Fairy Tale-Historical-Fantasy-Medieval-Middle Ages

[Mini Mia]

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.

[Mini Mia]

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 Inspiration

Fan Trivia Book Collages

JENNY: Mare, the Collage 2006/07

JENNY: Different Writers, Different Styles, Exciting Process

JENNY: Mare, the Collage 2006/03

And now Mare . . .

Trudy: The Collage 2005/10

Saturday, January 07, 2006
SHE WROTE: How We Write 2
(Image No Longer Shows)

Writing and the Collage
by Jenny | January 23rd, 2009

Wild Ride, the Collage (in Progress)
Monday, March 2, 2009

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Scrapbooking:

The Reincarnationist: An interview with author M.J. Rose

* 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.

[Mini Mia]

Mar 2, 2009 7:04:56 GMT -6 Phalon said:

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.

Mar 2, 2009 16:21:41 GMT -6 Mini Mia said:

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.

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BTW: I'm adding more to the first post ... if anyone is interested in what else I'm researching.

Mar 3, 2009 7:02:41 GMT -6 Phalon said:

Glad the suggestion could lead to something that may help, Joxie.

Mar 3, 2009 15:36:34 GMT -6 Mini Mia said:

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.