Reading period material - Empowering research - Drafting, researching, and editing

Creative writing - Mike Sanders 2014

Reading period material
Empowering research
Drafting, researching, and editing

In this chapter

·  Reading through time

·  Note-taking tips

·  The importance of travel

·  Interviewing info

Writers who engage in research for their creative writing are active writers, producing creative works as key parts of their research explorations. In addition, creative writing researchers often consider critical questions concerning the creative writing practice as well as the results of this practice—structural or stylistic questions, questions of form and function, or questions of authorship, for example.

Creative writing research might be driven by thematic or subject-based ideas, concerns with cultural conditions, the psychology or emotive context of creative writing, or explorations of creative writing aesthetics. Some such researchers might be interested in the types of knowledge creative writing entails and offers; others might have an interest in the audiences for creative writing, its distribution, or its reception. These are just a few examples.

Since the 1970s in North America, and from the beginning of the 1990s in Britain and Australia, universities have been offering creative writers the opportunity to study for a doctoral degree in their subject. This has been in addition to a considerable number of Master’s-level degree programs that have a research element—practice-led research and/or critical research—at their core.

At present, thousands of creative writers worldwide are writing not only with the aim of perhaps publishing their work, or seeing it performed or produced, but also with the aim of exploring some particular topic or idea through creative and critical research in creative writing.

There are many similarities and a deal of shared territory in both the creative practices and in the critical explorations undertaken. In essence, a wide variety of “sites of knowledge” are being mined. Sometimes there are meeting points, and sometimes, shared experiences. There are unique, but sometimes connected, discoveries being made. Finally, a lively variety of creative and critical works is being produced. All of this is to be celebrated.

Given the vast range of subjects academia supports, and has supported, for those who engage in the writing arts as a way of investigating the world, it’s pleasing that creative writing is one of academia’s oldest partners. That is, even a “university” as old as Plato’s Academy (circa 387 B.C.E.) could be seen to form the first point of contact between the act of writing creatively and formal higher education.

In this chapter, we consider the more pragmatic aspects of creative writing. That is, those that can serve you the best as you generate your writing projects. We look closely at the value of reading period material, taking notes (when and how to do it), traveling to research sites, and interviewing to increase your knowledge of whatever you happen to be writing about.

Reading period material

Creative writing and time travel have a lot in common. Both have the goal of whisking the participant through time and space to visit unknown realms of a particular point in the past—or the future if we’re talking science fiction. Because you as an author haven’t actually lived in many of these times or places, you need to find your own version of the proverbial time travel device to help you write your book. To this end, there are a few things you should think about to help you along your path.

One is the concept of world building, which I touched on in Chapter 8. World building is more often associated with writing fantasy or science fiction than literary work, but the principles are the same. You haven’t necessarily lived when and where your narrative is set, so before you plunge in, you need to take time to design your world. Readers want to smell, taste, feel, and hear that world. What do the houses look like? What do your characters eat? What do they wear? Don’t rely on Hollywood’s version of the past; accuracy counts. The authenticity of your work depends on your knowledge of the time period and the historical details you weave into it.

DEFINITION

World building is the concept of creating your narrative’s setting through historical research.

Readers want and deserve accurate information from you. They read in part because they already have a love affair with history or contemporary culture. Some of them might know as much or more than you do about the period you choose to write about. And they will be quick to point out your mistakes.

I find that keeping a simple notebook helps. I photocopy important information from print sources; print out internet info; and cut out pictures, maps, and diagrams and place them in the appropriately labeled section. This notebook stays by my side as I write, so I can flip it open to find the exact date of an event or refresh my memory on manners or the correct name for the coin my character is using in the market. Look to experts for help. This isn’t as difficult as it might seem. Many teach in local colleges and universities or work at your local historical society.

My writer friends agree you’ll do about five times the amount of research than you’ll actually use in your book. Be careful not to get caught in the trap of over-researching. Stop as soon as you’ve gathered enough information on all the basic workings of your time period that are necessary to support your narrative. You can, and most likely will, have to go back from time to time to check a fact or to answer a new question that has cropped up.

When you begin writing, beware of the temptation to share all your newfound knowledge with your readers. It’s easy to throw off your novel’s pacing by getting lost in the minutiae and putting too much history into the story. Fascinating as you may find it, some of those lengthy paragraphs about doing laundry in ancient Greece will have to go. Be ruthless. Keep only what’s important to advance the story or provide your readers with the information they absolutely need to know about your characters and their world. Everything else must go.

Short of using that time machine I mentioned, there’s no way of producing an entirely accurate portrayal of historical personages who might crop up in your narrative. Be faithful to the historical record if what that person did during a particular event, or is quoted as having said, is germane to your work. Feel free to fill in the gaps with reasonable actions and dialogue.

Unless the historical person is an important character, keep his or her characterization simple. Focus on a generalized physical description and then try to find one or two personal habits, quirks, or well-known attitudes (Stonewall Jackson’s fondness for lemons, for example), and use them to personify the person.

WATCH OUT!

The ancient Egyptians didn’t use zippers. Tiffany was not a popular name in the ll00s. Email was not available during the American Civil War. It’s highly unlikely that Henry VIII ever addressed his six wives as “those chicks.” You might smile, but these and similar anachronisms have turned up in manuscripts and, worse yet, published novels. While in the throes of writing, with everything else you’re trying to keep straight, sometimes contemporary references or modern slang creep into the story. Keep an eye out for these anachronisms.

Having a trusted reader who can proof your narrative before you submit it can be helpful in weeding out these inaccurate slips. In addition, plenty of online dictionaries are available for you to use to check a word’s etymology. Be sure whatever source you use to select character names gives not only the origin but also the time period when the name came into usage. Readers and reviewers will have no problem pointing out your mistakes, so take the time to be sure every aspect of your story accurately reflects the period of time you’re writing about.

Remember that beliefs and attitudes about the world—and men’s and women’s proper place in it—have vastly altered since the beginning of recorded history. Prejudices, traditions, and values we no longer approve of were the norm in other times and places. Be objective and respect the people and the time you’ve chosen to write about. Avoid projecting twenty-first-century values into the story. Make your characters genuine people of the time period they inhabit. There’s no need to apologize for their ideas or actions or, worse, try to change them into the only right-thinking person of their time to make them and the story more palatable.

Before you begin, decide which point of view (POV) will best suit your story. Third person, multiple POV is standard, for example, in commercial fiction. Limit the number of POV characters to those who are the key players in your book. Using more than four or five POV character can confuse your readers. Except in the case of letters and journals, using first person might make your main character come across as self-absorbed. Sometimes readers find it off-putting to have a character discuss what they look like, what they’re wearing, how their voice sounds, etc. On the other hand, first person is often very popular in young adult (YA) books. Be aware of the challenges presented in using this POV, and be sure it’s the best way of presenting your story.

With all the period research you perform, you likely will have a complicated story with lots of fascinating characters. Although it’s important for you as the writer to know each character’s backstory, the reader doesn’t want to be bogged down with all the detail. Avoid lengthy paragraphs about a character’s past or an overabundance of flashbacks. Introduce the facts absolutely needed to progress the story in dribs and drabs. As much as possible, characters should reveal backstory through dialogue. Or weave it into short passages of description or exposition broken up by actions. Keep in mind that you’re writing creatively, not crafting a history textbook.

In my experience, the best writers are also voracious readers. Don’t let your current work in progress chain you to your computer. Take time out to read. Keep a pile of books on your nightstand, and read a little each night. Read in your genre, and read out of it. You’ll find yourself reading differently, of course. As writers, we can’t help but mentally note how the opening hook is set up, when the goal is brought in, or how the author handles the turning points and a big moment. Still, getting lost in a good book is still possible and also keeps you educated and tuned in to the world of publishing.

Readers of period books are a discriminating lot. Just make a mistake about word usage, manners, or the correct length of evening gloves in a Regency romance, and watch the hate-emails fly and the book sales diminish. Authors need to keep the relationship of the main characters in the forefront while also providing the right dosage of period material and ensuring it’s all accurate. This is no easy feat, but the more intimately you know your time period and characters, the better your chances of pulling it off.