You did what? WHERE?

As the saying goes; What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.  Unless, of course, you are a writer. Then Vegas is a mecca of ideas and plots just sitting there for the snatching. A glittering vista in the desert (at night anyway-during the day Vegas looks decidedly worn) just waiting to capture your imagination.

Since we were there for Hubby's birthday/our 10th anniversary I didn't get to do much actual writing. I did scribble ideas and snippets of conversation into my notebook. And I talked. To everyone. Well...not quite everyone. I was very interested in the locals. What brought them to Vegas. (In the case of our gondolier at the Venetian, he was a dancer in the Celine Dion show. No shit. His name is Pepe and he's AWESOME. If you go, ask for him.) What made them decide to stay. (Almost everyone over 30 said they stayed because they got married.)

And then there's the dancing girls. They're everywhere. Some look fresh off the bus, others look like they've weathered the storm and have been searching for...whatever it is they're searching for, for a long, LONG time. (These girls were obviously the 'fresh off the bus' variety).

But, here's the other thing I started thinking about...settings. Vegas has a huge persona all on it's own. It would have to be a strong story to be set there. But the trend I'm seeing lately is for small town romances.  Not necessarily rancher/farmer stuff, but small towns where the Chief of Police falls for the woman who comes back to take care of an aging aunt. Something like that.  Are small towns just easier to write due to their innate charm? Or is it because we can shape them how we want and make them fit with the story, rather than force the story to adapt to the setting.  Maybe it's a bit of both.

Okay, that's enough of my rambling for today...I need to get back into the swing of things back in the real world and find something to feed the kids.

Carmen