Accomplishment, but ever onward

At long last, I'm pleased to say that I finished the re-write on Sacrifice. I celebrated with dinner out, then came home to start researching for the next book, Catherine's Wheel. It's set in Berlin in 1870, and I confess, I don't know much about the Kingdom of Prussia or the North German Federation (which became the German Empire in 1871). I'm taking copious notes and need to obtain a map so I can get a handle on the geography of the place. I try not to bog my writing down with too many historical or geographical details, but it helps me to have a sense of place and time. I'll be doing a lot of reading and probably spending some quality library time.

Research is so much a part of writing, even if your work isn't technically a historical piece. I think it's important to try to ground even the most fantastical work in some breath of reality. Even if you're creating a new world, it should bear at least enough of a passing similarity to the real world to be understandable to the reader. Besides, history is filled with fascinating nooks and crannies where the seeds of many stories can be planted and eventually bear fruit.

So, until further notice, my brain will be living in a city I've never seen, in a country I've never visited, in a time long past. It will be vivid and alive when I return .

I love this part of the process.