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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 2, 2009 0:50:12 GMT -6
Anyone want to give me a hand in research for a fairy tale I'm working on? If so, here's some of the things I plan to research and learn about:- Royalty Lines
I know there's: King & Queen; Lord & Lady; Count & Countess; Duke & Duchess ... (that's all I can think of) ... Are there more? & How are they connected or listed in rank? (King & Queen = Numero Uno) ... ooh! Sirs & ?? (is there a female version? ... A 'Sir' is a knight, is it not? So there wouldn't be a female version? -- I think there is nowadays though, yes?)
- Castles
I plan on searching for floor plans, and to find out what the various rooms are called, and what they're used for. What objects/possessions would be found in each room. -- I know some from movies and books, but I thought I should know more. (I might not use the info, but it might help give me ideas and directions to go in.)
- Creatures
Browsing through: The Monster Hunter's Handbook by Ibrahim S. Amin and reading up on various creatures has given me some good ideas for the book, and directions to take it in. And that is why I started the threads: Most Loved Creatures, Mystical/Magical Beings & Most Hated Creatures, Mystical/Magical Beings. (You can post to them, or here.)
- Magical / Mystical Beings
I've been flipping through: The Encyclopedia of Witches And Witchcraft by Rosemary Ellen Guiley, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, And Other Supernatural Creatures by Katharine Briggs; & Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor. They too have sparked ideas, and given me Fairy Tales to search for to read online. (Kate Crackernuts; Allison Gross; Kemp Owyne; The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea; The Laidy Worm of Spindleton Heughs; & The Loathsome Dragon) -- (You can also post about Magical/Mystical Beings on the threads listed above, or here.)
So far, I have a witch, and nothing else ... I'm thinking of using: fairies/sprites; cyclops; roc; gorgon; harpy; sirens; djinn/genie; golem; troll; ... and as I go through the books, others may occur to me and help give me more ideas.
- Maps / Mapping
I know some authors create their own maps of the world in their books, and I haven't decided if I want to use the outlines of actual places, or create my own outlines from scratch.  So I'll need to research map making/creating. How-to, etc. Or find world maps that don't have names of towns, cities, lakes, oceans, counties, countries, etc. on them. I figure blank maps would be easier.  Just find the ones I like and print them out and add the boundary lines and kingdoms, etc. where I want.
- Images
From visiting author blogs, I've learned a lot of them use photos/images to help them envision and describe their characters, creatures, etc.
- Deformities: I will need photos/images of deformities in order to describe a character. (I switch back and forth between him being cursed with deformities, or turned into a cyclops.)
- Creatures & Magical / Mystical Beings: I will need photos/images in order to use for creature/character descriptions.
- Characters: I will need photos/images of people to use for character descriptions.
I have a total of 7 characters at the moment. (This started out as a picture book, so I didn't need a lot of characters. With each rewrite the story got longer, so I went from Picture Book, to Picture Story, to Storybook, to a novel for preteens, to a novel for teens.)
- Kingdom #1:
- Kingdom #2:
- Magical Being:
There were a few bit part characters that didn't have names, and weren't used in more than one or two scenes.
- Scrapbooking
I've also discovered that some authors collage/scrapbook to get them into the book they're writing. (Collaging didn't appeal to me, but I think I might try scrapbooking.)
- How To (books; websites; etc.)
- Materials & Tools Needed
- Helpful Books / Websites
I need information about objects, people, how people lived, etiquette, decorum, etc. * See list above.
I'm sure these searches will lead to more research, but this is a start. I'll post other searches I'll need as they crop up.
And Thanks in advance. It will be muchly appreciated.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 2, 2009 7:04:56 GMT -6
Hhhmmm, Joxie. Not much I can think of off the top of my head. "Child of the Northern Spring", "Queen of the Summer Stars", and "Guinevere: The Legend in Autumn" by Persia Woolley is a trilogy of novels that comes to mind. It's about Guinevere's life before she marries Arthur, during their reign, through to Arthur's death.
The stories are fictional....and very descriptive. They are written from Guinevere's perspective about how their life might have been back then - not the life after it evolved into legend. I'm thinking about your request for castles here and daily castle life; there is no "magic" of the Arthurian Legends that you get from other books about Arthur. I've read a number of reviews, all saying that Woolley really did her homework when it came to the historical aspects of the book - the places, rituals, customs and such of the times.
Very quick reads too.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 2, 2009 16:21:41 GMT -6
Thanks Phalon ... I did a search on the author and found she has written a "How To Write Historical Fiction" book, and I think I'll check it out.
BTW: I'm adding more to the first post ... if anyone is interested in what else I'm researching.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 3, 2009 7:02:41 GMT -6
Glad the suggestion could lead to something that may help, Joxie.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 3, 2009 15:36:34 GMT -6
Me too, Phalon. The books are out of print so I had to buy them used from www.Alibris.com, and when I was about to check out I noticed another book, "Writing Historical Fiction", in the sidebar and got that one as well.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 3, 2009 18:28:55 GMT -6
Okay ... I decided to post the collage links & scrapbooking info here to make it easier to see what types of images I am seeking:
Collages:
Picture This:
Collage as Prewriting and InspirationFan Trivia Book CollagesJENNY: Mare, the Collage 2006/07JENNY: Different Writers, Different Styles, Exciting ProcessJENNY: Mare, the Collage 2006/03And now Mare . . .Trudy: The Collage 2005/10Saturday, January 07, 2006
SHE WROTE: How We Write 2
(Image No Longer Shows)Writing and the Collage
by Jenny | January 23rd, 2009Wild Ride, the Collage (in Progress)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Scrapbooking:
* So then I spent about three months making this scrapbook... for this person.
* What is he like? What would he wear? where does he go? And I included theater tickets and birthday cards and all sorts of things. What happened to him when he was two years old? And who was his father? And what was his mother like? And I created all this to make him come to life.
* Well, what happens during that time is that the person comes to life and their story starts building unconsciously in my head. So by the time I'm ready -- however long that is -- I just know the story.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 4, 2009 19:09:03 GMT -6
This thread gave me the idea for a research board where writers (and others) can seek info on subjects they need to know about. The info will be for everyone and not just for me.
For instance: I don't yet have plans to use gargoyles, shifters, or demons in the fairytale I'm working on, but I've created threads for them to gather info for those who may be seeking the info in the future. As I gather info, I will post it for others and hope others will do the same.
The info can be used for personal works, works for either/or Oz / Zo, works for storythreads or fanfic that will be posted here or elsewhere.
Happy info hunting!
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 9, 2009 17:31:39 GMT -6
Phalon: I got these used books in the mail today:
Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley
Guinevere: the Legend in Autumn by Persia Woolley
How to Write and Sell Historical Fiction by Persia Woolley
The first two are hardbacks and still have their jackets, which are in good condition. The third is a paperback. I'm expecting to get these in the mail some time this week or next:
Child of the Northern Spring by Persia Woolley
Writing Historical Fiction by Rhona Martin
According to their info, "Child of the Northern Spring" also has a jacket in very good condition. Yay! 
On the inside jacket flap of: "Queen of the Summer Stars" it states: "Written in the tradition of Mary Stewart's Merlin books." I had not intended to get these books, but perhaps I should ... in the name of research. Oh the awful things we have to do for our art. 
Hhhmmm, Joxie. Not much I can think of off the top of my head. "Child of the Northern Spring", "Queen of the Summer Stars", and "Guinevere: The Legend in Autumn" by Persia Woolley is a trilogy of novels that comes to mind. It's about Guinevere's life before she marries Arthur, during their reign, through to Arthur's death.
The stories are fictional....and very descriptive. They are written from Guinevere's perspective about how their life might have been back then - not the life after it evolved into legend. I'm thinking about your request for castles here and daily castle life; there is no "magic" of the Arthurian Legends that you get from other books about Arthur. I've read a number of reviews, all saying that Woolley really did her homework when it came to the historical aspects of the book - the places, rituals, customs and such of the times.
Very quick reads too.
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Post by quettalee on Mar 9, 2009 19:02:31 GMT -6
Jox, I've got a book...The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures...the ultimate a-z of fantastic beings from myth and magic. It's by John and Caitlin Matthews. Google it and if it's something you think you can use, pm me an address and I'll send it to you.
All this time we've known each other--I have everyone's address but yours. Even Kat's...all the way to Australia. And you live closer to me than anyone on either forum.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 9, 2009 22:12:33 GMT -6
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Post by Phalon on Mar 10, 2009 6:04:27 GMT -6
Oh! The Stick-Mugs...I used one for my coffee today; Fish-stick, I think it was....they've gone through the dishwasher so many times, I can barely make the sticks out anymore. My Gams, though, is still perfect, (and shapely, razor-burn free, I might add). She's my pencil holder.
Wait for "Child of the Northern Springs", Joxie, before you start in on the others; it's the first in the series, but I'm sure you knew that. Some series you can read out of order; this one is better, I think, if you stick with how they were written chronologically.
Silly me, I knew the books were out of print, but didn't think to order them on-line when I was looking for them last year for Poppet. (I don't do a lot of on-line ordering of anything) She turned me on to Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy, so I thought I'd return the favor and send her Woolley's books for her birthday. I found the first two - one each at the two used bookstores in town - but never got the third.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 10, 2009 16:23:21 GMT -6
I got: Writing Historical Fiction by Rhona Martin in the mail today. And it was a library book with a clear plastic slip cover over its jacket.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 11, 2009 17:19:17 GMT -6
And in the mail today:
Child of the Northern Spring by Persia Woolley
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 12, 2009 16:44:49 GMT -6
Thanks again, Phalon. Because of the info you shared, I found: Writing Historical Fiction by Rhona Martin. And it has a lot of good/useful info in it that I wish I'd known about years ago when I first started writing. A lot of it I already figured out on my own, but it would have been nice if I'd known about it from the get go, instead of learning about it through trial and error. This book is good for all beginning writers, not just those wanting to write historicals.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 12, 2009 21:11:37 GMT -6
Glad the suggestion led to something that could help, Joxie.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 14, 2009 0:30:31 GMT -6
Okay ... if anyone is interested ...
I have ideas as to who to play the part of the teenage Princess. (In my head as I write.)
First I thought of Sofia Vassilieva (Medium) ... but I've only seen the actress on Medium, so I've not seen the range she can play, and felt that Ariel was too timid to be my Princess. I'm sure that Sofia herself has more than enough attitude to play the role, and I'm sure her parents would agree, alas I need to see her in more roles before I use her for this role.
So, then I thought of Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) ...
Once I had that out of the way, I though of Orlando Bloom to play the teenage Prince. And that gave me the idea to use Keira Knightley as the Princess.
And then I came up with Gabs-A-Lot as the Princess.  And _then_ I thought, "Why do I have to choose just one? Why can't I use them all?
And then when I was watching Moonlighting, I thought of using Alex O'Loughlin & Sophia Myles as the Prince & Princess. Okay ... apparently I haven't come to a firm decision.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 30, 2009 22:18:12 GMT -6
You can kind of tell, from my choice of actresses, what I'm looking for ... so if anyone wants to make suggestions on teen actresses to use as a basis for my main female character, share away.
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"There are people you meet, who move in and out of your life, like ghosts-- and after they're gone, you find that they've left a part of themselves with you.
Yes! This would be a great book to add to my library. Thanks TG! 
