Open Letter to Anyone Writing a Research Book Just for Me
This post is dedicated to my sister Jenny, the history teacher, who is stunned to find me reading history after all these years and who, I fear, grits her teeth and bites back words every time I reject or whine about a book. Love you, Jen! Dear History Writer: I’m back on the research trail, […]
Research: Facts AND Feelings
As I work on my historical YA, I’m finding that the longer I do research for it, the more specific I start feeling that research needs to be. It’s relatively easy, I think, to find books and other information about the general history of a place or era. It’s trickier–at least for me–to find the […]
Research Trip…Cars, Cars, Cars!
So Monday’s post was about Bruce Coville’s keynote speech at the Spring Spirit conference, and I still haven’t gotten around to writing up a summary post of the whole conference. Friday, maybe? Anyway, f you haven’t read the Monday post yet, and you’d like to enter my giveaway for a signed copy of Bruce’s The […]
More Research: AKA Resisting the Rush
Last night, I took down books down from my shelf to do a bit more research. I’m starting to move into the less general research stage and focusing on specific details I need to create Caro’s world–her world, within that of 1912 Chicago. Yes, more research. As I looked at TOCs for the information I […]
Friday Five: MORE Things I’ll be Researching
Here’s the thing about the research bucket. It’s like Mary Poppins carpetbag–never really empty. I said back here that, in my second draft, I want to be able to weave in a lot of the history I need for the story. So I’ve spent a lot of time the past few months doing the kind […]
Following a Research Path & Arriving at Story
I’m thinking, not even too optimistically, that I’m going to be ready to start the second draft of my WIP somewhere on or about 1/1/11. Sounds auspicious, right? I feel like I’ve got a handle on most of the characters–on what they want and, a bit, about how that’s going to weave into, conflict with […]
Monday Method: This is My Brain on Research
Thought I’d just give you a (not-too-scary) glimpse into my favorite research technique these days. And not just favorite because it involves a comfy couch and books. Remember, this is the research I’m doing to help figure out my characters, what they want (which means figuring out what is possible, probable, and/or dream-worthy in 1911), […]
2nd Draft: Focusing the Telescope on…?
So, that first draft is done. The last chapters are off to my critique group. I’m reading and reading and ordering more books and reading, trying to get some more history and psychology into my brain. I’ll also be cleaning my office–all those piles that have just gotten added to and sort of pushed into […]
Two Steps Forward, One Step Somewhere
Here’s what I’ve decided it’s like to write historical fiction. You go along, sort of researching and writing together, at slightly more than a snail’s pace–or so it feels. So you put the researching aside for a while, because you want to just GO for that flow-of-words feeling, even when you know the flow is […]
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