I Need Your Help!

I began work on chapter 5 of Underground yesterday, which returns to Christopher Sherwood’s point of view.  In this chapter, Sherwood and fellow medical student, Sam McGregor, go in search of the resurrectionists, who supposedly did business with students in a rather seedy pub somewhere in Kingston’s current downtown core, though the exact name of the establishment is never mentioned, and an internet search of nineteenth-century pubs and taverns in Kingston brings up nothing but a lot of great tourist information.

So, I’m reverting to rule number 1: When in doubt, ask.  Does anyone have any ideas for historically seedy pubs for my characters to visit?  Full credit will be given in the chapter notes to anyone who helps find an answer!

Thanks to those who suggested the Prince George Hotel (too up-scale), and the Grimason House or Royal Tavern (presumably also too up-scale, since Sir John A. MacDonald used it for his campaign headquarters).  You’re help is appreciated!

Editing Work for Others is Mutually Beneficial

One of my writers’ group members recently got asked to send the first one hundred pages of her manuscript to a literary agent.  In the past, I had offered to do line edits and substantive edits for group members, providing my school schedule permitted; she asked me to have a look at her work.

So, I took a break from Underground and began editing.  The novel was historical fiction, though set in a time period with which I was unfamiliar—Anglo-Saxon times.  I found myself questioning phrases like “last nail in my coffin,” (did Saxons use coffins?) and historic terms like ceorl, and began to understand why Sam Hiyate (an agent at The Rights Factory) had suggested modernizing some of the Welsh terms in The Harper’s Word.  “Is using this term really necessary?” has become a question I now ask of myself, as much as of other historical fiction writers.  There is a tightrope to walk between historical authenticity, and readability, and editing my friend’s work made me much more aware of that fine line.

In addition, I began asking the question “is this really necessary?” of plot devices: is it necessary to give us the whole back-story now, or can we find out in bits and pieces?  Is it necessary to give a history lesson, or can we infer historic context from the things characters discuss? Is this character important enough to warrant describing him/her?  These questions, among others, I put to my friend, and now ask of myself.  One chapter of The Harper’s Word was edited down from four pages to six, simply by removing unnecessary plot devices and as I begin editing the fourth chapter of Underground, I’ll be asking the same questions all over again.

I have always admitted that cutting my own work is difficult.  Although I don’t think of each sentence in terms of the time it took to construct it (I know some authors who do), it is often easier to spot flaws in others’ work than in my own.  Editing my friend’s work has made me more aware of what is necessary and what isn’t, and has allowed me to bend a more critical eye on my own writing. 

If you have a writing group of your own, try swapping writing with someone, and go through their story with a fine tooth comb.  Be critical, but not cruel.  Ask the questions that aren’t answered.  If you think something is too long, say so.  If something doesn’t make sense, say so.  If something seems inaccurate, point it out and ask if the author did research.  Not only will this help the writer, but it can teach you to recognize problematic passages in your own writing, and it’s better to find them now, than to wait until you’ve been rejected by agents and editors because the manuscript isn’t tightly written.

Thanks to my writers’ group for all the critiquing, and for letting me learn more about editing on their work!

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Type your email address into the box on the right of your screen (for screen reader users, it gets bumped to the bottom of the current list of posts).  Feedburner will send you a confirmation email with a link.  If you don’t click the link, your subscription won’t be processed, so be sure to follow through.  Once you’ve clicked, you’re set!  Each new post submitted to CMG Books will be delivered right to your inbox, so you’ll never miss a thing!

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Underground Update

Just a quick note to let you all know that the fourth chapter of Underground, “Robbed,” is written and currently in the process of being edited.  Provided the website doesn’t give me any trouble, it will be posted right on schedule.  Thanks to everyone who has sent emails about the previous chapters, and encouragement for the upcoming ones.  I’m looking forward to sharing the next instalment with you!

Underground - Chapter Three Posted!

The third chapter of Underground, “A Proper Crutch,” is now available at www.cmgbooks.com/5.html.  I’m sorry it’s late; some last-minute research turned up some last-minute plot problems.  For instance:Lieutenant Mills was originally posted to Fort George in Niagara; Fort George was abandoned in the 1820s.  You see the problem? ;).  This was then complicated by exams and a major research paper. 

In any event, exams are finished, all the plot bugs are now ironed out (I hope) and the chapter is ready for your enjoyment!

Some Notes on the Chapter:

The Watkins wing of Kingston General Hospital was constructed in 1863 as an isolation ward.  Many of the beds were reserved for charity, but a few on the second floor could be used by patients of a slightly higher class who were able to pay for the medical attention they received.  .

Murney Tower is one of four Martello towers constructed along the shore of Lake Ontario in the mid-nineteenth century to provide additional fortification to Kingston.  Like Fort Henry, Murney Tower never saw action, as the conflict with the United States was concluded by treaty, though it was used by the British army until the 1870s, and by the Canadian forces until the 1890s.

Caroline’s comment on what Lieutenant Mills is wearing is not, perhaps, as out of place as it might seem.  In the nineteenth century, only officers in the British army were allowed to keep their civilian clothes.  Ordinary soldiers’ clothes were taken and burned, so the only coat they owned was their uniform coat; being bright red, this made it very difficult for men to desert. 

Resources:

Angus, Margaret. Kingston General Hospital: A Social and Institutional History. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1973.

For information about nineteenth century Kingston, including a basic chronology and details about Murney Tower, check out the Kingston Historical Society at www.kingstonhistoricalsociety.ca.  I should note here that Murney Tower contains a museum of nineteenth-century military artefacts that is open during the summer months (more information on the website above).

Both Fort Henry and Fort Wellington are still standing, and are open to the public from May until October.  You can visit their respective websites at

www.forthenry.com and www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/wellington/index.aspx

Enjoy “A Proper Crutch,” and check back soon for chapter four!

First Writing Retreat: A Total Success!

There’s something about fresh air, a fantastic view over busily writing writers that gets the muse to work.

This weekend, I joined the other ladies in my writing circle at a cottage, where we all found space to write and reflect.  With seven of us chipping in, the cottage was more than affordable for the weekend; it also helped that it isn’t yet peak season.  We each made one meal or large snack to bring up, and one of our members (a yoga teacher) led a short yoga session Saturday morning that got everyone jazzed up and ready to write.

I can’t believe the industriousness I saw this weekend, or the way in which being away from home succeeded in severing my brain from “exam mode,” and planting it firmly in “novel land.”  Chapter Four of Underground was half finished, and I got to chapter 5 of the sequel to The Harper's Word.  In total, I wrote more than 10,000 words, edited 20 pages (chapters one and two of The Harper’s Word and chapter three of Underground), and I’m excited to keep going tomorrow!

You should find Underground, “Chapter Three: A Proper Crutch,” on the website tomorrow evening.  I’ll post as soon as it’s up.