YAY! I've finally completed my 5th full-length novel and I am very pleased with how it turned out. It took me just under 3 months to write a 60,000+ word Historical Romance set during the Civil War. The book was fun, the work was easy and life is good.
Well, it wasn't all easy. There was the research.
Depending on genre, research is a must for writing a book. Genres such as horror, sci-fi, supernatural and drama require a bit less research than writing anything historical or anything with technical implications. For example, Richard Marcinko has written numerous (10+) books on Navy SEALS, and it's obvious he can speak the jargon and intelligently describe equipment, training procedures and daily life. And for Historical Fictions? Forget about it. You need to know your time period. People spoke differently, worked unusual jobs and lived lives that are non-existent now.
And now my blog post can truly begin.
I'm writing on the Fifth Crusade now. I recently wrote the Fourth Crusade, which will make writing the Fifth Crusade easier, but it's still quite difficult.
How did Europe look nine hundred years ago? What did people do? Did everyone farm? If so, what kinds of crops? What was the landscape like? How about towns and major cities? What about the government? How did they administer their laws? How did one travel around Europe? What kind of clothes did they wear? During the Crusades men of numerous nations came together under unifying military banners...what language was spoken amongst the troops? How were translations handled?
These are just a scant-few of the questions a writer must answer before they can write a realistic, believable novel. Obviously I can get on Google and find answers, but how do I apply that information to paper while still writing an interesting story? Basically, the beginning of any new novel is exciting and daunting. As my Fifth Crusade novel is in its' infancy stages, I have to take the time to appreciate the enormity of this undertaking. Now, that's enough of this crazy, random blogging.
I have research to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment