I said it, I’ll repeat it – for me, one of the best bits of writing fiction is doing research.
After all, it means digging up strange facts and reading great books and have a good excuse for it.
I’m doing research for my next book
Sounds cool, too.
AND it’s a great way to decompress after a whole day spent writing.
Now, ok, working in scientific research should be the same – and it used to be just like that: you get paid to learn, experiment and discover new things.
Pity nobody’s paying researchers anymore, not in Italy, anyway.
On with my writing projects, then.
So, I’m planning my next stories, and I’m reading Eric Newby‘s On the Shores of the Mediterranean, which is a nice, insightful travel book with lots of snippets of info about… well, about the shores of the Mediterranean.
Not the best from Newby, probably, but very good indeed.
Newby was quite a good writer, and his memoir about the war in Italy is another great read and an excellent resource for my work.
I’m also putting together a little reference library, to check my facts and make sure I’m not playing too fast and loose: Breverton’s Nautical Curiosities, Sailing for Dummies and one of my old oceanography books will be handy.
One never knows.
And some stuff about pirates.
As usual, the web is a precious resource – I’ve learned more about sloops and small sailboats in one afternoon on the web than I could ever have learned from books.
And I got photo references, too.
And when looking for information about everyday life 50/60 years ago, it’s easier and cheaper to use the web than getting books and magazines.
So, everything’s ready – let’s close the current jobs and get them out of the way, and by September there will be something new.
Probably.
I think.
Maybe.
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