NaNo Countdown: Reseach

1:00 AM

November is a big month for writers because it is National Write a Novel Month! Yes, I am already starting to countdown because….


I am writing the sequel to A Different Kind of Courage!


That is right; William and Selah (among others) will make their return in a book sometime next year. November will be the month that thier story gets written.

Right now, I am knee deep in research. While some of the main historical characters have been identified for my story, others I am still trying to work out. I am reading a wide variety of books. My favorite sources are first-hand accounts; letters and documents of the people who lived and breathed during that time, such as the letters between John and Abigail Adams.

As you can see from the shelf (pictured above), I have a lot of books to work through. I am planning on rereading 1776, as I think the majority of the book will take place in that year. I am also reading a wide variety of biographies to help identify more historical characters to include, and get a better feel of the time.

As I come across a historical fact that I think I might find useful, I am writing it down on an index card along with the source. I am hoping that this will avoid the issue that I had with the last book, having to go back and find my sources again.

I have also created a timeline so I can easily keep track of the events that were going on and can build my story around it, but more of that next week.


Are you doing NaNoWriMo? Join me for the #NaNoCountdown series! You can even join with posts of your own.

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Sarah Holman lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Scott. When not working on her next novel, she can usually be found hanging out with her family, reading, or hiking at state parks with her husband. If there is anything adventuresome about her life, it’s because she serves a God with a destiny bigger than anything she could have imagined. To keep up to date on releases, join her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/bitBIf

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4 comments

  1. BekahSeptember 19, 2015 at 1:30 PM

    Yay!! So excited that you're going to be writing a sequel! I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with William and Selah. :-)

    I'm not sure if I will be participating in NaNoWriMo this year. I guess I haven't really thought about it yet. :-) I guess we'll see!

    I'm looking forward to more posts!

    -Bekah

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  2. Deborah O'CarrollSeptember 19, 2015 at 5:42 PM

    Sequel to A Different Kind of Courage? EEEP! SO EXCITING! :D

    I'm doing NaNo... I'm doing a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, so I'm doing research of a different kind, i.e. reading different versions. :)

    Hope your research/planning goes well!

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  3. Esther FilbrunSeptember 20, 2015 at 1:21 AM

    Yay! And since I just finished A Different Kind of Courage, it will be doubly-fun to see a sequel!

    I hope you don't get into the same trouble I did when I was working on a historical. I'd remember a fun fact, and then want to verify it by looking at my notes...only then realizing that I hadn't taken a note of that particular fact because I thought I'd wouldn't need it! Oh, the struggles we go through at times...

    Hope your planning goes smoothly!

    Blessings,
    Esther
    learningresourcedirectory.com

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  4. TarissaSeptember 21, 2015 at 4:11 PM

    I have long anticipated the sequel for A Different Kind of Courage. This is AWESOME! Good luck with your research, Sarah!

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