Following on from my review of Marie-Louise's book yesterday, today I get to host a blog from her too. So for all you fans here's a real treat:
Researching HAGWITCH
One strand of my novel Hagwitch
is set in Tudor London – a great excuse for indulging a favourite hobby of mine:
historical research.
I’m sure my old history teachers would be very surprised to see me throw
myself into studying every time I begin a new book but the research I do is all
about the details of how people lived and what they ate, how they spoke, what
they believed in, how they entertained themselves. It's not the mind-numbing
lists of dates and battles, causes and consequences that had me staring out the
classroom windows indulging day-dreams of Starsky and Hutch and David Essex
back in the day.
TV, books, the Internet, maps, movies, museums – for Hagwitch
I used all of the above to fill my head with things Tudor, London, and theatre
until I could see my way around my characters’ world. Once I was able to visualise
it and move about it easily inside my head, I was ready to write.
I like to do so much research it finds its way into the story almost of
its own accord. I want the reader to see what I’m seeing but I don’t want
anything to get between the reader and the characters. I'm careful not to plonk
big wodges of information into the narrative. I love when research sort of threads
itself between the lines and nearly becomes invisible.
First stop for me when researching a new book is the library and the
bookshop. Lucy Worsley and Amanda Vickery are among several historians writing
books and making programmes which are fantastic resources for writers of
historical fiction. And factual children's books are great because they're full
of useful illustrations and good basic information.
Setting a story in the world of
Tudor theatre was a great excuse to rewatch these movies, though this time there
was no slouching on the couch. I had work to do, so I watched with notebook and
pen in hand.
I spent a few days in London visiting various museums, the New Globe and
...
... the excavations of the Rose Theatre.
I had a few bevies in the courtyard of the George Inn because it
features in the book. I'm pretty sure that's the first time I’ve filed beer and
pie under research but maybe not the last!
The Internet really comes into its own when looking up details.
How long would a quill last?
What was the ink made of?
How did Tudors write the date?
What were typical names for boys? Girls? Beer?
Which colours could ordinary folk wear under the Sumptuary Laws (rat
grey, yes; crimson, no.)
Which years were the theatres open and which closed because of threat of
plague?
Which plays had Shakespeare definitely written by 1596?
Then there’s language.
How far should I go to replicate the way English was spoken in the late
16th century? How do I strike a balance between the way folk
actually spoke and what the reader will find acceptably atmospheric (as opposed
to obtrusive and distancing)?
At least I can try and keep the actual vocabulary true to time. www.etymonline.com
is my go-to site for staying on top of which words were used when, and what
they meant at that time.
Hagwitch is about things Tudor and theatre and also
things puppet and canal. Now I'm about to start a new novel so I’m at it again.
Researching.
The first thing I’ve done is browse the Internet and order some books on
the subject. The other day I got an emergency call from VISA, worrying about
'unusual' activity on my card. It wasn't the act of buying books which had
alarmed them, it was the books themselves! I could only laugh as the guy called
out the titles one by one. I assured him that they were genuine purchases and there
was no problem.
What were the titles which had raised the concern?
Now, that would be telling!
Many thanks to Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick for sharing this with us.
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