May Day in England
In the UK, we still have the tradition of May Day being a public holiday. For a writer, these few visible links to the past, reminders of older times, are both intriguing and inspiring. Any reader who has enjoyed the novels of Thomas Hardy or any of the great English 19th century authors, from Ms Austen herself to the more Gothic writings of ghost writers such as M R James or Algernon Blackwood, will have a sense of the rural English calendar and the folklore that goes with it.
In France, unlike England, the most commonly respected public holidays of the past are linked to the church, rather than to mythology or country folklore. Saints Days are more significant, particularly in the southwest, as opportunities for country fairs, for holidays, for dancing and singing.
In Sepulchre, this network of local fairs and holidays became a wonderful way for me, as a novelist, to build up a network of events. The key, when writing fiction based on or inspired by true historical events, is to ensure there's a good balance between private events - those happening in the key settings, such as the Domaine de la Cade, where Léonie and Anatole are staying with their aunt - and public events, such as a local fair that allows all the characters to come together in, say, the square in Rennes-les-Bains. Or, using the incident of a real-life flood in Carcassonne in October 1891, as a way to move the action forward. Researching such landmark events can be done via tourist sites, history sites, in museums, and by looking at collections of old photographs, music programmes and advertising posters. All of these things can - might - fuel your plot and give you additional ideas.
After all, when telling the story, it's never just about what a character does, but also how they do it. It is the background colours, as much as the foreground image, that makes one story stand out from the next. Reality and imagination are never very far apart ...
A bientôt.
In France, unlike England, the most commonly respected public holidays of the past are linked to the church, rather than to mythology or country folklore. Saints Days are more significant, particularly in the southwest, as opportunities for country fairs, for holidays, for dancing and singing.
In Sepulchre, this network of local fairs and holidays became a wonderful way for me, as a novelist, to build up a network of events. The key, when writing fiction based on or inspired by true historical events, is to ensure there's a good balance between private events - those happening in the key settings, such as the Domaine de la Cade, where Léonie and Anatole are staying with their aunt - and public events, such as a local fair that allows all the characters to come together in, say, the square in Rennes-les-Bains. Or, using the incident of a real-life flood in Carcassonne in October 1891, as a way to move the action forward. Researching such landmark events can be done via tourist sites, history sites, in museums, and by looking at collections of old photographs, music programmes and advertising posters. All of these things can - might - fuel your plot and give you additional ideas.
After all, when telling the story, it's never just about what a character does, but also how they do it. It is the background colours, as much as the foreground image, that makes one story stand out from the next. Reality and imagination are never very far apart ...
A bientôt.
5 Comments:
At May 9, 2008 4:57 AM ,
Marsha said...
Hi Kate,
I just found your blog! And I just finished Sepulchre earlier tonight. I'm so sad it's over because it was one of the most enjoyable novels I've ever read. It's the only book, other than the classics, like Wuthering Heights and The Count of Monte Cristo, that I can see myself reading again one day.
I love the artwork of the Vernier tarot cards designed by Campbell-Notman. I have Kris Walderr's (the artist) Lover's Path Tarot, which is a complement to her lovely, little illustrated novel called Lover's Path.
Which got me to thinking...wouldn't it be neat if you and Finn Campbell-Notman did a Vernier Tarot Deck for when the paperback edition of Sepulchre comes out?
Just a thought...probably won't happen, but wouldn't it be cool :-)
Sincerely,
Marsha Weaver
At May 14, 2008 3:46 PM ,
Kate Mosse said...
Hi Marsha Weaver
You are really kind to write such a lovely message. Thank you so much.
It would be an amazing project to create an entire Tarot pack. But one of the odd things about being an author is that you move on - the subject that obsessed you for so long becomes a part of your memories instead of a part of your present.
Good luck and thanks again for taking the time and trouble to write.
Best wishes
Kate Mosse
At May 15, 2008 1:49 AM ,
Marsha said...
Hi again,
Completely understand :-) I'm a libarian/collage artist. In my art, after I finish a piece, I move on (in every way :-), and then I'm in the zone on something new.
BTW, interesting historical tidbit about the fairs. I can't imagine attending a Victorian outdoor event like the ones in Sepulchre and doing all that walking with a tight corset on, LOL.
Marsha
At May 24, 2008 3:29 PM ,
finn said...
Hi Kate,
glad that people like the Vernier Tarot images, they do look good in the hardback edition.
It would be a grand idea to do a whole deck at some point...of course it woud take a while to do them all but it would be a pleasure.
On another note oddly I met the art director at my place in the south of Spain totally coincidentally at exactly the time I was working on the Tarot images.
best
Finn
At May 31, 2008 11:42 AM ,
Kate Mosse said...
Great to hear from you Finn!
K
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