Getting The Feel

When researching a particular hobby or location for a book it could be argued that anything you want to know can be found through Google. It's true you can find the rules for any game, the statistics of how many people are involved in a particular sport, the history of any hobby, and layout of any real location online. However you will never be able to understand how it feels to throw a baseball, climb a rock wall, scuba dive, or walk the beaches of Fiji without doing those things for yourself.

For many, having the basic knowledge is enough to write about the topic. Some people take classes to learn more in-depth information on their subjects and still other feel the need to have the personal experience. I was talking to a friend as well as my mom about the need to go visit London in order to truly understand a location where at least parts of three books in one of my series takes place. It is a trip I have been thinking about taking for over a year and I was looking at my calendar to see when I might conceivably be able to finally book the flight.

This year is out pure for the fact I will not have the money. I need to finish paying off some bills just so I can quit working my second job. That will free up some of the time issues and I can begin to set aside the money in order to travel and begin my research. I scanned next year but immediately realized that was no grid either since I have a family obligation and a planned trip with my boyfriend which will take a week or so. That should cover all the vacation time I can manage for 2019. I wasn't concerned though, I just flipped to the next year.

In 2020 I have one big trip planned. My boyfriend and I will be heading to see the Olympics in Tokyo and spending two weeks in Japan. The first week I will be showing him around the main island where I have loved visiting in the past. The second week will be in Okinawa where he was stationed while he was in the Marines. It will be an incredible trip, though it will stop any other vacations that year. That leaves the first available time for London to be in 2021.

I expressed my disappointment to my mom about the lag time and she suggested I simply forget about visiting and instead let my fingers do the walking. That way I wouldn't have to wait, was her reasoning. I pointed out though, I would rather do it right than get it done faster. I have other books  can work on between now and then. It is important I get things correct. I will never understand the sound of the accent without hearing it. I will never know the smell of the local pub without sitting down to enjoy a drink. For me the only way to get the feeling right is to have the experience myself.