Several years ago now (2012, I believe), I completed a first draft set in a small village. It’s had a long incubation period, but I’ve always known it had mileage. How to rework it has been tickling at the back of my mind for a couple of years now. Then, a while ago, I visited Brodsworth Hall in South Yorkshire. On the way there, we drove through a charming little village and, since then, I’ve known that I’m reworking this novel with that village in mind. Today, I went back for a good poke around and an amazing lunch. I wasn’t disappointed by my research trip. In fact, I fell in love even more and so did the friend accompanying me.
Setting is integral to everything I write. But By Degrees is set in Yorkshire for the most part, certainly writing what I know but also writing something I feel is important. I’m proud of coming from Yorkshire. It’s such a beautiful county with variations from one village to the next. For this novel, I’ve fallen in love with one, but it won’t be the last. Landscape or cityscape – what I see in Yorkshire is essentially a microcosm of the country as a whole and I’ve got to the grand old age of 29 without wanting to leave permanently. In fact, after university, I couldn’t wait to come home, even though I was only just over the border.
I enjoy that moment when my characters root themselves in a place that I can share with the reader. I’m not of the school of thought that dictates you must visit a place to research and write about it effectively. However, it definitely helped in this case. I walked through the churchyard and pictured my protagonists there and how they’d interact differently with the setting. I saw the signs marked ‘private’ and inwardly snickered at the lack of impact that would have on one of them. Walking along the footpaths in autumn, I realised suddenly that there’s no other season this novel should take place in. Everything started to fit.
My plan is to finish up the second draft of ‘Carys’ (I discussed this briefly earlier this month) then move onto the edits of ‘Valerie’, the novel earmarked as my second release. After that, I turn to the second draft set in this beautiful village. I can’t wait.
