Had a really nice day today, but got almost no writing done. Mum, Jenny and I went to Hepburn Springs' The Bathhouse, and had Devonshire Tea before spending probably two hours soaking in their various specialised pools, spas and saunas.
While I was at home, I also managed to 'borrow' Georgette Heyer's 'The Spanish Bride', which is one of the few books of hers that I haven't actually read. But more importantly, it is a historical adventure/romance set in Spain/Portugal during the Peninsular wars. The book I'm now working on, having finished the prequel which is about the parents and set in Scotland, is a historical adventure/romance set in Lisbon during the same period. Useful, no? Particularly because Heyer is famous for the amount of research she did for her books. In writing this one she read absolutely every personal journal and diary from soldiers in the war that she could find. She's like the SparkNotes version of the Peninsular War!
I did try to convince myself/mum/the universe that I needed to travel to Lisbon in order to help me write this story. But that is the problem with writing a book every two weeks... I'd be finished the book before I actually got there. The final one in the series is set back in England, so that's no use.
However, obviously, once I've narrowed down the good complete drafts, THEN I should travel to all the places to add the extra details to the stories. Though, it will be quite disappointing if I find there are actually no cathedrals or large churches in Lisbon, because I would then need to think up an entirely new plot device.
An added bonus of this plan is that it encourages me to set my books in as many different places as I can.
But for now, it is just me, in my little apartment, typing away whatever I can imagine up.
Yours,
Buffy.
There's always virtual travel using Google Earth or Google Maps! Then you can even give a name to the beautiful old cathedral you decide to use, and the name of the cafe nearby which your characters visit afterwards to discuss all the relevant clues they discovered in the cathedral statuary/stained-glass windows, etc... Even local Lisbonians will be satisfied!
ReplyDeleteI've heard it works well for Russia! But need to be careful when trying to look back 150 years, cafe might only look old.
DeleteAlso am afraid to give myself too much liberty on the Internet while supposedly writing because I could easy end up with nothing at the end. But thanks, always appreciate you advice and comments.
Ouch! Forgot you were writing historical fiction...
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