Saratoga Springs and the rules of faro

The last few weeks have been all about background research. Having discovered that I desperately needed background information on Saratoga Springs, I dove right into old newspaper articles, guide books and local anthologies to bolster my limited knowledge of that storied town. I even solicited the help of my husband Jim on a Sunday afternoon jaunt. Together we toured the Saratoga Springs History Museum in the Canfield Casino, made the rounds of Congress Park, enjoyed a delicious repast at Mrs. London’s and generally familiarized ourselves with the town.

That done, I went home to bury myself in books:  “Such Was Saratoga” and “Saratoga Lost” were new reads, and I reread “The Hudson-Mohawk Gateway”.  I feel I’ve re-immersed myself in the feel of those times. I can feel the heady atmosphere of a town that has it all:  gamblers, grand hotels, temperance leagues and healing springs.

Slowly but surely, the second half of the book is coalescing. My research is doing its job:  every fact I absorb weaves itself into the tapestry that will be my story. Soon, I’ll reach that critical number and I’ll know it is time to start writing again.

Until then, I research. Next up: the rules of faro, a card game that was one of the most popular at gambling establishments. It was also one of the easiest for the house to fix. Beyond that, I know little. But soon, I’ll know the rules as well as any hardened 19th century gambler.

Who knows?  Maybe I’ll host a game night and subject my friends and acquaintances to my newfound game discovery.  Just a friendly game of course.

Research

I did most of the research for this book 3 years ago, before I wrote my first novel.  I LOVE researching background – there’s a wealth of information and stories to stimulate the senses and pique one’s imagination.  Perhaps that’s why I love walking through old cemeteries so much – I love looking at tombstones and imaging the life stories of those whose remains lay before me.

Tonight, I realized that I need to do a little more research regarding Saratoga Springs NY circa 1896.  It makes my little researcher’s heart pound with joy.  Really!  So I’ve inter-library-loaned a book on Saratoga Springs from the library, and started my Google searches. Tomorrow night, I’ll be perusing New York Times Articles from 1896, wikipedia entries, and any other credible sources that can give me a general background of this upstate New York community.

Why am I doing this?  Because reading over the last two scenes I wrote before break it became obvious that while I know how the last third of the book will turn out (well, I know what needs to be unveiled, some of the mechanics of the final scenes have not been revealed to me yet), I need more to happen between my characters before that resolution. This is where my hero and heroine get to know  each other again. This is where the plot thickens. This is where the grand adventure happens.  Barriers will be torn down, connections will be made, red herrings will be thrown!  Ah, the excitement!

What am I missing then?  The context!  WHERE this is happening is integral to the story.  I can see that much, with the hazy sort of realization that writing a novel entails.  The writing process is akin to raising a child.  You have some control over the basics, but at some point, it is out of your hands. The child, or book, takes on a life of its own.

My child needs to know more so it can grow into the full-blown story I know it can be.

So tomorrow night, I’ll be immersed in the nineteenth-century, absorbing all I can about the gamblers, the locals, the spas, the hotels…the essence of Saratoga.  Once I have the essence of Saratoga, I’ll know what the next step is for my characters.

Writing a book for me is all about faith.  It is about taking steps when you aren’t consciously sure WHY you are doing something, but you do it anyway, because you know you need to do it. It is an awesome and humbling process.

I’m ba-aack!

Vacation was wonderful.  Ah, I miss it already.

But now it is time to get back to work.  Too bad I don’t have any motivation to do so.

Hello?  Motivation?  Where are you?

Come back!  I need you!