David McCullough is, bar none, my favorite historian. His works are amazing, and his knack for transporting you to the time of his subjects is astounding. You feel he's actually gone back in time, interviewed his subjects, walked beside them, and lived in the moment of that period.
That, of course, speaks to the strength, width and depth of his research, setting aside his excellent prose and delivery. There are so many good history books out there, and I've always been interested in writing a historical book. I'm no historian, my research skills are rusty, and I hold no degrees in literature or history. But I have an itch to come up with an original project or two, something to work on in the background of my other fictional endeavors.
I've had one idea for sometime, one that would be a fun exercise and may help me ease into historical research and writing. My casual research for that, however, led me to an 19th century American explorer who has many ties to Michigan and the Midwest, was a prolific explorer and writer, yet who does not appear to have a formal biographer. So, my interest is piqued. But, how to begin? How much research is necessary?
Obviously it depends what and how much is available. It appears I'll be able to get an excellent start on research right at my desk using the Internet, as many of my potential subject's writings are online and even free to access. Still, at the beginning, what a daunting task! McCullough himself said had he known his book Truman would have taken him a decade to finish, he never would have done it!
McCullough was interviewed and offered some other tidbits on his process. If anyone can point the way to a successful endeavor, he can.
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