In a number of blogs I want to take you along in my research for a new book. Just like my previous book, Uitgevlogen Ziel, this book will also be a combination of historical Fiction and Facts. Characteristic of the book is that the fiction part approaches the truth as much as possible. This is also called Faction or Fact-Fiction, a term I do not use because I notice that this causes confusion. What makes my book special is that the transcriptions of the original documents have been added. This allows the reader to see for themselves what is fact and what is fiction.
In making this book I work in three phases: research, writing and rewriting. I think each phase takes the same amount of time. In the second phase I filter the data from my research and translate it into an event in the novella. The story is determined by the findings in the research. I do not know in advance how the story will go. Moreover, I am curious whether this blog will influence my way of writing.
I already have a ‘main character’ in mind, although I don’t know yet whether he will play a direct role in the story or whether I will have a contemporary tell about him. Yes, it is a him and his name is Hendrik. Coincidentally, my previous book was also about a Hendrik (Hendrik Baalman (1709-1757)), but that is indeed a coincidence. This is another Hendrik of whom I think I can find enough material to fill in the last small pieces to a fiction. In this book I will also include all the documents I have found about this Hendrik. So I also have to document well during the research.
What do I have at the moment? Hendrik lives in Amsterdam in the first half of the 18th century. He is married and has a daughter. Hendrik comes from Germany (Artland region in the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück) and his wife was born in Amsterdam. Hendrik probably obtains citizenship of Amsterdam through his marriage. All this is not enough for a story, if it were not for the fact that there are witness reports about a quarrel between father and daughter. I think there is a story in this.
I start with the first phase: research. During the research I immediately start documenting what I have found. I make three different overviews and some data is also mentioned two or three times to gain more insight into the situation. I make an overview of family members, collect the documents about Hendrik and his wife and I make a chronology of events.
“All this would not be enough for a story, if it were not for the witness accounts of a fight between father and daughter. I think there is a story in this.“
First I will make the overview of the family of Hendrik and his wife. I will limit myself to their grandparents and then all descendants of those (eight) grandparents up to the fourth generation (great-grandchildren). The goal is not to make a complete genealogy but an overview of all the closest blood relatives of Hendrik and his wife. I want to check every uncle, aunt, nephew and niece who is added to this, to see if I can find more information than just when they were born, married and died. Maybe there is a story in it that can be included in the book about Hendrik. I have already collected some information about Hendrik’s family in Germany from my own collection (see www.vortmes.nl about my collection).
My second overview are the documents in which Hendrik and his wife are mentioned. These documents will be included later in the book, so it is extra important that I map them out well in terms of text and source references. My third overview that I am making is the chronological list of events. I will need this overview later to be able to create a correct timeline in the story.
I will start the research and will come back with my blog as soon as I have enough data to determine the main line of the fictional story.