As a historical romance writer, there is a lot of research
needed in order to get the details correct. In my case, I write mainly Scottish
historicals. While I stick to a specific time period and location, I always
need to tweak and flesh out important factors such as location, clan, and the
nuances of clan allies and foes.
When I first started writing, the Internet was just a dream
in some techie’s eye. This meant camping
out at the library and copying reams
and reams of facts, images, and maps. Now, the Internet had made life easier,
but can I always trust my resources? My rule of thumb is to verify the fact
three times. I use various search engines, databases (including Wikipedia) as
well as clan websites, Scottish organizations, personal interviews and once in
a while a trip to the library is needed. Some may argue about the accuracy of
Wikipedia, however for every article you find that warns of the errors, there
are just as many that touts the accuracy of the wiki.
Mainly, I love research. Perhaps it’s the nerd in me, but I
love digging for more and more details and then stumbling upon a little gem of
a fact. For my book,
Heather In The Mist,
I found tuft of white lavender was good luck in a bridal bouquet and the
bouquet is “smashed” over the bride’s head at the end of the ceremony. Of
course there were other facts I found along the way from clothing to food to
clan relationships.
I “pre-research” when I have a story idea—this is where a
story idea prods the direction of the research and I get basic facts. Then, I
find a location. (Location is KEY and needs to be fully researched!) The world
has changed and it is important to find a map from the time period in which you
are writing. Again in Heather in the Mist,
there is a loch and falls near the keep and they are fabled to be haunted. I
didn’t add the haunted part to my story, but the loch and the falls are
featured in the story. Therefore, finding historical images of the landscape
can help set the scene and influence characters actions and reactions. In
conjunction to this, I research local wildlife so I can pull those critters in
when it fits in the story. I add the images to a Pinterest board for the book
and this helps me keep a visual connection to my characters, setting, and other
images that may prompt inspiration.
The bottom line is I write fiction, so there can be leeway
in some facts. For example, I have created fictional clans that work better
with the plot. However, this does not mean I have a pass in regards to
historical accuracy. I feel we owe it to our readers to give an authentic
experience. In some regards an author has creative license. Fantasy and
futuristic writers create worlds for their audience and since they created the
world, they can do what they want. They are not handcuffed by actual history
and facts such as historical and contemporary writers. For those genres
informed readers would call us on faulty research.
What do I do with all of the information? I used to create
binders for each book. Now, I create a folder on my computer for each book and
then subfolders for research, manuscript, images, etc. I also have a “writer’s
ramblings” at the beginning of the manuscript with the physical description of
each main character, clan or family name, family tartan image, map, and
personality traits such as Goals, Motivation, & Conflict and an endearing
trait. This makes it easy for me to check the information while writing so I
don’t have to search for a specific file.
So, my question for you is; Are you a historical detail
stickler? Or, do you like just enough detail to flavor the story?
