Research, Research, and more Research

I am moving into the business aspect of my story and there is much I have to research. Being an American, the way things worked in regency era England is slightly foreign to me. I have had to delve deep into the import export world, the trades, charters, monopolies, and customs of many nations. I opted to create this global goal for Darcy and his band of men. Should they call their alliance Sherwood Forest? lol Are they trying to steal from the rich and give to the poor. No. They want an honest profit to fill thier own coffers. lol

It is doubly hard to take all these facts about business and trade back then and whittle it down to a paragraph here and there. Too much and even I won't read my story. But I have to understand how it worked so that what I do inject, albeit limited in scope, is meaningful but does not drone on and bore the reader. This is the hard part, well one of the hard parts, of writing. How much background is needed and how to present it in an entertaining way.

I had done all this research earlier this year. I know I did. I remember it clearly. I even created documents with the important stuff. I remember it clearly. lol But it is nowhere to be found on my computer or flash drive. That is one of the problems of getting old. I could have dreamed I made those documents. So, this week I have had to redo all that work. Much of what I have read I have read before. I have visited the websites previously and I know it fed my chapters. But the hard work, the whittling part, is missing. So forgive me if I don't blog this week. I will be knee deep into facts about business. That and I am still cleaning my house for my mom's visit. Ok, I am not as loyal to cleaning as I am to writing and my Mom said Saturday - Do not bother she wants to do it. But I must at least give her a somewhat neat home to do the heavy stuff.

My god, if she were to see my desk. lol She would outright disown me. I have an empty wine bottle next to my monitor with 3, yes 3, coffee mugs. Papers are everywhere, books are stacked up, there are christmas cards and the reindeer antlers, my award I received from the President for his Excellence In Government program, candles, bounty tissues rolled up, two sets of speakers, recipes book, tissues box (empty) and dust. lol I am not neat. I allow this desk to become disheveled and disorganized. But before Thursday, it will be neat. It is easier to clean it than to listen to her explain what happens when an area is a mess. Thank goodness for dishwashers and I have granite countertops (the easiest to keep clean) but my pantry. Oh my god. there is not enough time. and my garage! egad. I am doomed. doomed. doomed. lol

So if after the 11th you do not hear from me you will know I have been put in the corner to think about my failings. It is better than the spankings she used to give me. I will pretend it is research but you will know the truth!

till the next time (when my desk is clean - I will not make you wait for the pantry and garage).

gayle