Doing Research

I think one of the reasons my fiction is usually set in the past is because I love doing research. There's just something about learning things. Historical writers get to totally immerse themselves in a world first through their research and then through their writing as they apply that research. It's incredibly fun. You get to imagine yourself in that past world, eating what they ate, wearing what they wore, doing what they did.

But at the same time, you have to make sure you're not doing research for research's sake. I could go on researching indefinitely because I love it so much. But I can't, because at some point I actually have to write the dang story or novel. And really, how much of that research are you going to be using in your book. Probably only a very small amount. After all, you're writing a work of fiction, not a history textbook.

And then there are writers who are the complete opposite. I'm sure we've all read at least one work, historical or no, where it seems the author has never heard of the concept of research. I'm the opposite of lots of history buffs - it doesn't bother me very much if the plot involves real historical figures but is mostly made up. This is fiction, after all. Making things up is what you're supposed to do. But the fiction is also historical. To me, that means you need to make most of your details accurate. Accurate and vivid details are what convince the reader to immerse herself in the story and temporarily accept it as reality. It's not like you need to go and check out every single book the library has about ancient Roman life. Sometimes it's a simple as getting one of those children's nonfiction books called Daily Life in Ancient Rome or something like that. It's very easy. If you don't, someone's going to call you out on that eventually. I know that I'm rather picky about the notion of historical accuracy in fiction, probably pickier than most. But please, do at least some research. And if you don't, then don't say that you did.

Okay, done with that rant. It probably sounds very crabby and kind of harsh, but sometimes I need to let off steam about things, especially this thing. Now I feel better. And of course I'm not exactly consistent about this issue. Have you ever seen that old movie The Egyptian? The one where the guy Sinuhe is adopted off the river and ends up becoming court physician to Akhenaten and then is banished (I think) and travels all over the world? There was also a Babylonian courtesan named Nefernefer, and she had a tendency to wear oddly-colored wigs. If you're an Egyptophile, you probably know that that movie is pretty inaccurate, both in terms of plot and also details. And I love that movie. I adore it in all its cheesy glory. I also love The Mummy movies. So take everything I said above with a grain of salt.

In all fairness, some works (especially older works) were considered accurate at the time they were written, but later discoveries and/or scholarship brought a different perspective to the table. That is the case in some ways with Eloise Jarvis McGraw's Mara: Daughter of the Nile, which is the first book I'm going to review. I'm really looking forward to it.

Video Friday: Esther Raab-Sobibor Survivor

The novel I'm writing right now takes place mostly in the Nazi death camp Sobibor. Here's a video interview of one of the survivors:

What Is Literary Fiction?

That's the $64,000 question. As a writing major, I know that many students and professors tend to look down on genre fiction. We university types are preservers of culture, les grandes artistes, blah blah blah, for whom "theme" is a dirty word.

Okay, I'm kidding. Actually we did have a discussion in my fiction writing class this past semester in which we learned (or at least I learned, apparently almost everyone else already knew) that many literary writers apparently really do dislike talking about theme in their writing. And I just don't get that. I could be misunderstanding that attitude, but it seems a lot like you're supposed to "just feel it, man." If an author can't explain, at least in general terms, the message his story or novel is supposed to convey, then I think he's not a very good writer, no matter how technically flawless his writing. I mean, if even you don't know what your story's about, why the heck would I want to read it? Literary does not equal obscure. Literary equals subtle, sensitive, reflective - but never obscure.

The thing is, literary fiction is very difficult to define. That's because oftentimes it can also technically be classed in other genres: historical, ethnic, regional, and yes, even science fiction and fantasy. And so on. I don't think anyone has ever come up with a sufficient definition for literary fiction. The best I can come up with is that the primary concern of literary fiction is internal, rather than external, conflict. Man vs. himself. That doesn't mean there can't be plenty of external conflict in a work of literary fiction. Gone with the Wind has plenty of external conflict of various kinds, but it's still literary. And certain genre works, such as mysteries or romance novels, have their fair share of subtlety and internal conflict.

Sometimes I wonder where all this leaves me. Most of my fiction takes place in an historical setting, and there might even be a good amount of external conflict. But my purpose is mainly the internal struggle of the characters, man vs. himself rather than man vs. man. My professor told me that my work isn't historical fiction but rather literary fiction in an historical setting. So I'll just go with that definition to avoid giving myself a headache.

Finally Back to Writing Again

It's kind of ironic that I'm a writing major who has no time to write. Or maybe I should say that I do have time to write, I just can't write what I want. During the school year, I have to write this for a writing class, that for another writing class, and the other thing for a class that isn't actually a writing class but still requires a lot of writing. I fell away from that regimented schedule I posted about earlier, which makes me feel like a total hypocrite. But last night, I finally started writing what I want to write again.

On another bright note, my boyfriend proposed to me a few weeks ago. We're really excited, and right now he's looking for jobs. He's so wonderful - he wants me to be able to stay home and write, so I'll be doing what I love and focusing on my writing career. That means I'll be able to finish my first novel much faster than if I'd had to work a full-time job. Now, writing fiction will be my full time job. Of course, I'm graduating next spring and we probably won't be able to get married until the fall (the field he's entering requires about a year of training), so I will have to work for a while. Which is fine by me, since I should probably get some kind of real-world job experience anyway. You never know when you might have to use those skills or re-enter the workforce.

I'm going to be working on my novel every day (for reals this time), and I also hope to post regularly on this blog during the weekdays. If you're interested, I also have two other blogs: Hepburn Girls (about fashion) and Harassment in Egypt (rather obviously, about sexual harassment in modern Egypt). TTFN!

Wordless Wednesday: Sign of the Sobibor (Extermination Camp) Train Station

                                                                                        Photo by Jacques Lahitte

New Holy Land Website

There's a new website called See the Holy Land, which has pictures and travel advice for those who are planning on visiting the area. Perhaps it will also be useful for authors whose fiction takes place in this part of the world.

Video Friday: Dassault Systèmes & MFA Boston: Giza 3D Preview

A cool preview of the Giza 3D venture:

Video Friday: Egyptian Harp of Old Kingdom

On Wednesday I showed you an image of a harp from the New Kingdom. Today I'm showing a video that reconstructs a harp from several centuries older during the Old Kingdom (27th-22nd centuries BC). It looks like the basic structure really didn't change much.

Wordless Wednesday: Egyptian Harp from the New Kingdom (16th-11th Centuries BC)

Video Friday: The Portraits of Faiyum

Today I picked a video that was related to my Wordless Wednesday post. Here is a video slideshow of many mummy portraits from the Faiyum, set to a composition that is a good guess at what some music may have sounded like in ancient Egypt.

Wordless Wednesday: Faiyum Mummy Portrait, Egypt

New Posts Coming Soon

I've had to temporarily abandon this blog in favor of schoolwork, but the semester is over in two weeks. After that, I'll be blogging again. See you soon!