Building a Trebuchet at Warwick Castle Mock-up of a Catapult As I mentioned on the Welcome Page, I thought I'd give you a glimpse into how I prepare before writing a medieval tale. I believe most readers think an author has this little light bulb over her head (you know, like in the comics?) where suddenly it starts blinking in bright flashes as she visualizes a full romantic plot. They hurry to write the story without looking deeper into its background. Some may write that way. It's certainly faster. But that's what I call “Fluff.” When you're reading, the plot is enticing, the sexual tension makes you sweat, but something is missing. If the first chapter didn't tell you where it takes place and the time line, you wouldn't have a clue by reading the scenes. Oh, maybe you'd know it was Scotland when you see words like lass, dinna, plaids, laird, etc. But it could take place any time between the eleventh and the fifteenth century. The tale lacks character. Not character as in people. I mean the personality, the flavor of the times. I have an overwhelming urge to make a confession. Before I write a story, I research. Hmm, that's not the overwhelming part. What is, though, is that I love every moment of researching a subject. In fact, I get so engrossed I have to make myself stop when I've found out more than I actually need to know. Many writers I have talked to either hate to research or avoid it completely. When I say how much fun I have, they look at me as if I'm a compulsive nut or something equally strange. My trips to Great Britain were mainly to fill my soul with sights and sounds I love, but it was also to learn as much as I could about different subjects while I was there, One day, we saw catapults like the mangonel, onager and ballista all arranged in one castle's outer bailey. That was a triple bonanza! I knew that one day I'd want information on siege engines. It wasn't until we went to Warwick Castle several years ago that we saw the trebuchet pictured above. They were just about to complete the last touches on it. If we'd been there a few short weeks later, we'd have been able to see it working. Warwick Castle now fires it twice daily from March through October. Today, I refreshed my memory by going through the castle's web site. You can experiment with the trebuchet there. They have a target set up and give you its distance from the trebuchet. You must select the weight of the missile and of the counter weight. You get five missile balls to use, and each time you start a new set, the target's distance changes. Now, this isn't a “computer game.” It just gives you an idea how difficult it must have been to fire the trebuchet and reach the target without wasting missiles. The torsion-powered trebuchet is a much larger siege weapon than a catapult. Warriors place a missile in the trebuchet's large sling, which enables the engine to fire it farther and more accurately. The gravity-powered catapult has a bowl-shaped affair on the other end of the bar holding the counter-weight. Um, it reminds me of a weird seesaw trapped within a wheeled frame. Both weapons were important in besieging castles and the warriors operated them in various ways. The nastiest use was what we now call germ warfare. The besieging army hurled diseased or decomposing carcasses over the castle walls. Corpses of their enemies came in handy, too, though pigs were more aerodynamic. Er, rounded body, short legs? They used whatever they found that was handy to them. Fireballs were very popular, of course. Can you imagine the mayhem within the castle when attackers hurled these objects over the outer walls? Speaking of fireballs, I was surprised to learn the latest use of catapults was in modern times. French troupes utilized them to throw hand grenades far into enemy trenches during WWI. Neat, huh? Now that's one heck of a weapon to have lasted from ancient Greece to twentieth century modern warfare. Before writing Seduced, I had a marvelous time researching slingers in medieval history. People always think of David and Goliath when it comes to slingers, but I found out so much more! One day I'll tell you about . . . .