Date Posted:10:16:50 11/27/09 Fri Author: Fi Subject: Re: hi, Fi In reply to:
dea
's message, "hi, Fi" on 10:03:01 11/19/09 Thu
Hi Debi, Page, Fel, and Dea,
Thanks for all your advice and support. That Writer's DreamTools page in particular is brilliant!
I have been googling like crazy, and have bookmarked everything from 17th century clothing, to recipes, to the parts of a sailing ship, to reports of the Ottoman slave trade. I found that Google Images is very useful; seeing pictures of people from the era helps me to visualize my characters better, and old maps are also useful for picturing the action.
With regard to the "political correctness", I'm worried about two potential problems: (a) my own 21st century sensibilities will make my 17th century characters unrealistic or (b) I'll make them so of their time that no modern reader will relate. But I guess I'll concentrate on the story first and see how that pans out.
Now I need to balance the research by doing some actual writing! At the moment my writing is filled with notes like "she wore a her hair in a [hairstyle]", "he unbuttoned his breeches [did they have buttons?], "the table was laid with [typical supper food]". I may post later when I have something more to show.
