October Novel Prep Challenge

So...I may have mentioned before that I'm a historian. This has absolutely affected me as a writer, because history tends to infect (I chose that word very carefully) everything I write; the stories I tell, the worlds I create, the characters I choose all end up somewhat historical in nature. I'm actually not allowed to read any historical texts on either William Shakespeare or Ben Jonson right now because doing that will assuredly cause major distractions; I'm planning on writing a play about these two, and every time I read something about either of them, another scene comes to mind. My mind takes history and turns it into a fictional story (it also looks at a sugar packet that's fallen on the ground and wonders if that sugar packet has escaped a cruel fate or been denied its true purpose). Typically, I count this a blessing; history is a great place to become inspired.

On the other hand...I dunno if you know this, but historians...we research. That's what we do. We track down primary sources (sources from the period, i.e. newspapers, diaries, treatises, etc) and write about them. Want to write about the reign of King John? Time to find the Magna Carta. (Note: a copy of the Magna Carta is fine. You don't need to track down one of the originals.) The American Civil War? Break out the Official Records (called the O.R.) and old copies of the New York Times and Harper's Weekly. Normally, this isn't a problem; if anything, it adds realism to my stories when I go and do this. The problem comes when I get so obsessive that I literally cannot move on until I've found what I need. Even though my story is historical fantasy, I have to get Agrippa's name right or I cannot write about him. I have to be able to explain why his name is Marcus Menenius Agrippa when Agrippa is actually a praenomen and not a cognomen for the gens Menenia, and Marcus is certainly NOT an attested praenomen. (He was named after Marcus Agrippa, the famous general; his parents broke with tradition to do so.) I was absolutely sure Moira's name was Moira; I wasn't going to change it. But Moira is Greek and my character is Irish, so I have to know that her family were merchants and traded with the East; Moira's mother liked the name. I literally cannot make myself write until I've got details like that lined up. If I continue with it incorrect, it eats away at me until I resent everything.

I suppose it's not an awful problem to have. It does mean both my coffee and dining room tables are covered in books, note cards, and a rainbow of highlighters, but at least I'll get the facts right. Thank goodness I'm not actually writing this novel until later.

It does make me wonder why I was so willing to give precedence to Shakespeare's reality for Killing Mercutio. I guess it's because we're re-writing the play with some added history to make the story work instead of writing a historical story. This novel is so much easier than my typical stuff...why don't I do it more?!
-Quaddy

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