Saturday, February 20, 2021

When Research and Plot Align by E. B. Davis

I was writing a short story to the theme of holidays, specifically Homicidal Holidays, one of SinC Chesapeake Chapter’s anthologies. The plot was formulated in my mind. Perhaps there was a bit of nostalgia in setting the story during the historical time of my college days, in the late seventies, in Washington, D. C., where I went to school. But another part of that decision was due to my intimate knowledge of the place and time.

 

During college, I experienced a mystical morning. I’d awoken early in my dorm room. It was snowing, and for some reason, I wanted to drive to Georgetown. Inexplicable. But as I was from Pennsylvania and had snow tires on my car, the weather wasn’t a deterrent, especially at the age of nineteen when there are no barriers. As I made my way down Wisconsin Avenue at the top of Georgetown, I realized that no cars had traveled before me. The street was serenely quiet. I pulled over into a rare parking spot that on no other occasion would have been available. I got out. No footsteps, car tracks, or even bird tracks marred the snow’s surface. No one opened a door or popped their head out of a window. I may be one of the few in the world who have ever beheld Georgetown unpopulated without human interference. Georgetown was mine.

 

Perhaps because of that experience, I decided that I wanted snow in my short story, and could think of no better holiday to illustrate the Washingtonian experience than Presidents’ Day. So, I began to research. It didn’t have to be authentic. But I asked myself, had there been any snowstorms in the late seventies over Presidents’ Day weekend? I found there was one in 1978, which was actually a year after I graduated, but no matter. The year was set.

 

I had already determined the murder would take place on the C & O Canal running parallel to the Potomac River in Georgetown. It was a secluded area with few businesses along it—a perfect place for a snowy evening murder. (And yes, the motive was revenge, and yes, it was cold.) My characters were much like myself at that age. From Pennsylvania having a car with snow tires and few deterrents. But what would draw my characters there, at night in the middle of a snowstorm?

 

During the seventies, there was a bar/band venue called The Cellar Door, on “M” Street, which also parallels the C & O Canal and Potomac River, close by to where my murder would occur— how convenient—the scene prior to the murder would be held there. I wondered, on the off chance, if a band was booked for that weekend. I researched The Cellar Door’s schedule. Yes—George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers played there on the Saturday before Presidents’ Day in 1978. The performance review said George dragged a long cord from the amp to his guitar, went out into the middle of “M” Street during the snowstorm and played in the deserted street. Knowing of George, I didn’t doubt the review’s claim. Had I but known, I would have been there, too!

 

The research and my plot aligned. I began to write.

 

Needless to say, my short story made it into the anthology, which was published in 2014. There have been a few times when the research I’ve done aligned and enhanced a plot. When it does, my writing is stronger. I have confidence in my story. That’s wonderful, like a story that needed to be told.

 

As a writer, have you experienced the beautiful marriage of research and plot?

6 comments:

  1. That's a great story of how little details can enhance our fiction, and when we actually live it we can more easily bring it to life. That real knowledge is why I enjoy using real settings in my novels, mostly ones where I spent a lot of time.

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  2. I'm contemplating a novel set in Hatteras. My problem with that is this is a small place where everyone knows each other. It may be too close for comfort since I live here. I'm trying not to base characters on anyone I know, but the truth is so much fun. Who would have thought that Gallen would work for Waylon? Try to have a conversation using both their names, which must occur if you buy from Waylon but schedule installation with Gallen.

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  3. I layer sensory details into a setting. The C&O canal is the perfect place for a murder.

    Elaine, your setting could be a thinly-disguised Hatteras, similar to what Carolyn Hart did in her death on demand series.

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  4. Wow! I know that setting, Elaine. I must confess I have also set murders in places that are familiar to me, but often the places have been fictionalized.

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  5. I’ve not had the happy serendipity of research supporting my plot. I’ve occasionally had to make plot adjustments to support the research, and once was forced to scrap a storyline when my setting was razed during the writing!

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  6. What a delightful story!

    As Jim says, when we are very familiar with the setting and mood, we can put little details in our writing that evokes the entire scene.

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