Research and sequels
So, I've been "away" fangirling for a bit, but now I'm back because the sequel bug bit me.
Yup. And it's for The Last Legend, which I haven't even finished editing yet. I keep thinking of all the historically inaccurate things I should change and then I talk myself out of it as I eye my still-shiny Artistic License. *sigh*
Anyway, I've been reading a book called Montaillou: Cathars and Catholics in a French Village, 1294 - 1324 by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie. The whole Inquisition and Reformation is fascinating although not really related to The Last Legend or its sequel BUT this book has some marvelous anthropological data as well as nuances of daily life in the Middle Ages. It is, in short, about eight kinds of awesome.
Naturally, this means I finally thought of an opening for the sequel to The Last Legend. *rolls eyes* That was pretty much the only thing (aside from more necessary research) stopping me from starting the second book the instant my characters surrounded me with pointy sticks. Now, as I more or less have the whole story mapped out, that excuse to delay is G-O-N-E.
(And, dude, I kinda have an idea for a third book. I cannot believe this. There's no way I can write all the ideas I have in the time that they are at their most fresh and interesting. How evil is that? Sometimes I hate my brain. Or my fingers, which simply type too slow to keep up.)
As for when I'll be finished with The Last Legend, I hope it's soon, i.e., this month. I'm toying with several details: would it be realistic for a family to build walls around their vineyard in medieval Europe? Probably not, but at least it would keep the migratory herds of sheep from trampling the vines. Would a family that is not noble or headed by a successful merchant be able to afford a carriage? Probably not... do I care, though? Or perhaps I can add that the family is wealthy from other means not related to their farm... It's these kinds of things that are bugging me now. How much do I justify and explain with backstory? Or should I just let some things be held outside of the realm of belief and get on with the plot? Decisions, decisions...
(It seems like every time I turn around, I have more things to add the the Notes at the end of The Last Legend, explaining why this-or-that is the way it is. Grr.)
Yup. And it's for The Last Legend, which I haven't even finished editing yet. I keep thinking of all the historically inaccurate things I should change and then I talk myself out of it as I eye my still-shiny Artistic License. *sigh*
Anyway, I've been reading a book called Montaillou: Cathars and Catholics in a French Village, 1294 - 1324 by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie. The whole Inquisition and Reformation is fascinating although not really related to The Last Legend or its sequel BUT this book has some marvelous anthropological data as well as nuances of daily life in the Middle Ages. It is, in short, about eight kinds of awesome.
Naturally, this means I finally thought of an opening for the sequel to The Last Legend. *rolls eyes* That was pretty much the only thing (aside from more necessary research) stopping me from starting the second book the instant my characters surrounded me with pointy sticks. Now, as I more or less have the whole story mapped out, that excuse to delay is G-O-N-E.
(And, dude, I kinda have an idea for a third book. I cannot believe this. There's no way I can write all the ideas I have in the time that they are at their most fresh and interesting. How evil is that? Sometimes I hate my brain. Or my fingers, which simply type too slow to keep up.)
As for when I'll be finished with The Last Legend, I hope it's soon, i.e., this month. I'm toying with several details: would it be realistic for a family to build walls around their vineyard in medieval Europe? Probably not, but at least it would keep the migratory herds of sheep from trampling the vines. Would a family that is not noble or headed by a successful merchant be able to afford a carriage? Probably not... do I care, though? Or perhaps I can add that the family is wealthy from other means not related to their farm... It's these kinds of things that are bugging me now. How much do I justify and explain with backstory? Or should I just let some things be held outside of the realm of belief and get on with the plot? Decisions, decisions...
(It seems like every time I turn around, I have more things to add the the Notes at the end of The Last Legend, explaining why this-or-that is the way it is. Grr.)