I can’t quite remember what inspired me to watch Our Flag Means Death . I have a vague recollection of watching a trailer on Facebook and then, eventually, picking up my phone and flicking through various streaming platforms, finally settling on that as my pick. What I was expecting was a farcical pirate romp. Maybe elements of The Muppets’ Treasure Island but with a little more adult content. Lots of hopeless pirates attempting swashbuckling tasks with comically poor results. Possibly a bit of Blackadder -esque historical humour. As anyone who has watched the series would be able to tell you, I was a little way off the mark. In fact, it is a delicious, hilarious and touching tribute to Wokeness. And I say this as a good thing: all people are welcome here. For me, watching it straight after finishing (or getting towards the end of, I can’t quite remember) my novel about Alexander the Great, the relationship between Stede and Blackbeard really resonated with me. What begins as a fascin...
I'm not a nature writer - I don't know nearly enough to pass myself off as one! But, as this month marks the #30DaysWild campaign, I thought I'd take you on a guided tour of some of my own observations of the natural world and how they impacted on my historical writing...
First of all, there was that walk which led to the creation of Caledon. Yes, I've blogged about it so often I won't repeat it all again! But there are things in nature which capture your imagination. The Big Burn waterfall was one of those things for me. Writing the discovery which James made was easy to do because it was just how I had felt. Here it is:
Somewhere, only a short distance from him, the sound of a waterfall could be heard, both heavy and gentle in a manner which made his head throb even more. It was the hard work and efforts of these falls which had carved out the ravine where he lay. The trees which had broken his fall on his way down, clung to the sheer sides and gave the April sky a peculiar criss-cross with their branches which, though budding, had not yet come into full leaf. He realised it was no longer raining. The ground around him was dry save for the spray from the waterfall which he noticed, with interest, was coming into view. He lifted his head up and, though it spun when he moved, he was surprised to find he was able to rise. At first, he felt his eyes were betraying him, and he screwed them closed before opening them once more, but the peculiar form of the waterfall was indeed beginning to take shape. Two hands with long watery fingers reached away from the rock and rolling from side to side on wide though fragile shoulders an ever-changing head appeared. It was queer, the manner in which this form looked so alive in its monochrome appearance, and James Og gave a slight cry as two large eye sockets appeared.
But with this shared experience comes a flipside! Writing Historical Fiction means that you have to take into account changes in the landscape. There were not lovely wooden bridges then, no cleared paths. Care had to be taken not to slip because there were no wooden rails to catch you. And this was not only a consideration for The Big Burn. The entire landscape was changed with the Clearances and industrialisation. Trying to reimagine what the terrain had been like was an important part of telling the story.
And then there are the Eile, the animals which filled that world. It was difficult to pick only six, and I knew they had to have been in Scotland for long enough to have been present at all of Caledon's incarnations.
- One of them had to be the wolf. The disappearance of wolves in the landscape is emblematic of mankind's impact on the landscape, making Strength's wolf the last one around.
- The pine marten was a must, and there is no creature quite like it! Writing in a character for it great fun!
- Zeal's wildcat, a creature on the verge of extinction was also a poignant character as I can see a time when Caledon's wildcat will outlive the rest of its species.
- The raven draws from the Norse myths surrounding them, but it is also my attempt at addressing the approach to ravens today. They are so seeped in legend, have the beautiful partnership of lifelong mates, and yet are viewed as little more than pests.
- Of course, there had to be a stag: The Monarch of the Glen! These days, over-population of deer is a problem in the Highlands and it is leading to fewer good specimens of these rather splendid animals, so there is a very definite distinction made between Nobility's stag and those you find today.
- And I couldn't resist the sixth one! After all, it is one of the creatures which has captured hearts from around the world, bringing thousands of tourists to the Highlands every year. We never outgrow the fascination!
One of the great things (and also one of the most complicated!) about writing historical fiction is that the relationship man had with the landscape was wholly different. There was a respect, management, and harmony between humanity and the natural world. It was a perfect balance. Now, that management has turned into dominance.
So, whatever your time period or your setting, bear in mind how the landscape was approached and what it gave back to the people of your stories. Think about the animals and plants they would have known and recognised and watch out for the anachronisms of slipping things in out of place - there will always be readers who spot them if they're there! This June, try to find as many areas as you can which have been unaltered since the time you're writing about. Listen to the sounds, capture the smells, and write them all into those tricky scenes to help bring them to life!
Happy Writing!
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