Plotter, Pantser, And Paranormal Historical Fiction

“Write What You Know.” That’s not always easy when you’re writing a historical fiction piece taking place centuries ago, revolving around an indigenous people. A life I’ve never lived, people I’ve never met, and terrain I’ve never walked.

I have to say writing book one of my trilogy Twilight Ends: Keepers of the Gate, was easy given it takes place in the twenty-first century, in a place I know well, Geneva New York in a Victorian Bed and Breakfast setting near Seneca Lake. Book two will be much harder to conceive after thrusting my characters through time, into the heart of Iroquois Confederacy in the 1700s and 1800s colonial Geneva, New York and requires a different strategy.

I’m generally a pantser, letting my characters guide the story. A plotter, I am not. Outlining a book always seemed a waste of time, especially when my muse wants to stray outside the outline.

Plotter and Pantser Interweaved  

Okay… well, what now?

Although I did not structure book one with an outline, book two requires a different strategy, a combination of pantser and plotter. I aim to explore and represent real events accurately (outlined) while injecting fictional characters and dialogues into historical situations (pantser). Having already developed my characters’ history, flaws, idiosyncrasies, strengths, weaknesses, and desires, the unfamiliar terrain of book two will be less challenging with an outline.

Thus, a dual strategy of constructing a precise outline of historical facts and weaving fictional characters through authentic 17^th and 18^th-century landscapes, Iroquoian lifestyles, and a devastating Revolutionary War is the plan. For several months, research and writing will consume my time. It will be a daunting but thrilling dive into another world.

Accuracy, authenticity requires facts, lots of research.  Research? Hmm, a topic for next time.

By The Way Today Is National Watermelon Day

If you’re melting from August heat and want to cool off, watermelon is the perfect hydrating fruit. This high-nutrient, low-fat melon is rich in vitamin C, and A, dietary fiber, and antioxidants boast numerous health benefits: Decreased risk of hypertension, heart disease, osteoarthritis, and cancer.

Cool off with my icy Watermelon-Strawberry smoothie recipe below.

Frozen Watermelon Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients

4 Servings

• 4 cups Watermelon(frozen, diced, seedless)
• 4 cups Strawberries (frozen)
• 2 tbsps Lime juice
• 6 Large Mint leaves
• 2 tbsps Agave Nectar (honey optional)

Preparations

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until creamy.

Enjoy!