The Value of Research. Or, riding the horse of serendipity until it bottoms out.

Heh. The value of research.

In my WIP I had the main characters visit Abilene before they went into Fort Griffin. Except, this novel takes place circa 1869 and Abilene wasn’t founded until 1881. Oops.

So I did a little digging and found out Buffalo Gap was a staging area for hunters during their winter camp. They kept their meat, hides and horns there before transporting it to Fort Griffin.

This works for me on a lot of different levels. I was of two minds about having these bandits and killers go into Abilene in the first place. They are somewhat avoiding population centers at this moment in the book. Well, because they are bandits and killers. Not a concern. I don’t mind changing my plot when it is necessary. I also began to feel I didn’t want them in Abilene because this is meant to be an anti-western.

But it all worked out because Buffalo Gap  is a much better setting since it has deeper trading ties with Fort Griffin. I like this a lot better. 🙂

You gotta love serendipity as a writer. Despite what some writers think, luck does play a part in this profession from time to time. The professional part on the writer’s behalf comes when you recognize that fact, and then jump all over it like a monkey on a football.