Every writer dreams of jumping on a plane, flying off to the location of her work-in-progress, and soaking up the atmosphere. We also imagine spending a day with the FBI or learning about some arcane art. Then there are the time machines every historical writer would love to have. Time machines are out of the question, but on-site research and picking the brains of experts are not. Opportunities exist everywhere, but a writer must be prepared to take advantage of them.
While I was writing Sea Wraith, the third book in my Nethercott Tales (as Jocelyn Kelley and coming in late spring from ImaJinn Forever Regency), it was obvious I was not going back to Regency Cornwall. I would have to depend on books and the internet to help me learn about food and travel and the Cornish legends that play into the story. I had my on-site research from a trip there a couple of years ago. And I had a list of experts – people I’d met in person or via the Internet. I’ve used experts often over the years. Just look in the acknowledgments of my books, and you’ll see their names listed. Experts on hawking and using a quarterstaff or archery. I try to have more than one, because even experts disagree with each other. But one thing seems universal: People like to talk about what they do, whether it’s work or a hobby. And they’ll gladly tell you all you need to know and more…as long as you’ve done your homework, so they know you’re serious.
So how can you show that? When I approached the research with experts, I was prepared with:
1) Homework. I go on the internet, and I read books. I need to learn a basic vocabulary, so I understand the information given. I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t enjoy talking about what interests them and sharing the information with others. In addition, there are tours available from major police departments (Boston P.D. has a fabulous tour) and in museums you can often see things – and sometimes touch them – that “normal” folks don’t get to see and do. After sitting in a hip bath at a historical house in Toronto, I have much more respect for those who used them!
2) Before I chat with the experts, I go through my synopsis and mark spots where that information would be used to move the story forward. That shows me what I need to know.
3) I write questions in a notebook, leaving plenty of space for the answers. Sometimes the answers get written amidst other information, but the questions are there to remind me what I have to know by the time I leave the expert.
4) I offer to send a copy of the synopsis to some experts, so they can see what I am doing. Others I simply tell that I’m a writer. It depends on how often I’ve worked with that expert.
5) I ask if it’s okay to bring a camera. If it is, I do. With so much information coming at you, it’s easy to forget details. The camera helps preserve it with still pictures and/or video clips. Some digital cameras have sound built in as well.
6) Before I leave the expert, I confirm the spelling of their name/address/phone number/email address. I ask if I can ask further questions later. I tell them they’ll get an acknowledgment in the book – something else that pleases people. I always send an autographed copy of the book when it is published.
I approach on-site research in a similar manner, but there are some differences:
1) Again I do my homework. I’ll use our recent trip to Cornwall as an example. Before we left, I printed out information on the sites I hoped to see. Each night when we returned to the B&B, I went through the pages and selected our must-sees for the next day.
2) If you are renting a car, buy the AA Road Guide, available in petrol stations. It will show you almost every road in the UK. If you are going only to a few areas, get Ordnance maps. They are so specific, you can see the buildings along each road. There are similar maps available for most European countries.
3) Set goals for your trip after going through your synopsis/manuscript. Make a list of the must-see items, but don’t set your schedule so tight that you can’t stop at an interesting spot you’d never heard of. On our most recent trip, we went to Land’s End, and we discovered a stone circle just up the road as well as a Templar Church. We took the time to visit both. By the way, try to visit your book’s location in the off-season. There will be fewer tourists, so you find it easier to imagine an older time. Also the staff at sites have more time to answer a long list of questions – and share info you never thought of – when they don’t have lots of visitors to deal with. We went to Land’s End (and the barrow that shows up in Sea Wraith) very late in the day. The shops had closed, and there were only 2-3 other people there. We could stand at the edge of the cliffs and just listen to the wind and the sea…as if it was still the desolate end of England in the early 19th century.
4) If you go to a historical site, buy the site’s booklet, even if you take pictures. It’ll have information you may not have discovered – or forget. Also rent the unit that allows you to hear the recorded tour. They are free if you’ve bought an English Heritage pass (you can get them for various lengths of stay).
5) Figure how many pictures you’re going to take and then triple it (or more). I have a digital camera which allows me to take pictures of every interesting detail. Always be aware of what is more modern than your time frame.
6) Bring a “measuring tape” with you. My measuring tape is my husband. He is exactly 6 feet tall. I tell him to stand next to doorways or windows or trees or hedges or whatever – and I can see how many “Bills” tall something is when I get home.
7) The British walk, and some of the most interesting sites are along public footpaths. Just remember the rules – stay on the paths, close the gates behind you, and don’t bother the animals. On one trip several years ago, we followed a footpath to an ancient hillfort and then continued up the hill in the rain and wind to find an Ordnance marker. It was the first one we’d ever seen – so that was a treat, and the weather gave me a great scene for my book. In other words, make sure you allow time for serendipity.
Eat where the locals eat. On another trip, we went to a pub near St. Govan’s Head in southern Wales. It was full, so we sat in close quarters with the other patrons. We talked with a man who could have been a leprechaun from Central Casting. I started asking questions about the weather at the nearby cliffs during April (when the finale of my wip at that time took place). I soon was being regaled with stories and got information I never expected I’d find out. Again, people love to share what they know.
9) Stay in your time period. I mean that literally. We’ve stayed in a Regency town house in Bath and in a 16th century farmhouse in Norfolk where the beam in the bedroom was so low, I had to duck under it! (See it in a scene in Sea Wraith <g>)
10) Be prepared to be proved wrong. Even if I’ve studied up on a location, it can look completely different when I get on-site. I adjust my thinking – and my book – to fit reality.
11) Be prepared for Twilight Zone moments. One of my goals on the trip to Wales was to find a setting for a specific event that is the centerpiece of the story. It took place along a small river in the far west of Wales. When we got out of the car in the car park for St. David’s Cathedral, I saw a small waterway. I decided I was going to use this stream for the site, because none of the books I’d read had specified a site and neither had CADW (The Welsh version of English Heritage). I took pictures, came home and was looking for another item in a book. . .and found the name of the river where my event took place. Going to the map, I found it was the same stream I’d taken pictures of. Cue the Twilight Zone theme. . .
12) Allow yourself time for “wow” moments. Some I’ve planned ahead of time such as when I stood next to the 17th century memorial stone for my however many times great-grandfather in Norwich Cathedral. Others have been a surprise – such as when we chance upon a site that was used in a favorite book or movie. As always, we take a lot of pictures because who knows when I might use that “wow” fact in a book – or just want to revisit it after we get home.
And most importantly, have fun. You might find the very fact will give you an idea for your next book!
