Definitely not the type of person to think that I know everything, but the amount of research I’ve done so far for this novel has kind of surprised me.
The story I’m writing is set around the late 18th century. It is a fantasy world, but relates to our world for most things. The moon is always full in the protagonists region, flowers dance, there is another parallel world, and the whole magic thing, but otherwise, it is pretty similar to ours.
The book takes place in an archipelago, thus nautical and geography terms have been vital for accuracy. For the magic to feel real, I want everything else to be perceived by the reader as realistic. Even down to the architecture and food.
As all writers are readers, when I read a book, I want to be able to visualize exactly what is happening. Now, I don’t want to be told about every little detail about bottles on a shelf in a corner that doesn’t pertain to the storyline. I prefer books that give you enough information to paint a picture in your mind, but one that also leaves room for your imagination.
A thesaurus is helpful when you find yourself using repeat words, but there is no singular book for all the little nuances that a writer needs to write for accuracy. A few helpful sites that I have used for historical period references include the following links:
- https://janeaustensworld.com/
- https://www.mq.edu.au/macquarie-archive/journeys/menu.html
- https://dohistory.org/home.html
- Select Wikipedia pages for general ideas of how something was done during a specific time period.
As well as non-fiction books in my own library. If you have any tips or references you as a writer use for accuracy, please let me know!
Write. Read. Repeat. 
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