Research Photography

Setting the book you're writing in the city you live in makes research a lot easier, because you don't have to rely on Wikipedia and GoogleMaps quite as much as if you'd set the book in a completely different city. You already have locations in mind, you already know the feel of the city, you know neighbourhoods and demographics, and so on. This may be why I set my WIP in Vancouver. Kind of.

However, when I need quick reference images when I'm writing, Google Streetview only takes me so far and taking a 30-minute bus trip to get a look at a building or street corner isn't the best use of my time. So every so often I go out on my dayjob's "weekend" and take photographs of various locations. I thought I'd share some today, as kind of a sneak peek at what I'm working on, without having to say anything about the plot. I'm not really paranoid. Honest.

Images after the cut, because this post is longer than normal and rather pixel-heavy. (And I have no clue how to get rid of the underlining. Sorry.)

My Characters' Homes and Neighbourhoods

Places My Hero Gets Beat Up In

Around Where My Hero Works

Other Local Locations (Some Going Unused)

Actually, this is near one of the beat-up sites. Electricity is Important.

And the one non-local location, a.k.a. where I spent last year's vacation:

So yeah. There you go. Not the best aesthetic photos in the world (that'll be another post), but they give me an idea of looks, layout, and mood for most of my settings. Hopefully they'll give you much of the same, or at least prove interesting, give insight into my thought process, and get you more interested in my novel.

Ah, who am I kidding again?