On Location
I watched a Hallmark Premier last night called Love-Locks. It not only was a triple
romance but it was also an opportunity to fall in love. With Paris.
The writer engaged my own feelings with what I saw on the
screen. How did he/she know?
The hero and heroine stood on a bridge with padlocks,
symbolizing eternal love, left by thousands of couples (Paris is worried the
bridges will fall down and this quaint custom will soon end). They visited an
artist’s studio and I was absorbed in beauty. They walked the narrow streets
and the broad ways, ate at charming cafes, stayed in hotel rooms that could
only be French.
Readers want this, of course. They want the fantasy of being
there and if they identify with the characters, they will be there.
It is easy to do this for New York, London and other well-known
locations. This doesn’t mean the writer can slouch. He must look for insights and
perhaps unique observations while describing the city and how the characters
react. But what of a small town, real or imaginary? They must do the same. In fact,
their work is harder because the reader doesn’t have a clue as to where they
are. The better writer accepts this challenge.
I Left My Heart in San
Francisco by Tony Bennett, Originally performed by him in 1962.
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