Fictuonal setting reuse

[Alana Mortensen]

Not many people remember the floorplans of houses of fictional characters in movies or series. I used one from Stargate Atlantis. It is a typical bachelor pad type of house but actually I just love the openness of the floorplan and the way the light fills the rooms.

Is this an ok thing to do?

Alana

[Stijn Hommes]

Did you draw up a map of one of the houses you saw on the show from memory, or did you copy one that was onscreen? The first is unlikely to get you in trouble. If there's any possibility the second could be assumed, I wouldn't try.

[melaniehoo]

If it's typical, as you say, I don't see why it'd be a problem as long as you tweak a few things here and there. And you don't say he bought it because it reminds him of the apartment in Stargate Atlantis. :)

[Alana Mortensen]

I did copy the floorplan but not in every detail, ie SA the house was paneled in a lightish
oak. I made it dark oak with more natural light filtering in, so there are some "tweaks.

[Gillhoughly]

Decide what's more important to your story, HGTV details of the backgrounds or what your characters are doing while under that roof.

I'll take character interaction over floor plans and wall covering choices any old day.

As it happens one of my buds used General O'Neill's living room in a scene in one of her books. All she needed to mention of it was the big stone fireplace, comfortable seating, and the forest view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. The rest was focused on the characters, because what they were doing was more interesting than the background set.

Less is more for this sort of thing.

Unless it's essential to the plot that we know just what tone of paint is on the walls, leave it out.

You can focus instead how your viewpoint character reacts emotionally to the setting. Is she comfortable there, does she want to run away, etc.

Good luck!

[ClaudiaGray]

I don't think that's a problem at all, really -- very few fictional settings are so distinctive as to be recognizable by floor plan. If it helps you visualize the space, then I think it's useful.

[Kate Thornton]

Sometimes I use real places - even well-known ones by famous architects - but the setting is always secondary to the action or the interaction of characters. Setting is just one of the things with which the story is advanced.

Only now you've given me an idea for a story about a setting...!

[Alana Mortensen]

And if you must know, the floorplan of the house is decribed from the female MC's POV and she likes the floorplan and it makes her feel more comforable with this male MC. She did have her doubts at first because he was her transprtation while in town, yes, she falls in love with him and another man too. So I was really worried that I made a booboo using the floorplan of Major Shepherd's house.

[MidnightMuse]

Unless that female MC says "Wow, this is the exact floorplan of Major Sheppard's house! How cool - let's go to bed." then you're fine. (and it wasn't, technically, since that was a manufactured illusion of his 'dream pad')

I use known floorplans all the time, in my head, just so I can see where my characters are standing and which direction the bedroom is - but I only mention that which is necessary to my readers. The rest stays in my head for reference.

:)

[PeeDee]

No, no, I would like detailed floor plan descriptions and complete wardrobe rundowns before anything happens, please, Mr. Robert Jordan.

Give me the setting, then give me the scene. Remember that you would do well to take your lesson from theater, where the set can succeed even if it's four pieces of plywood, because you're watching the actors and listening to the dialog.

(Depending on the stage play, you might be watching to say "What is this crap?" but never mind...)

[Alana Mortensen]

Hey guys, please review this and tell me if I made a booboo or not? http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1652925#post1652925

Thanks
Alana