I'm doing lots of research for the new plot right now. I've been reading books out of a huge to-be-read pile, mostly on esoteric subjects, but also on things like travel writing and guides to locations in Ireland, etc. I also picked out a car for my main character. Not for real, of course. But I looked through the car ads in an online Irish newspaper for Brenna's car, and found one that I think would be just the type she'd probably lease and drive. It's a blue Ford Focus--midrange, cute and practical. I should probably go drive one now, I suppose....
I've nearly finished Chapter 2 of the new book. I've done most of my work with the laptop in coffee shops, although this sometimes attracts a chatty person who apparently thinks that if you're a red-haired female working on your laptop in a coffee shop, then you must either be his personal confessor or you are sitting there specifically to answer his questions about yourself. I don't mean that this is just one person in particular--Heaven forbid. But every now and then, I encounter someone like this, which is 1. flattering, 2. slightly annoying, and 3. a little creepy. This doesn't happen as much when I work in a restaurant, but the restaurant is more expensive. The library would be better and usually quieter, but my schedule doesn't always permit that. Oh, well. I'll get the work done regardless.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Tea and Research
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3 comments:
What an exciting time, just getting into a new writing project like that. Your research sounds very interesting and it's great that you're noticing the details. I wonder how you would draw your test drive of the car into your manuscript. Perhaps little details you'd notice about the car, or the way it handles. Is it loud, or quiet, or sluggish, is the steering tight, how do the breaks work, is there anything that could go wrong with the car, what might be something unusual about the way your character's car works, how does the car she leases compare to the car she normally drives, or drove before this one, etc. Very intriguing and it would certainly bring a real-life sense to the manuscript. Good luck with your new story!
Er, "brakes" . . . .
Thanks! I hope things are progressing well for you, too.
I find that it always helps to do a little field research, no matter what that might be. Any skilled writer can write convincingly about things he's never done, as long as he's done enough research for the details to be accurate. But it does lend a little extra realism when the writer has had real experience with the thing he's writing about. Sometimes that extra touch is just something tiny, but it can make a big difference.
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