This is the next in my series of "things I learned whilst traveling" posts. Hopefully these will fill the space between now and the time I start my internship in New York City (June) quite nicely, with a few spur-of-the-moment posts likely to spring up.
One of the things that jumped out at me while I was on my three week sojourn through Europe was that not everything I saw would fit into my novel. And I don't just mean "everythings" like the Paris metro or the pizza place I went to in Rome, I mean things that seem fitted to high fantasy like roman columns, fountains, emerald green grottoes, big ruined castles, and a surprising amount of medieval weapons and armor that just didn't look right. One thing that I found particularly disappointing was to not be able to find a culture in my world that was suited to having close animal companions (this set off by the Germans and their love for their dogs).
That surprised me. I guess I've had such good luck at times (Cumbria, for example), that I assumed that everything that seemed relevant would be. On the other hand, I'm also glad to discover that I'm a discerning enough writer to leave out things that clearly don't fit. I wouldn't want my novel to become a patchwork of cool-looking stuff I'd seen lately, which, in retrospect, is a distinct risk when you're actively looking for material for your writing.
On the whole I did get a lot of good material for my book, however, and I'm also smart enough to know that no experience is a useless experience when it comes to writing. I don't plan to leave the world of Guedin (where my novel takes place) for the first ten years or so of my career, but where I'll go after that I have no idea...and maybe it will have big green grottoes, ruined castles, and dog-loving cultures.
I'll write more tomorrow about some of the things I did find, and where I found them.
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