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.
If you have access to JSTOR or the likes (through work or other academic connections), you might try just reading what was printed in the Saratoga newspapers to get a feel for the area at the time.
I no longer have a connection to it, but had fun this summer with it – found a 1925 article from the Science News-Letter about “Psychology Booming” and talking about Wundt and Cattell’s new work.
Things like that may provide additional context to the time period you are working on. For example, the PDF that contains my article also has an article on the cause of colds (and a “new” prevention), African Yellow Fever, and the surprisingly new Mexican Exodus.
Ah! Fabulous idea! I do have access to JSTOR through work. To the internets!! (Robin scurries off).