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July was a hell of a month. So much so, that it's already into August before I could report on July.
There were two personal vacations in there - the first up into the mountains for some camping and hiking, and the second to the beach to stomp around in strangers' gardens. I've mostly made quota for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
novel_in_90, and when I didn't I've caught up.
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I've decided, after a little bit of research, that Mary Read was 24 in 1720 when she was tried for piracy. It's as close as I can come, and close enough for my purposes with this novel. It's known she fought with the British army in Flanders before taking ship (for the second time) and sailing to the West Indies, where she eventually became a member of Jack Rackam's crew. The last campaign in Flanders that I can find record of was in 1711. Assuming she had to be at least 15 to have joined the army at that point, that puts her birth date no later than 1696.
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Other things researched lately have included ships which might stand in for Rackam's vessel, which I've christened Revenge. I've settled, for the time being, on a sloop called Swift, which was actually built in 1721 but close enough for my purposes. I don't have a schematic that shows Swift's cabin layout, but that's okay; I do have a layout for Sultana, which is about the same length and built about 50 years later than my time period, and that will do.
Sultana's website is here: http://www.schoonersultana.com/sultanahistory.htm
I also did some research on rum punch and the making thereof, which is coming in handy today as my characters are in the process of making some.
And did I mention that friends of a friend were kind enough to give me a blow-by-blow of a sailing vessel dealing with an approaching hurricane? Great details. Thank you both!
*****
I keep having people participating innovel_in_90 noting with a smile that they are glad they're not characters in my stories. These sorts of observations thrill me; they mean that the characters have caught their attention and the reader is feeling sorry for them, and that sort of identification is exactly what I want.
I've been using the "How do things get worse here?" question to prompt me to keep my eyes on the plot, and it seems to be working. Where I get off track, I figure it out pretty quickly when there isn't anything bad happening, and I can be certain that the story is staying interesting. Not to mention painful, if you're Josiah Eaden. ::grin::
There were two personal vacations in there - the first up into the mountains for some camping and hiking, and the second to the beach to stomp around in strangers' gardens. I've mostly made quota for
novel_in_90, and when I didn't I've caught up. *****
I've decided, after a little bit of research, that Mary Read was 24 in 1720 when she was tried for piracy. It's as close as I can come, and close enough for my purposes with this novel. It's known she fought with the British army in Flanders before taking ship (for the second time) and sailing to the West Indies, where she eventually became a member of Jack Rackam's crew. The last campaign in Flanders that I can find record of was in 1711. Assuming she had to be at least 15 to have joined the army at that point, that puts her birth date no later than 1696.
*****
Other things researched lately have included ships which might stand in for Rackam's vessel, which I've christened Revenge. I've settled, for the time being, on a sloop called Swift, which was actually built in 1721 but close enough for my purposes. I don't have a schematic that shows Swift's cabin layout, but that's okay; I do have a layout for Sultana, which is about the same length and built about 50 years later than my time period, and that will do.
Sultana's website is here: http://www.schoonersultana.com/sultanahistory.htm
I also did some research on rum punch and the making thereof, which is coming in handy today as my characters are in the process of making some.
And did I mention that friends of a friend were kind enough to give me a blow-by-blow of a sailing vessel dealing with an approaching hurricane? Great details. Thank you both!
*****
I keep having people participating in
novel_in_90 noting with a smile that they are glad they're not characters in my stories. These sorts of observations thrill me; they mean that the characters have caught their attention and the reader is feeling sorry for them, and that sort of identification is exactly what I want. I've been using the "How do things get worse here?" question to prompt me to keep my eyes on the plot, and it seems to be working. Where I get off track, I figure it out pretty quickly when there isn't anything bad happening, and I can be certain that the story is staying interesting. Not to mention painful, if you're Josiah Eaden. ::grin::
