I had to learn how to pluck chickens. I honestly think if my google search history had to be reviewed, the world would be left puzzling over historic farming methods, true crime, and the supernatural!

Before my main character, Melior, had to cull a chicken for dinner everything I knew about that process came from reading “The Stand” by Stephen King. It turns out that Mother Abagail’s process wasn’t quite enough information for me, and it definitely didn’t give me a sense of the equipment available in the 1600s.

So, I’ve spent a portion of the weekend researching and exploring the different methods of plucking a chicken. There are quite a few YouTube videos on this, but I find myself squeamish when it comes right down to it. If I had lived back then, I think I might have been a vegetarian – just to avoid the reality of preparing animals to become meals.

Maybe Melior’s brother, Owen, should be the vegetarian – then I wouldn’t have been up to my metaphorical eyeballs in chicken feathers!

It has me wondering: how many tasks have you learned because your characters needed to do them? Have you found yourself diving down a rabbit hole for research of things you’ve never had to do?

I love hearing about the process, so please let me know in the comments!