Details, Details, Details!

Research and the Writer

Details, details, details.  Yes, that’s why you’ll find me on one of my historical research trips, shamelessly fondling fat iron door hinges, sniffing the fresh floor rushes in an Elizabethan kitchen, rubbing my cheek against a cold marble pillar in the sanctuary of Salisbury Cathedral, or groping my way through the cool, echoing underground caverns of Cheddar Gorge, where wheels of cheese are still aged on great wooden racks.

Yummy details that allow me to experience the height and volume of a castle courtyard or the oppressive closeness of the dank dungeon below. Details that help me put you, my readers, right into the scene with my characters.

I have loads of photos I could share with you, but I thought you might enjoy a few pages of the research I collected in 2007 at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire, UK — with my impressions, brochures, entrance tickets and the receipts I kept for the tax man.

Scrivener

Scrivener is my go-to tool for organizing my thoughts into a book.

It took me years of avoidance and experimentation to finally take the plunge and learn how to use its bits and pieces.  I’m so glad I did!

The best thing about Scrivener is its flexibility; it allows me to set up each project to mirror the way my brain works–imagine untangling a skein of wool after Mittens the Kitten gets hold of it and rolling the mess into a nice, tight, useable ball.

I have created a custom Project Template File which I can call up for each new book. The Project File has my own pre-defined folders for each step in my writing process and are displayed in the Binder on the left side of the screen shot of my WIP.

I can add, duplicate, delete any page or folder to the Binder, shift these around, move anywhere, up or down or to the trash.

The body of the screen shot shows the Scene Outline form that I developed over the course of a few projects.  I use the outline to think through the current scene. Set Up, Setting, Characters, the Action Steps, notes. The scene outline for any scene is never set in stone, my persnickety inner-editor is forbidden entry.

The example shows the Scene 5 folder as Thomas @ the Castle, the actual text of the scene is in the file labelled Scene Text 5 – 2020 EDIT; inside the Scene 5 folder are other files, such as the Scene Outline 5, Notes, Castle footprint, Great Hall, etc.  I put anything I might need to quickly get my hands on into the Scene Text Folder.

There are many other folders below the Scenes Notebook in the Binder.  Character Worksheets, Setting Sketches, Arcs, Research, Timelines, etc. But instead of trying to hold all this information in my head, it’s all just a click or two away.

Not only do I use Scrivener for my book writing, but also for organizing Gardening Projects into bite-sized bits, Party Planning, Travel Details ….

Check out Scrivener at Latte and Literature, if you’re interest in untangling your skein of wool!

Happy New Year!

The Year 2020 sounds very science-fictiony to me!

And isn’t 20/20 an indication of perfect vision! Not sure what that all means, but I am resolved to experience more, achieve more and communicate more.
Experience: With six ordinary travel experiences already planned for 2020, I am resolved to take advantage of an unexpected travel experience. A surprise wedding, a research trip that can’t be missed, an exciting speaking opportunity, family frivolities in a distant city.

Achievement: Anyone who knows me, my husband and our dog, Pippa, the Portuguese Water Dog, also knows that we have been training and competing in rain and compete in Canine Nose Work for many years. Our team has earned two Nose Work 3 level titles and need just one more NW3 title before we earn our NW3 Elite title and can begin competing at the Elite level. 2020 is our year to achieve this very exciting step in our Nose Work journey.

Communication: I resolve to lunch more often with my friends, to plague my grandchildren with attention from their Gramma Linda, to actually telephone my family members and good friends more often–just to hear their voices.

Of course there’s the usual: meeting my book release deadlines with less sturm and drang, expending the same number of calories every day that I take in (!), clearing the veggie garden of last seasons weeds–before it’s time to plant in the late winter.

Understanding that a resolution is merely a “guideline”, I can only resolve to experience 2020 to the fullest. Travel far, taking time to smell the roses and sharing every minute with the people I adore.

A very happy and achievable 2020 to you all!