for your second draft. Instead of halting your creative flow to google what the main street is called in a certain city, you can just write "she walked up [main street]".
When you're revising your document, press "ctrl+f" and search for "[". Then you'll find all the notes you made to your future self. This is future you's problem! Just focus on getting your first draft written before you start worrying about the legal drinking age of a country you've never been to.
