~ especially during a heatwave, trains getting delayed and no air conditioning!
Despite all that, running a workshop at the Penzance Literary Festival was an absolute delight. The venue was the Morrab Library, situated in the beautiful Morrab Gardens high above the town. It is an independent library, established in 1818, and holds over 70,000 wide ranging books ~ both fiction and non-fiction ~as well as archives and a rich photographic collection. What place could be more inspiring than one where you are surrounded by so many volumes on floor-to-ceiling shelves?
The twelve participants all had an interest in historical fiction. Some were just starting out; some were published authors. Our starting point, in the workshop, was to examine the issues that enable us to weave history into a story. For most people, it was a character who had inspired their stories – a person who had suffered, protested, or fought for something they believed in. One or two people used setting, or an event, for their inspiration, but the thing that was common in building their fictional worlds was the passion that fuelled everyone around the table.
Well-established writers, such as Tracy Chevalier, Phillipa Gregory and Hilary Mantel all have useful advice regarding historical fiction, and when Tracy Chevalier was asked how she knew when she had done enough research her long answer encompassed every single source you could possibly imagine. Her short answer? Never.
So, how do we avoid clinging on to all that information we acquire along the way? How do we ‘get rid of our darlings’? My first draft for A Strand of Gold was full of the things I hold dear about the history of Singapore; I wanted everyone to KNOW all this stuff too. Eventually, I realised that most of what I had written did nothing to add to the plot, and if anything, it most likely slowed it down. This is OK in a first draft, but it’s really important to go back, time and time again and focus on what is really necessary. I hope that’s where I’ve got to with the novel I have just finished [edit 10].
Breaking Loose is set in London and Salisbury between 1858 – 59. It is a story about self-discovery, friendship and women’s mental health.