Writing V Research: Write what you know? with Jenny Brigalow and Giveaway!

Today, author Jenny Brigalow is here with writing advice for all our friends. Her THE CHILDREN OF THE MIST has just been released and there's a giveaway of kindle copy to one commenter!

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"Write what you know." A phrase I've seen or heard on a number of occasions. And it has to be said that much of the genius of writer's such as  Jane  Austen and Emily Bronte is derived from their ability to create brilliant works of fiction from relatively small worlds. What would they have achieved today?

To a degree, I think that it is easier to write about what you know. But I don't think I've ever written anything which didn't involve some degree of research. You do hear of writers who go to extremes in research. Some will actually buy and try weapons they intend to write into a scene. I read the other day that one writer went climbing on an ice mountain as part of research. Very brave!

So how much research is enough?  I guess there's no formula for that. Everyone is different. When I write  rural romance I do less, probably because I know a bit more about this. But although I've had cattle and lived on small farms for twenty five years, I'm not a primary producer. So I do have to research the particulars.  One rural romance  is set in North Queensland on a remote cattle property. Now, I've never been to North Queensland, so I had to research this pretty well. Amongst other things,  I learned about natural property boundaries, fresh water crocs and wild pigs! It was fascinating.  And it really set me up to write the story with confidence.

When I fixated on the idea of Morven Smith, I began to imagine who she was and where she lived. Person and place. And Morven, quite simply, was a bit of rebel. Not an anarchist, you understand, but definitely outside the box. And so she ended up on a skateboard. Trouble was I knew about as much about skateboarding as I do about nuclear fission. And so I began research. I started, of course, on the net. I googled skate related sites, watched video's and roamed blogs. Then I watched the kids at the skate parks and on the street. (Probably lucky I wasn't arrested). To round off I was invited by a very talented group of Extreme Skateboarders to watch them in action. Awesome. So, finally I was armed with enough ammo to put Morven and Zest on wheels.

The Children Of The Mist is contemporary but , as in real life, for Zest and Morven the  past and present over- lap. So I had to research Scottish history as a skeletal frame to hang the meat on.

I've always loved history so this was not a chore. In fact, strangely enough, I became so intrigued that I found myself stepping further and further back in time. I wrote a fantasy YA as a spin off, set in the copper age. And I've just been to Scotland to research St Columba as a background for the next part of this series.

So, while I dream of being Austen, I think I'll have to settle for a compromise. For me imagination and information seem to go hand in hand. And let's face it, we have a wealth of information at our finger tips. What a wonderful world!

 

 

 

 

The Children Of The Mist

An original paranormal YA about an unconventional girl, an unconventional boy, their extraordinary transformations, and the secrets of the Scottish Highlands.

When skater girl Morven Smith turns sixteen, she develops boobs, acute appendicitis...and a pair of pointy teeth. While she is stunned by her metamorphosis into vampire, her best mate, the enigmatic Zest, is not. For the young werewolf, Morven’s transformation is an answer to his lonely prayers.

But they are unable to celebrate their mutual paranormalcy for long — there are too many dangers, too much suspicion, and too many questions. It’s only in Scotland that Morven can learn the truth about her past. But she discovers more than she bargained for when she meets her birth family — an ancient feud between vampires and werewolves. They may both be Children of the Mist, but only one species can survive.


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