Monthly Archives: October 2009

A couple of days ago, my mom called me and said "Hi, what're you doing?"

"I was just researching what happens when a body lay in state in late 17th century London," I replied. Such is the life of a writer.

Research is one of the most enjoyable parts of writing for me, and oh, so much easier. At the beginning, it was tough to know when to stop the research and begin the writing.  At some point I had to put down the books and just start writing, even if I knew some of it was not historically accurate. I figured I could go back and iron out details later.

But I have been interested in Restoration England and the reign of King Charles II since I was a teenager. I've been studying this time period for years, so ending the research in favor of the writing was not such a stretch for me. I did have to do quite a bit of reading on specific details, such as the Popish Plot, but overall I had a good sense of what Restoration England was about.

And if I had any qualms about writing things I knew nothing about, Harlan Coben eased them during a panel at Bouchercon when he said "I just make this shit up."

Accurate historical details are important to me, yes. But at the end of the day, I write fiction. It's my job to make shit up!

All that said, I thought it would be fun to post some historical tidbits about the time period I'm writing about, 1678 London:

1) By law, one had to attend church on Sundays (Church of England) or be fined.
 
2) Women were 4 times more likely to die in the first decade of marriage than men, but if a woman lived past her child-bearing years, she had a longer life expectancy than her husband.

3) Brunette was the fashionable hair color.

4) Donkey's milk was thought to be safer for babies than cow's milk; they were led from door to door and milked to order.

5) Oysters were cheap and eaten often; swans were served on special occasions.

6) At the grandest of dinner parties, a knife and fork were provided, but guests were expected to bring their own spoons.

7) Women wore ceruse, a compound of white lead, to whiten their complexions. It was a white paste that one diluted with water or egg white and applied with a damp cloth. Venetian ceruse was more prized than English because of it's higher lead content.

8) Cat dung mixed with vinegar was used as a depilatory.

9) Stealing was the most common crime. If the value of the goods stolen was more than 12 pence (about $6.50 in today's US dollars) theft was punishable by death.

10)  Teething was a major cause of infant death. A well-meaning adult would lance the gums with a fingernail or coin to ease the baby's pain, and infection would result.

There, aren't you glad you didn't live in the 17th century? Makes me wonder what things we do now that will be considered unthinkable four hundred years from now. Care to make any guesses?

ne of the panels I attended at Bouchercon was called Dark Books for Dark Times. Personally, I am not of the opinion that we are living in particularly dark times, as the title suggests, but I attended the panel because the topic of darkness itself is intriguing. 

It turned out to be one of the best panels I attended.

The central question of the panel, for crime fiction readers and writers alike, was "What draws you to darkness?" I'm not sure I can answer that for myself. When I was younger I shied away from dark or scary fiction because I was afraid of nightmares. In my twenties, I had to be very careful because I lived alone and the suggestion of violence, crime, and murder could result in a sleepless night. I didn't come to crime fiction until my thirties, when I suppose I felt safe to explore the dark side of fiction because my own life was secure.

My reading preference now is the darker, the better.

The most interesting question of the panel, however, was (paraphrased) "As an author, is there any topic or theme that you won't write about? Is anything out of bounds?"

The first author to answer the question was Duane Swierczynski, who said he was reluctant to write about violence to children, especially since becoming a parent. The other authors pretty much agreed that nothing was out of bounds if it was part of the story (I think at some point, Duane was kiddingly referred to as a "wuss").

Of course I had to ask myself the same question. What is out of bounds for me? Not even a month ago, I probably would have said that writing about violence to animals, specifically, dogs, was something I didn't want to explore. I couldn't finish American Psycho after the passage where he tortures a puppy. In general I find this topic so disturbing it distracts me from the story. Recently, however, I decided that I'm doing myself and my readers a disservice if I go into any story with pre-set limitations in my mind–not that I intend on killing any dogs or children in my fiction any time soon, but if the story requires it, so it shall be.

After the panel, I started thinking about experiences I could draw on to bring forth the darkness in my writing. Frankly, I've led a life pretty much filled with light. However, I thought about how I felt when we put our dog Kramer down in December, the moment of utter despair I felt when the vet took his pulse and said "He's passed." Whew. I can feel it again now. That scene is so dark for me I can't stare at it full-on in my mind, I have to glimpse it as through a keyhole and close the door on it quickly.

Another experience I recalled was when a boyfriend who was much bigger than me was tickling me and no matter how hard I shrieked for him to stop, he wouldn't. I felt helpless. Tickling had turned into a power play and I realized that I had no control over the situation. If he became violent, there was nothing I could not have stopped it. Obviously, this example is not so dramatic as the first one, but it did give me some idea of what it might feel like to be physically assaulted.

Why, you might ask, would I want to write anything that would cause my readers, or myself, for that matter, anywhere near that kind of experience? Um, I don't really know. I only know I am drawn to darkness and I need to explore it, both in my writing and my reading. I know I am not alone in this–crime fiction has millions of fans all over the world.

What about you? Is there anything off limits in your writing? What about your reading?

The lovely "O" at the top of this post is courtesy of Daily Drop Cap.