Sorry to misquote that phrase from Field of Dreams,
but you get the idea. In this case, I am talking about ideas of course. In last
month’s post, I talked about the creation of a book in the mind of an author, specifically
this author. Right, so the idea is there, the basic plot line is worked out and
the story has begun, and is now taking up eighty percent of my daily thoughts—and
often night-time ones as well. This to the point when the irritable little
chores of life that need doing begin to niggle and annoy. And just why do we
need so much sleep? It really bugs me that sleep takes up so much of my time,
and I admire and envy those who say they can get by on four hours a night.
All very well to start the building process, but
without the ideas, all we are faced with is that empty page to fill. My guess
is that every other author out there has as much going on in their brain each
day as I do—always chock full of ideas for their stories, even while doing the
mundane household chores. I created my next scene this morning while I walked
my dogs. Not much else to think about while doing that (which isn’t a chore by
the way) except what my characters are going to do in their upcoming scene.
Everything that gets built—from a house to a chicken
run—must start with the initial plan or most things would end up a
higgledy-piggledy mess. So it is with a book. You have the plot worked
out—roughly, the characters beginning to tell you what they want to do or not
do. Then you need a time-line to adhere to, especially in historicals or
time-travels. It would be absolutely ridiculous to think it will be all right
to put your characters in a situation where the time-line hasn’t been worked out,
especially if some of your characters have appeared in a previous book. The
background is where the crucial building begins—and therefore the research. You
garner all the facts and figures, which might take almost as long to do as the
writing itself, but is essential. You might end up with three pages of notes on
a subject and only need one line from those notes to feature in your book.
One of my all-time favourite reviews was for my Mystic
Mountains and read: “The author explains
a great deal about the early history of Australia without being pedantic. The
historical details are very nicely integrated into the story, and are never
intrusive. The author clearly did a lot of research, and the historical
accuracy adds to the richness of the tale. The author also points out how
crucial New South Wales Governor Lachlan Macquarie was to the development of
the democratic Australia that we know today.”
This review meant the world to me as it proved I did
my job well, and was thorough in my building process without ramming facts at
the reader. I felt as proud as any builder who stands back with a sigh when the
project he/she has been working on is finished to their satisfaction.
