The Outlandish Companion - Diana Gabaldon [160]
“I’VE DONE MY RESEARCH, AND NOW YOU’RE GOING TO PAY”
Don’t let the storytelling aspect of the business escape you, by the way. Historical research is fascinating, and many writers fall under its spell; the more you know, the more you want to find out, the more you research, the easier the search becomes—and before you know it, you’re in the position of a writer with whom I once shared a panel at the World Fantasy Convention.
The panel was on “Research,” and this particular writer was explaining a difficulty she had encountered in her most recent novel. The novel was set’ in an alternate universe, but involved a caravan, based on those that once traversed the great Silk Road through China. She wished at one point to describe the bells on a camel harness, and had found exactly the reference necessary to do this: an exhaustive account of the shapes of camel bells used in caravans of exactly the right kind, taken from precisely the right time period. However… the article was unfortunately written in Chinese.
The author held the audience rapt as she described in some detail her struggles to get this article translated, so that she could accurately describe the camel bells. Meanwhile, I had picked up one of the display books sitting in front of her and looked at the spine. FANTASY, it said.
DIANA’S CURRY
(with Lamb, Beef, Chicken, or Tofu) White onion garlic
raisins (optional) olive oil
meat or tofu (about 6 oz. [or one
medium chicken breast] per person) curry powder cayenne pepper (optional) V-8 juice cocktail
Mince a good handful of white onion and four or five buds of garlic. If you like raisins, add a handful or two. Saute the minced onions and minced garlic and the (whole) raisins in olive oil until the onions are transparent (the raisins will puff up). Add the Main Ingredient (cubed meat or tofu), and brown (or cook through, for shrimp or tofu), stirring frequently. Add curry powder and cayenne to taste, and stir; I prefer enough curry powder to liberally coat the meat, and four or five shakes of cayenne, but the proportions depend on personal taste and on the type of curry powder you use; some brands are much hotter than others.
Add one medium can (12 oz) of V-8 juice per two people. Simmer over low heat. Can be eaten in fifteen minutes, but better if simmered for an hour or two. Even better if simmered for a couple of hours, then allowed to cool and stand overnight, reheated next day. Add additional V-8 if sauce becomes too thick while cooking.
Serve over rice (basmati or jasmine rice is good, as is short-grain white rice). Garnish with chopped cashews, almonds, or coconut; serve with mango chutney and/or fresh pineapple.
Now, I would simply have decided for myself what the bloody camel bells should look like, and got on with writing the story, but… methods differ.
Still, this sort of attitude toward historical research all too often leads to a phenomenon which my friend Margaret Ball (who herself writes excellent fantasy novels) describes as: “I’ve done my research, and now you’re going to pay.” That is, novels that include mind-numbing masses of detail, because the author can’t bear to “waste” any of the effort spent in research.
Don’t forget that the purpose of research is to support the story; not the other way around.
1 If you really want to know about the economic ramifications of the French-Austrian treaty of 1752, fine, but it’s much more entertaining to find out that French ladies at Court did not as a rule retire to the nearest rest room when impelled by urinary urges; instead they simply spread their legs slightly and peed on the floor under cover of their ornate gowns—underwear having yet to become customary. I mean, there’s background, and then there’s background.
2 The address for Dover Publications, Inc., is 31 East 2 Street, Mineola, NY 11501
3And if it’s not, it’s in