Search, and Search, and Re-search. Part 1

"The heart and soul of good writing is research; you should write not what you know but what you can find out about!"

—Robert J. Sawyer

Now, I’m gonna get very serious—well, ish—and touch on some of the research I’ve been able to find and use in T&T. As any writer or student for that matter knows, the easiest way to gain a complex view of a topic is research. Hours and hours, books and articles, and Web searches amassing huge amounts of ‘stuff.’ And, if you’ve got the funds (even if you don’t), a trip to the location is an absolute must.

If you haven’t guessed (which most of you might have because my readers are very smart), T&Tis set in the 1800s, and not just that, but in early Victorian London.

Victorian Britain is one of my favorite topics. Yes, I know it wasn’t all ballgowns and expensive dinners and easy-going times, as many an author and screenwriter would have us believe, but it was simpler and more practical in many ways.

I decided to write between the years 1843 and 1844.

It’s very specific, I know, but I wanted to come down from the all-too-often generalized 1800s. I’ll let you in on a professional secret I’ve discovered; choosing a specific time has made it a lot easier to write my book. It focused me on the trends, fashions, and specific events of that year, or immediately before and I wanted T&T to be as accurate as possible—to a point.

To begin with, one of my favorite books for all sorts of Regency and Victorian goodies is What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew. It is chock-full of information and has loads of examples made by authors who wrote in the 18th and 19th centuries. It includes information about currency, the rules for card games like Whist and Faro, among others, life on an English farm, and what it actually meant to be an orphan or a woman at that time—plus so much more. I’d recommend it highly as an excellent resource for historical writers and a very interesting read for those who just love classic lit, like me!

Then there was another important source I used before I was able to visit London and see it all for myself, maps. Someone was genius enough to superimpose several Victorian maps onto current ones, giving me an in-depth view of what the city layout was in 1843. I’ve included the link here. But the highlight of any research or inspiration I could have gained toward writing T&T was finally being able to visit London. I lived and studied in Glasgow, Scotland, for two years, allowing me to be in London fifteen times. And what a city! Its skyline has changed in the 176 years since my story was set, yet so many of the buildings and streets remain just as they were after the fire of 1666. There is no way I can express how much being in London affected me, except to say I’d really love to live there one day.

1843 was in itself an ordinary year, but it was during a time of great change in Britain. Victoria had only been queen for six years and married for three. Albert, her husband, the Prince Consort, was a great believer in a reformation of the old class ideals. He wanted for the common man to be able to better himself through education, and thought slavery abhorrent. It was through his and Victoria’s efforts that we have so many cultural and educational establishments in London, the UK, and around the world.

So many new ideas that we take for granted today began during the first two decades of Victoria’s reign. The idea of the family Christmas, with chestnuts, roasted goose, Christmas cards, and beautifully decorated trees were becoming common among the masses. The industrial revolution was in full swing, bringing work and steady wages (as well as many problems between the boss and the workers). Innovations for the home and daily life were becoming available, like gas lighting, the water mattress, the pedal bicycle, and the postage stamp, to name a few.

As for authors of the time, Charles Dickens (pictured above in 1842) was a young but popular author, publishing his work and finding praise from all quarters. I reference his work in my novel, but one particular story makes a prominent appearance at a changing point in my book.

P. S. Which books did Charles Dickens publish in 1843? Any ideas? Leave me a comment below!