Research

I was fighting to get my 3 pages tonight and I realized that I’m at the point in the book where I need to immerse myself in the time period. Research, research, research. I’ve been sliding by on story alone (now, don’t panic–I always go back after I’ve researched and start layering in the setting details, I double-check my clothing, etc. etc.) I learned that lesson the hard way when I first started writing medievals and had my hero running around in braies. Yeah, that’s underwear. Duh.

Anyway, it reminded me of when I first started writing my Irish medievals. I joined an online yahoo group of scholarly researchers who specialized in medieval Ireland. I asked questions, got book recommendations and read as much as I could. You know what I found? A lot of the historical records of that time period were destroyed. Even the scholars don’t know all the details. This scares me because while, on one hand, it’s very liberating (you can make stuff up)–on the other, you don’t have the benefit of checking your facts with multiple sources.

My compromise was to look at Celtic traditions and use those. I figured, most likely they would continue the traditions of their forefathers before moving onto newer things. But I’m still nervous. What if there’s a book out there with information that I need? What if I missed something critical? Some reader is going to call me on it.

I even used Irish Gaelic in the book to add more flavor. While I love the way it sounds, and while I’ve taken a university course in the language, there’s still that seed of doubt. What if, when my hero is calling the heroine mo chroi, it really means–my pulsating organ that pumps blood….instead of my heart, my soul?

Now I’m researching Victorian times. Just for fun, here are a few things invented during that era:

The sewing machine (1846) by Elias Howe
The telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell
The toilet (1885) by Thomas Twyford
Coca Cola (1886) by Dr. John Pemberton

Okay, now here’s a challenge for you. The can opener was created the year my manuscript takes place. Can you name the inventor and the year of my book?:wink: