Social Networking, Research & Development

From David Donaldson: One of the most unique things about writing with Mark Grisham, compared to the things I write solo, is how we divide up the research and development of each work. After completing three novels together, I feel we are just now “coming into our own,” as it relates to the process of writing.

For instance, our first novel, Bedlam South was a plunge into deep waters for me personally. Mark had spent most of his life studying the Civil War era in American history. And honestly, he is one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever met on the subject. We have spent countless hours together, listening to him tell of particular leaders, battles, and environmental causes of the war I never knew existed. Once we decided to write a novel using the Civil War as the backdrop, for me, the real work began. Researching this period of time was fascination, exhausting, and at times, overwhelming. Most of my characters focused around the City of Richmond, the asylum nicknamed Bedlam South, and the fledgling field of psychiatry. Mark dove in feet first into the intricate details of troop movement and battles describing everything in explicit detail. Honestly, at times, it was like he was actually there!

By the time we began working on our second novel, Chiasson (don’t get use to the name, our agent has already said it will change), I had a much better idea of how the process could work. I thoroughly enjoy research. So learning about new places and events in history came natural. Developing the plot, scene by scene, with two different perspectives was becoming the most significant obstacle for me personally. I’m a planner, let’s sit down and plot out our path for the next six months! Mark, is completely the opposite. My friend would often call, and began a sentence with something that could make my detail oriented little heart skip a beat. He would say, “Hey, I know we said JC and Duvall were going to do this, but I just wrote a scene going in the opposite direction!” I would take a deep breath, sigh, and reply. “Well, Ok. I guess that would work. I would only need to change about five or six scenes I have already written, but sure - let’s do it!” It was times like these that I was grateful to God Mark and I are such good friends.

Our last book, Butcher’s War. Was probably the easiest of all three for us to research and develop. The backdrop was once again the Civil War, Sherman’s march to the sea. And once again, Mark was in his element. This time, our research led us to travel to Georgia, touring many of the sites the book would encompass. I especially enjoyed touring the Milledgeville Hospital & Asylum. Just walking the grounds and touching the buildings did something for me. It made our research come alive.

I don’t know what the future holds for Mark and I. Our next book is currently being researched and we are exploring a different period in history once again. One this is for sure, I know the research and development will be my most enjoyable aspect of the project!