I'm not even sure it's entirely historical. I'm trying not to place it too precisely, but at the same time sort of yes. The problem is that I'm not an expert in the period, not in any period, really. I thought it wouldn't be a problem, but I just found out that a scene I started writing is complete lunacy. Namely, I thought medieval peasants all went every morning to a church service. It's quite easy to find out that this is false, by googling, and you might think, well, job accomplished, carry on. But I just feel like there's giant challenges lurking ahead. I mean, I'm trying to think from the perspective of a person of the period, but how can I? I live in Russia but have got political issues from the other hemisphere on my mind.

I feel like either I spend the next 5 years getting a degree in the Middle Ages or give up. Neither of those options feels particularly appealing.

And at the same time, I've got this conflict: I don't want my writing to be dominated by meticulously researched facts, I want it to be a medium of imagination and emotion. At the same time, I want it to be authentic and believable, and not just for an uninitiated reader, but for myself. Like, I mean, if I were writing a realistic modern story, I'd... well, up to a point I just wouldn't need any research, I could focus on the bigger picture, such as character motivation, instead of details like what food they'd have access to. Unfortunately I don't find the present very interesting, or at least the part of my brain responsible for imagination doesn't.

I don't even know what the point of posting this is. Venting frustration, I suppose. I feel like I can't get the hang of anything and all my hobbies are constantly falling apart.