All right, so I’m not a movie director.  Not a cinematographer. I am a storyteller.

For some of my stories, I have had to rely on research and imagination to flesh out my locales. In my historical fiction, I delve back centuries and rediscover a land that isn’t even there, anymore.  I rely on scholarly reports and extensive reading, as well as pictures of ruins and educated artists’ renderings.

But for my more contemporary work, I really have to have had my own experiences with a place to write it effectively.  This is for me and for my readers. I want to give my readers a genuine experience when I take them with me in my imagination.  Silent Music was written in a locale where I had lived, though I switched up details of a housing development.  I knew the area, knew what it smelled like, knew the sounds.  An Unexpected Woman was set in my current town of residence, allowing me to bring a great deal of authenticity to the details.

For the next contemporary inspirational romance, I want to be as authentic.  So I went scouting.

Now, I’m not going to reveal the house I found that will serve as the “main set” of my novel.  I do, though, have some other pictures to show you.

Here is a funny sign at the Sanibel Visitor Center:

This is a look at a local restaurant.  Aren’t those colors indicative of South Florida?

This was a fairly common site, as bicycling is often faster on the island than trying to maneuver a car along narrow roads:

Though the day was overcast, I was able to find some lovely scenery shots, too. This is one of my favorites, taken right on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico: 

In addition to these pictures, I took pages of notes of observations.  Smells I encountered, sounds that caught my notice, and small details that don’t really translate well to a picture, but that my characters will notice for sure.

This story will be taking place directly after the fictional hurricane from my novel An Unexpected Woman.  Currently, I’m calling it An Unexpected Man…but that’s only a working title. 

I also picked up a phone book with the local businesses as well as menus for a couple of the “eateries.”

I had a terrific day.  I want to thank the Spousal Unit and my sons, Cyclone and Builder, for putting up with mom and her wish to capture the moments.

Please note: All pictures in this post are copyrighted by me, Sandi Layne, 2010  Please do not use without permission. Thank you!

Tags: Captiva Island, pictures, pre-writing, Writing