A few years ago, I mentioned that I was working on Seas’ Game for NaNoWriMo. I am still working on this project, this time for my PhD. As the story is set in 18th century, I wanted the opportunity to research and reflect on that time, and it is very interesting.
I have learned that female pirates were frequently cross-dressers. Not only that, while navies throughout the world would rather not travel with a woman, some pirates didn’t care. Just so long as you can look after yourself. Anne Bonny and Mary Read were both seen by witnesses in their own clothes when off duty, and I find this fascinating.
Also, that old superstition of women being bad luck? It stems from the men afraid they cannot control their own lust when the woman is aboard the ship.
My PhD will consist of two components, 40,000 words each. They are a novel and a critique. Today, I’m blogging mainly about the novel, Seas’ Game. It’ll be past 40,000 words, which is common for a historical fantasy, so I’ll only be submitting an extract of it. Still, a hefty extract.
Where is Seas’ Game right now?
Right now, Seas’ Game has a first draft complete of 100,000 words. But there are many scenes missing—or rather, gaps in the narrative. So I’m going back. Adding scenes to fill in this gap. And it is exciting because I can see I am losing myself in the world.
So, where I stand now is, I know the beginning, and to a degree, the middle and the end. However, it is the middle and the end where the gaps still exist. I use plotter and scrivener to plot, plan and write my novel. I use the word “plan” loosely, as I see myself more of a pantser. But I always say that my first draft, and any drafts I then revise become my plan. Plotter is good to look at the structure and see if anything needs to be arranged, using colour codes and several timelines. Scrivener is brilliant for writing the manuscript and has a nifty drag and drop for both chapters and scenes. If you want to know the difference between chapters and scenes, I’ll no doubt do a blog post about it.
How research is helping Seas’ Game
There are many ways research is helping me with Seas’ Game: characterisation, and world building are just some examples.
World Building
There is a condition I give Jasper as a symbol that he has made a deal with the necromancer. This condition had a symptom similar to gout, swollen foot. A conference I attended talked about gout in the 18th century and what adaptations were available for sufferers. Although Jasper does not have gout himself, he uses gout shoes to give him some reprieve.
With Sarah and Grace, my research showed that women will initially be separated from the men aboard a pirate ship unless they can prove their worth. In my initial draft, I had Grace and Sarah separated from each other and the men as it was important to show the different characterisation of the sisters. It was also important for what would happen next in the narrative. My research added an extra layer into this. Yes, they’re separated in the narrative for narrative purposes, but also because that was what would have been done during the time.
I feel this strengthens my storyworld, which I feel is important. If the storyworld isn’t believable, I don’t think it’s fully engaging and it weakens the rest of the story. I have read many books where the worldbuilding has pulled me out of the story, and it is hard to get back in. One of which is Pirates! by Celia Rees. Through my own research, I found the nautical terminology wrong. It also bored me as a good portion of it was the protagonists backstory, and half-way in, we’re yet to meet a pirate.
So, research is helping me to bring the world of Seas’ Game to life.
Characterisation
During the 18th century, the Scotts were rebelling against the English, which is mentioned in my story as there would be a lack of the English army in some places due to this. Also, in 1717, Hanoverian king, George I, proclaimed that piracy would be illegal during the next year. For Seas’ Game, this is significant for Jasper. His crew will be split between those that wanted to remain and those that didn’t. But Jasper has his own delema to face with Sarah that could betray the trust his crew had placed in him.
As Grace would be seperated from the the crew, she’d have to show that she is no coward and can look after herself to be fully integrated. This added to her characterisation. A first draft of Grace was a shadow of Sarah, and that wasn’t my initial intention. However, this gave me the opportunity to show her fearlessness and recklessness.
The two women, on reflection, only appear the same on the surface. However, their actions and way of behaving depict that they’re two very different characters, and I feel that my research helped draw that out.
Challenges faced in Seas’ Game
I think one of the biggest challenges I face for Seas’ Game is language. Language changes all the time. A look at any original works of Shakespeare just shows how much it can evolve in 500 years. There are words we no longer use, and words that would not have existed three hundred years ago. I am frequently deciding which words would break the reader out of the story because it is too modern, and which ones would alienate because it is too old. It’s a delicate decision that I think I am, on the whole, getting right.
Another challenge is non-linear narrative. I went for non-linear for many reasons, but the main one is that in linear order, the women’s life would be boring and the plot would not progress fast enough. Choosing when to flash back to one of their pasts is hard and laborious, but when I find an order that works, there is an indescribable feeling.
The other challenge is filling in those gaps. I can see what’s missing, see what needs to be added, but actually working out the logistics to add it (not helped by the non-linear narrative) is difficult.
What’s next?
I’ve been going through some of my chapters again, slowly adding the research in creative ways. I can see how the book is coming to life just by adding a tidbit here or there, and I love it! I am also going to try and fill in the missing scenes when I can and get the draft into a new ‘plan’.
What would you like to learn about Seas’ Game or my writing progress next? Do let me know in the comments.