When I had the seed of the idea for what would become the work-in-progress Journey, American, I delighted in the research I was doing.
I scoured the internet looking for stories about board-track motorcycle racing. I’ve recounted my successful quest for the blueprints to Beverly Hills Motor Speedway. I’ve also discussed the perils of writing historical fiction.
What I was doing was fooling myself. I thought I had done my research. Now, 16,000 words into the novel, I have realized I have not done enough.
No one can know the entirety of a world they never lived in. I doubt there is a human on Earth who was alive during World War I or even a teenager in the 1920s. We are nearing the point where the last of our World War II vets - those home and abroad - will be gone.
I was arrogant enough (maybe too strong a word) to think I didn’t need to do too much research. I figured it was like adding too much salt to a stew, there comes a point of too much of a good thing.
I was wrong.
During this hiatus I have been on, I have been doing reading that I should have done a long time ago. It turns out the intricacies of a few of the real lives I am writing about, are critical to making a story with depth.
I have long complained to myself and my friend Robert that I sometimes feel like I’ve been skating on the surface of my story. It was true. I have been skating on thin ice, and the real depth remained unknown.
The weather is finally about to turn for the season in Santa Fe. Fall has fought valiantly, but the bend toward winter is inevitable and we are going to start it this week.
I am jetting off for Atlanta. I’m going home to family and friends I have not seen in years and years. Flying is a great time to read and I shall.
Up sides down… my friends see the same. Ty
Jeff, you are brutally honest with yourself and your readers. Please don't likewise be brutally hard on yourself. I recently took a vacation where I was car camping, sleeping in a tent and practically living out of my car. It was great, but also totally out of my element and stressed at times. I discovered that an internal mantra of "be kind to yourself" very much eased the inconveniences and hardships. So, my advice, do the hard work, push yourself, but, above all, be kind to yourself. It eases the pain.