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One random tidbit of information that lodged in my head from something I read somewhere is that New York City doesn't have alleys. Or, more accurately, it has, like, three or four, none of them in the main part of town, and the handful of alleys that it does have are usually full of film crews filming movie scenes, because everyone puts alleys in film scripts set in cities.
But it is a surprisingly difficult limitation to write around! I have to keep reminding myself to do a find for the word "alley" in my rough drafts, because when you're writing about drug deals and chase scenes and that sort of thing, it'll slip in without even thinking about it.
It makes me think about how easy it is to rely on narrative shorthand and just reach for a mental image of a garbage-strewn alley, drawn from hundreds of movies and TV shows, rather than actually thinking about what's actually around the characters, and how to use the advantages and disadvantages of the scenery in their vicinity.
ETA: I'm totally bookmarking the discussion in the comments for future writing reference. :D
But it is a surprisingly difficult limitation to write around! I have to keep reminding myself to do a find for the word "alley" in my rough drafts, because when you're writing about drug deals and chase scenes and that sort of thing, it'll slip in without even thinking about it.
It makes me think about how easy it is to rely on narrative shorthand and just reach for a mental image of a garbage-strewn alley, drawn from hundreds of movies and TV shows, rather than actually thinking about what's actually around the characters, and how to use the advantages and disadvantages of the scenery in their vicinity.
ETA: I'm totally bookmarking the discussion in the comments for future writing reference. :D