In writing the Ghosts’ Messenger, I visited Kadan, Pribram, Stary Boleslav, Karlstein, Cesky Budeovicka, Ostrava, Karlovy Lazne, Panecky Tynec or more specifically Olsanska cementary.  Each place helped inspire a forest, a building, a scene in my story. True, my imagination produced some great ideas, but these places helped make the story 10 times better.  

In Pribram, I visited its Kulturni Dum. I have never been in this type of building but I decided to put one in my story. I had no clue what they were. The musty lobby helped me to visualize the concrete details of how a foreigner would see it. I asked all my students and they had stories about these places and their balls. It helped me to create a realistic portrait of a place.

Give it a try. Visit a place. Picture a person who lives or visits and focus on the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and see what happens.