On Historical Research and An Idea

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I decided to use the opening chapter of my first historical novel for my research project for my Intro to Graduate Studies class. 

The bad thing about this is I only have fourteen days to finish the research I need for my annotated bibliography. 

The awesome thing is this means I'll have most of the research for my novel completed in two weeks.

The research has been incredibly inspiring.  In the margins of my books and in my notes, I've jotted down ideas for other stories and scenes I want to insert in my current story.  I know the word scenes is normally reserve for plays, but they feel like scenes to me, so that's what I call them. 

I had a little bit of time on Friday evening to write fiction (and not scribbles in my calendar or in the margins of my books or on the back of discarded envelopes like I've been doing for the past two weeks).  I lost myself in the writing and was late picking up my daughter from work.  I felt really great to be back to writing but even better to be assured that what I was writing was historically accurate (as much as it can be).

The majority of what we've done to date in my class is literary theory - lots of it.  On the surface, literary theory seems very abstract and, well, theoretical and not applicable to the act of writing normal novels for normal people.  But I've found it to be a useful way of looking at my own writing through crazy-colored goggles I hadn't tried on before (at least not since I was in my 20's). 

I think I might do a little series on literary theory for real writers.  I promise it won't be as boring as my textbook.  Just short posts on what we can actually use from each theory.

I might do one or two posts for nerds only (you know who you are).  Apparently I spent years designing software using a methodology that was absolutely based on semiotic theory.  I feel like I've taken the red pill, and now I can see how the reality I used to live in was constructed. (Matrix reference - I'm not really taking any pills.)

It's time to bury myself in history books.  For those of you that offered your condolences, I sincerely appreciate it.  I'm having a hard time responding to everyone that's visited lately.