setting — Blog — Ivey Ink

Hey, wouldn't that be a great band name?

All kidding aside, Jason and I were watching Sweet Tooth the other night. For those not familiar with the show, it takes place in a post-apocalyptic America - so far mostly in the wilderness. In the episode we were watching, two characters come upon a family living in a gift shop/visitor's center at Yellowstone.

That took me back to when I worked in the college book and convenience store at Sewanee (middle of nowhere Tennessee, for those who don't know). I first worked there during the summer when the tiny college town was pretty quiet. Even with my cleaning and stocking duties I had lots of time to just let my mind wander. I kept a notebook under the counter where I would jot down story ideas. One of the ones I had was about a handful of people in a, ahem, small college town in the middle of nowhere, stranded when The End As We Know It comes, and how they survive and make do. One of the first places the characters went was, of course, the book/convenience store for supplies and clothes.

I've actually always been a big fan of the post-apocalyptic and/or dystopian genre. I've had ideas for stories in these kinds of settings since high school, maybe middle school. Of course, the problem I always have is that wherever my characters are holed up is a little too convenient, a little too easy for this kind of setting. They live in the Tennessee Valley and all the hydroelectric plants are still working and cranking out electricity. Or the book store had so much stock that years later they still have what they need. Or the kids who ran away from home just happened to find a pristine (as in, safe to drink) creek that also had fish they could catch. When I was younger I didn't realize these were narrative problems (or at least could be if the story wasn't crafted right).

Seeing the gift shop used in this way in another work made me feel better about it, though. While this does make it seem "easy," looking around at the gift shop, there is still a lot of stock and it doesn't seem very "lived in." The family has an 11-year-old son, but it doesn't seem like they've been there his whole life. While they didn't go into how long they'd been there in the show, it did give me the impression that they hadn't been there long, maybe stumbled across an isolated building no one else had taken advantage of yet.

Of course, it also makes sense that the characters - the parents, at least - would seek out this type of setting. They would look for somewhere with shelter and supplies, somewhere out of the way to make their permanent home. But if they were looking for somewhere like this, how were they the ones that go so lucky? Were they the only survivors in the area? Were they "on the inside" (say, maybe one of them had worked there)?

Because that's the thing - there's got to be more than just, "we conveniently just happen to have food, water, electricity, or a lifetime supply of sweatshirts." I want to know how the circumstances came together for you to ride out the apocalypse in your cozy gift shop.

"Throw him in the dungeon! Give him only bread and water!" - any medieval or fantasy tyrant worth their salt.

"It is not the bread and water I fear. I can live on bread - when have I asked for more?" Joan of Arc (per George Bernard Shaw)

"I. Love. Bread." Oprah

Hm... One of these things is not like the others.

Ah, bread. The staple of civilization. The most basic of basic commodities in Western and Middle Eastern culture for millennia. Cultures are defined by the bread characteristic to them. Open a story with the description of a meal - whether the bread on the table is a baguette or biscuits - and you've solidly placed a setting in the reader's mind. And what else? Is bread the ONLY thing on the table? Is it stale? Is it white or coarse wheat? Is it merely there along with a mountain of meats and delicately prepared exotic fruits and vegetables? Each of these scenarios says a lot about your world and your characters.

And yet now... now, there's a movement - dare I say an obsession? - with eliminating bread (or, more specifically, refined carbohydrates) from the diet. What was the most basic staple, the food that even the most hated prisoner was allowed, has become a special treat: "I've been good on my diet all week - I'm going to have a roll with dinner." I wonder, 100 years from now, if someone reads a story (a "chick lit," a YA that deals with dieting and body image issues, etc.) if that person will be confused as to why the character in the book eschews bread... or confused as to why bread is even an option. (No, I don't really think the latter is going to happen. 10,000 years of the existence of bread isn't going to be toppled by a couple decades of a diet fad. We'll have a new obsession in 100 years.)

So, bread - the basic food. ONLY bread - the "punishment" food, or the "reward" food depending on what era you're talking about. A friend and I were talking about another "punishment" food the other day.

"Why do we eat bitter herbs and unleavened bread, my uncle?" Eliezar, The Ten Commandments

My friend is Jewish, and shortly after Passover, her husband found huge box of matzoh at Costco - a four or six box package for a dollar, or something ridiculously cheap like that. "I know it's supposed to be the 'punishment' food." She shrugged. "But I like it." Funny thing is, I like it, too (and I'm not even Jewish - we always just had it around when I was a kid). She gave me a box. Later that afternoon, I sent her a picture of the "punishment" food all dolled up with peanut butter and sliced pears. Yum!

And the bitter herb thing? My sister used to eat parsley straight. And the flat seaweed sheets you're supposed to use for sushi. We both like matzoh. I like kale. I once scared all the kids in my first grade class because I told them my favorite food was spinach. For most people, the thought that you HAVE to eat these stronger, often bitter, greens for your health is less than desirable. But for me? Sure, I'll take that kale salad. Can I have a side of matzoh?

But, then again, I also love bread.