Kangaroonie or Australia?

[JALustig@aol.com]

Lars writes:

> Sometimes writers create stories set in real-world-like places. Are you
> saying you would prefer these settings to actually *be* real-world, such
> as Australia, rather than fictional variations thereof, such as, uh,
> Kangaroonia? And that using Australia would be an indication that the
> writer has put some attempt into it, rather than merely coming up with
> Kangaroonia where (s)he wouldn't have to spend time doing research?
> 
> And how does everybody else feel?
> 
Hmmm. At times I've done a great deal of background research into stories. 
And I think using real locations and legends/customs associated with those 
locations can be a lot of fun for both the readers and creators. However, I think 
it would be a mistake to dismiss the use of fictional locations--whether 
they're based on something in the real world or entirely made up.

In The Amazon Queen--which I wrote about 1,000 years ago--Bill Van Horn and I 
set the story on the Amazon River (very much from the real world.) The native 
tribes that were shown in the story had fictional names (because the 
fictional ones were funnier than the real ones), but their appearances were based on 
some real natives. (Or at least that's the way I remember it. I know Bill 
consulted copies of the National Geographic before he drew it.

Likewise, the key gimmicks in the story (a frog-shaped artifact and a tribe 
of women warriors) was very, very loosely based on an actual legends and 
artifacts associated with the Amazon River. The duck's final destination on the 
Amazon was going to be a real city, but Bill thought it'd be funnier to come up 
with a silly name instead. So, instead of Belem it became Mucho Losto.

To give one more example, years later I wrote a story which needed to be set 
in small country where everyone was incredibly rich. There wasn't a real world 
counterpart that fit the bill so I came up with Upper Crustovia.

I'm certainly not arguing against the use of real world locations and 
legends. And I'm sure that some creators just get lazy and it's easier to come up 
with a fictional place than use a real one. But sometimes fictional locations 
with fictional customs can be critical to making the story work. Or they can be 
funnier than their real world counterparts.

Best Wishes,
John Lustig
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