So, moving right along with the writing process…
I’ve got characters, a vague plot built around these “moments”, and I’ve started my research. As part of the research, I collect pictures. I find it helpful to imagine my settings and characters’ physical traits from the foundation of a painting or photograph of an actual place or person. Or horse.
For example, for the book I’m working on right now (working title The Desire of a Duke, since it includes the essential Tessa Dare titling element: the word “of”, LOL), I’m loosely basing the hero’s estate on an actual estate in Cambridgeshire: Wimpole Hall. Pretty impressive, no?
And there’s a very important racehorse in the book, who I am making the fictional “great-grandchild” of the famous stallion Eclipse.
Lastly, I also pick celebrity models for my hero and heroine. I know different authors have mixed feelings about this – I don’t know why I find it so helpful, but I do. It’s important that it not be just a photo of a model, but someone I can watch in action, on TV or in movies. Somehow this helps me develop a visual image of how my character moves, reacts, stands, sits, relaxes, and so forth. Seldom does the character in my mind match up exactly with his/her inspiration, but it’s just a helpful starting place.
If you’re one of those readers who prefers her own imagination, I’ll put the pictures of my Spencer and Amelia inspirations below the … Read More »