In an article for DIY MFA, Anna Holmes discusses how to world build when you’re writing against an epic background. “As a writer, I love pitching characters into big worlds or challenging situations,” she says. “In my novels, I want to put readers bang smack in the middle of my world. But how do you make scenes real?”
Holmes shares the lessons she learned researching background for her novel, The Find, in which human remains are found deep in an Ireland peat bog. “I love research, but bog body science? Where to start?” she asks.
- Desk Research. Academic papers, YouTube videos, lectures, and study texts helped Holmes get up to speed on how scientists discover, clean, and examine bodies found in bogs. “I could imagine myself in a laboratory picking flakes of peat off old leathery mummified skin,” she says.
- Specialist Advice. “Never be embarrassed to reach out to specialists,” Holmes writes. “They’ll usually be happy to help and the worst they can say is ‘No’.”
- Boots on the Ground. During her research, Holmes visited Ireland’s National Museum’s Archaeological Museum, where bog bodies are displayed in the Kingship and Sacrifice Gallery. She also visited the offices of the Irish Times, St. Stephen’s Green, and the suburbs of Dublin. “Experiencing environments for yourself can be invaluable,” Holmes says. “There are distinctive smells, sights and sounds that can add color to your story, and details you can only pick up by being there.”
- Beta Readers. “Before offering a manuscript for editing/proofreading, prior to publication, you must be confident the world you have created hangs together,” Holmes says. “Get feedback from a variety of readers who can comment on different aspects of the story.”
