I love my subconscious

[jpskewedthrone]

I really wouldn't be able to write well without it.

Yesterday, my partner and I went to NYC. I spent way too much money and walked way too far, BUT on the drive home, I had the entire base structure of The Vacant Throne handed to me by my subconscious. I've been flailing around with the writing because even though I know what the emotional plot line of the novel is, I haven't had a clue what the base plot line was (the action, the movements of the people, the battles, etc). However, I now know . . . or at least think I know . . . what everyone does. They move here because of this, then this happens because of this, and the domino effect sets in and they have to go here and in desperation do this, and that changes this, and . . . Well, you get the idea. I frantically scribbled what I could down on a receipt. Then I sat back and began analyzing it, looking for connections I hadn't made yet, looking for plot holes, things that wouldn't work, etc. I ended up making more connections. Some of the characters who weren't doing anything (but needed to be doing something because otherwise readers would want to know why they dropped off the face of the earth) came forward and said, "I'm doing this, because if I don't, this over here won't work! See how helpful I am?" And things like that. There's still enough that I don't know that the writing will be interesting, but it feels good to have a decent idea of where it's headed. And I've realized that there are certain elements that are going to require . . . research.

I hate research. It's absolutely and totally necessary if you want things to actually WORK and be BELIEVABLE, but I feel like I should have some kind of connection between my brain and all information in the world so that all I have to do is say, "I need this!" and the information is core dumped into my subconscious. I know this isn't how it works, ever, but I'm a fantasist. I like to dream.

In any case, the most obvious area of research for this book is going to be . . . ships. Boats and specifically how to build them. From scratch. How long does that take? What's involved? What resources do you need? (Timber . . . lots and lots of timber.) And what's the difference between building a trading ship and a ship of war? And these aren't little rafts. I assume it takes . . . a long time. I have motivated people however, and I have magic that I'm assuming will help speed up the process somewhere along the way, but how long it takes to build boats is going to seriously effect the plot structure. If it takes 5 years to get one ship built, then the plot structure I have currently won't work. I'll have to come up with something else or figure out how to get ships some other way besides building them from scratch.

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

They could rebuild ships.

Anyway, here's to the subconscious! (For some reason long drives and showers seem to wake mine up. I wonder if that's because those are two situations I'm less likely to be constantly interrupted? Naw, couldn't be.)

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

I've already thought of that, but I'm not sure how many of the ships I destroyed in book 2 can be salvaged. I had so much fun destroying them.

And even then, I'm not sure there will be enough for what I need just by rebuilding. I may have to rebuild, build from scratch, AND bargain with other cities to get their ships. This is probably best; strengthen political ties and solidify the coastal cities and all that.

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

ask pbray about the ship stuff -- she knows all that sort of thing, since she researched a vast variety of ships for the Josan books.

and congrats on getting a plot.

[krteilman.livejournal.com]

See that is what I need to get paid for. Research. I love doing the research for costume design...and pretty much anything else historical. I just have no real reason to do it. I love spending time in the library and on the internet looking stuff up for people.

hmmmmmmmmm if I could get paid to do that all day...........

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

I'd pay you if I could, but I'm not making enough off of the books to do that. Besides, it's more creative (for me) if I do it myself, since you can run across the strangest (and most interesting) things while researching. Good fodder for future books.

So I bitch and moan, but it's a good thing, research.

[krteilman.livejournal.com]

That is why I like it too. History is full of the most bizarre things. Especially if you read about fashion history. People used to do the stupidest things in the name of fashion......oh wait.....they still do.

have fun researching!!!!

[rugor.livejournal.com]

Just doing a quick check. I love Wikipedia.

HMS Victory was laid down in July 1759 and her frame was completed by late 1760. She was then laid up for 3 years as a bare frame to season. (Normally this would be a few months, but it was extended because the Seven Years War had just ended.) Construction resumed in autumn of 1763 and she was launched in 1765, which meant about a three year construction period.

The Swedish warship Vasa was laid down in 1626 and launched in 1628, while USS Constitution was laid down in the summer of 1795 and launched in October 1797.

All of those vessels were built on the classic sailing ship plan of a full frame and then planked around the frame.

On the other hand, Polybius indicates the Romans took about 60 days to go from timber to trireme in the classical era. They also appear to have been built diffferently, with the hull planked first (supported from the outside) and then the frames put in.

So it looks like you can certainly bring a ship up in a 1-2 year period depending on complexity; espcecially as from what I read in the Skewed Throne Amenkor feels more classical in technology than anything else.

As well as timber, you need lots of rope for rigging and also tons of sailcloth.

Also remember they would be building them in paralell so even given a two year building span you could easily get a city the size of Amenkor to produce 10-20 ships in three or four years without magic.

Hope this helps

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

I have got to mess around more with wikipedia.

All of this is great! I figured it would take at minimum a year to build a ship from scratch. I'm thinking I can decrease the time a little using magic (for curing the wood and things like that perhaps), but didn't think I could pull it down much below a year. And of course I'll be building more than one ship at a time. But I do need to know things like you already pointed out: HOW things were built. Planking first, then frames? What?

But I'll get on that soon. I haven't gotten close to where this would start coming into play in the new novel yet, so it's back-burner material right now.

More

[rugor.livejournal.com]

Here's another link-- this one on building a Viking Knarr

http://www.regia.org/Ships1.htm

It has illustrations as well as a description of building a Viking style clinker hull. Again in this era the ships were built hull planking then frame. It also includes things like the amount of iron needed.

Anyway, more grist for your back burner.