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Hiya,
I was wondering how many of you do research for your stories? How much research do you generally do when putting details into your stories? I do research for details I add to my stories, like street names, notable places in the locales my characters are in, etc. Do you do this, or do you work around these type of details?
thanks,
Amberlynn
Different amounts of research
Generally I devote different amounts of research, depending on how important the subject is to the story. For things like street names, I generally just gloss over it, but if it's something specifically important to the story, even if it's a subject with which I'm familiar I'll generally put a lot of research into it, and draw on that when I'm writing.
I'll often spend countless hours more reading than actually writing, and a lot of what I learn never makes it into the story. For me, it's not as important for example that I know how a car engine works, so much as that I can convey to the reader that my character can strip down and rebuild parts to make it run like new, for example :-D
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Research revisited
I was about to post a blog that the next chapter of my ongoing novel series would be slightly delayed due to research, but I decided to post it here instead as a follow-up, since it's in the same general vein :-D
Basically what's happened is, late at night last night, I couldn't sleep, was channel-surfing, when I came across a program on PBS (public television/public broadcasting) called 'Learn Piano in a Flash'. I laughed.
I thought they'd finally gone infomercial on me, but it was Scott Houston's entire seminar (with intermittent donation requests), and as I watched it, a lot of what he talked about made sense to me as a musician.
So I'm going to take a little time while I let my last chapter simmer in the background, and I'm going to apply what he talked about in his seminar to my own piano study. Preliminarily, he seems to be on to something, and if that's the case, this is the perfect end to a major plot (More like a plot epilogue), so I'm pretty much taking the ultimate plunge where research is concerned: self-experimentation! ^_^
Granted it's only music. It's not like I'm exposing myself to gamma rays to write a sci-fi novel, but it still amused me. This is my kind of research ;-)
That said, I also don't want to bore anyone by sounding like a piano lesson, so that's why the chapter needs to simmer in the background. I want to go back to it in a day or two and revise it, to ensure that the focus 'feels' like it's on the characters' interactions, with the lesson just kind of acting as the conduit.
/ramble
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Just make sure
The lesson is all there. ;)
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Good Research Is Very Important
The story I did the most research for was Bobby and the Glass Ceiling, and that was an SRU related story; all fantasy; however, it dealt with the real world. I find if I am going to write a story that is related to the real world that research for making the macro-world realistic is very important. Microworld details may not be that important. Like the previous commenter said, things like street names might not be that important; however, if someone is driving from Los Angeles to Sacramento, the descriptions should be accurate when relating to places. Tom Clancy in one of his novels wrote about driving across Arkansas on Interstate 40. He really screwed it up, and destroyed his credibility. He described something that is found only on the east coast,and certainly not in Arkansas. That was just bad writing and bad research.
Most places described in my stories really exist on the macro level. Towns, mountains, lakes, highways are real. They just help me keep in touch. I don't write about the retcon world, but I'm sure that the authors that do want to keep things as close as possible to that world's universe as originally written.
Real world stories about real transitions (mtf,ftm) should be accurate, but fantasy stories, SF, magic may do whatever the author wants.
I feel that if an author is writing about the real world, research and credibility go hand in hand, but if it is not this world the author is writing about, then the author may do whatever he or she wants to do.
Portia
Portia
Research for stories
I do tons of research for stories, everything from the genetics of horse colors to the order of battle at Waterloo. Research is so much fun that sometimes I forget to write the story. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
depends on the story
For my "Vision Spring" series, I looked up street names of the cities, languages for characters to speak, names of obscure deities, and so on. For some, I just fudge it, like when I am doing fun stuff like Fluke.
"Treat everyone you meet as though they had a sign on them that said "Fragile, under construction"
dorothycolleen
Tons and Tons and More Tons
Since I write a lot of stories that are historical, I do tons and tons, just like Erin. Fact is, doing the research and learning something new is just as much fun for me as writing the story. Of course, since I majored in history and read history as a kid, that comes natural.
A word of advice, however. Learn to use the phrase, 'Good enough.' You can impale yourself upon the stake known as 'perfection.' Don't let the urge to nail down every fact or get something pitch perfect keep you from writing a good story with engaging characters the readers care for. As the Bard said, 'The play's the thing.'
Nancy Cole
www.nancycole.org
"You may be what you resolve to be."
T.J. Jackson
Research is important
I try to research the heck out of my stories, especially one like Assassin. I've learned more aboput Angola than I thought existed, but it's important to the story. Even my editor was surprised by oil production in Angloa. I use street adresses in foreign countries because it adds to the story. Google maps is a God send. Some days i spend all my time researching rather than writing, but that's me. If you don't want to spend the time don't worry about it, it's your story, Arecee
As the editor for three of
As the editor for three of the authors who have replied so far, ( I was the one surprised by Angolan Oil production, as my information from 2 sources was over a year older than Arecee's, ), and for a lot of other writers here and elsewhere, I sometimes do a lot of research. I think I spent more time on research a couple of times than I did proofreading and editing.
I think I spent more than four hours looking up inormation on sniper rifles, range, accuracy, etc for the first part of Assassin, or on using Google Earth (TM) to see where the shot might be able to be fired from.
I do not mind, I enjoy the research aspect. A lot of the novel I'm working on is based on incidents in my own life, and places I have been/lived. But I still research them.
One story I worked on involved a trip from one state to a place halfway across the next one. A situation involving a traffic light that was always red came up. using Google Earth, I was able to actually tell my authors which intersection it was, as she had been writing from her own personal experience.
Research can not only make a story more real for the reader, but certainly helps me, as proofreader/editor understand what the writer is saying.
I have worked with a couple of science fiction authors who had very little knowledge of physics, and I had to do a lot of research to verify my own suspicions, and be able to document them in such a way the authors could agree the point needed to be changed.
In another case, I did some work on a story by the owner of a Science Fiction 'Universe', that had a lot of impossibilities/implausabilities, things that violate common sense and the laws of physics as we know them, and without using any of the relatively standard cliches of getting around them. Worse, the owners refused to allow several corrections by other authors in the universe, to meet the laws of physics, because the universe owner knew I was wrong. The authors had to use bad science, the sort many readers will catch, ( and did! ), to be allowed to have their stories accepted by the universe owner.
So even good research sometimes doesn’t proved help. But I try.
And I learn and have a lot of fun trying.
Holly
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
Holly
I agree with Nancy there.
I agree with Nancy there. Research is fun and you learn a lot while doing it. But you can go too far and get so caught up in that you lose the story. I know I did a lot of research to write 'Song of Corazon' that involved physics, current and closely available (time wise) technologies for space travel, and a lot of other things, including history and how idiotic society in general can be when confronted with something that doesn't quite fit their norm.
When I write a story, I'm deliberately vague about things like place names and streets most of the time. I think the reader can put those in if it isn't really a real life story. Since most of mine are fantasies or SF, that works. Though I did do a lot of research on New York for a novel I've written.
Anyway, research is good, just don't over do it. Get the basic facts then let your muse work with that.
Maggie
Useful, but...
Depends some on the story, Nancy's historical things for example do need to have a pretty good grasp of the realities and minutae of the time, which may not quite fit with our image of it. Due care and all that, but ultimately it is a story. So...
Most of mine don't need too much being a blend of personal reality and known situations. But where I need to know about a gun for example I'll look it up, how many rounds, general size and look etc. What fault on a motorbike would cause this sort of problem and what sort of bike would this sort of person ride? I'll ask and Google. Gear or places I don't know personally I'll do some, but try to keep it not too detailed as that can get boring and pointless, just enough ya know.
Language is another, I've used some Italian for example and hope I have it close to true. I have an idea on some colloquial Cantonese pars for an idea that will need some work if I do it. Any Cantonese speakers out there that can take a written English conversation and make it read like rough rapid fire 'Chinatown' street banter? Just an idea at present.
Anyway... As others have said a bit of learning is no bad thing. Usually interesting too. Just don't get too carried away.
Kristina
Generally, I do the research!
If I use a name of a city, I try to research different things about the city. I grew up in Detroit, and I spend a lot of time in Chicago. I had a regular delivery in Los Angeles and several around Salinas, California. These cities are far more likely to pop up in my stories (especially the suburbs of Detroit), as I already know them.
Right now I am writing a story that involves AIS (Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome), and I really don't want to seem stupid, or to copy someone else's work, so I'm doing a lot of research (and I'll probably still get something wrong).
Sometimes, you just have to put in the work. If you keep things a bit vague, you can fudge the details. I love adding the details-it adds a bit of authenticity for me, even if no one else notices. I just get into the story more that way!
Wren
Research?
I've pretty much tried to blur my locales enough to avoid that sort of thing. The last thing I want is an PM or comment that says "You're wrong! I live in ********* and if you turn right on 1st Street from Main the second restaurant on the left is Big Boys not a Whataburger!"
Thankfully I've never had the urge to write a story with a historical setting nor had to be pinned down on exactly where they take place. So my K&K stories are set in a large metroplex that may or may not be the DFW metroplex in what may or may not be Texas. Doesn't really matter to the story.
Karen J.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
It depends...
It depends on whether a "real" place is being described or not.
For example, were I to place a story in a real town - I'd make sure I got the details right. But a fictional town - I make stuff up (sometimes merged from several real places)...
IMO - good research can help turn a nice story into one that "feels" real. (Not guaranteed - that's in the hands of the author, of course. But, without a thorough knowledge of what you're writing it's likely that some things just won't "fit" which will disturb some readers.)
Good Luck,
Anne
i found that when doing vision spring
even though not all the research actually ended up in the story, just having done it made the story more realistic (at least for me.)
"Treat everyone you meet as though they had a sign on them that said "Fragile, under construction"
dorothycolleen
Research for stories
Most of my stories have been indirectly about life experiences. However, with "Lt Katia in Afghanistan", I worked very hard on it. The places and political climate are as close as I can get them. You can find Katia's actual house in Worcester; go right to it. The brick one on the corner.
It is kinda fun to do this stuff. Google Maps is great.
Much peace
Khadijah
Research
It depends on the story, but in general I do a LOT of research. One thing I find very troubling when reading an otherwise great story is when the author gets some bit of technical information wrong; it doesn't necessarily ruin the tale for me, but it does reflect what I see as a lazy approach to writing. We have an advantage that authors of past eras lacked -- the vast repository of information called the internet. You have to be careful mining information from this reservoir, however; never rely on a single site for information unless it is a very reputable source.
One of the best comments I've received regarding a story spoke to the research I had done. The scene in question took place at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA, and the commenter remarked that my narrative description spoke of a personal knowledge of the location. I've never been there, and got all of the information from sources on the web, primarily the CIA's website. That comment made the effort I had put into the research very worthwhile.
When it comes to locations my absolute favorite source for information is Google Earth. You can zoom in and see the layout of streets, note the location of landmarks from burger joints to museums and using the street view feature you can even go into a 360 degree panorama of thousands of places. Locations in the US have the most coverage -- I can zoom in to street level in front of my home, which is on a very hard to find rural back street -- but it is also available for many international locations. Google Earth has many other very useful features as well; Wikipedia and YouTube links to articles and videos relating to specific locations,literally thousands of photos people have contributed and tons of other things. If you like righting about places you've never been it's well worth the time it takes to download.
Scott
I cried for her.
I cried for me.
I cried for a world that wouldn’t let her be.
-- from Luna by Julie Anne Peters
http://genomorph.tglibrary.com/
Bree
The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.
-- Tom Clancy
http://genomorph.tglibrary.com/ (Currently broken)
http://bree-ramsey314.livejournal.com/
Twitter: @genomorph
Research
I do a LOT, but often cheat by using places, jobs, military structures and systems that are familiar to me. My stories have largely been set around Sussex/Surrey/Hampshire, Kent, Northumberland/Durham/the Lakes, and SW and N Wales, all of which I know well. The plateau of Leng is where I was born. The climbing is what I know, the music is what I love and play and the dancing is what I enjoy. The cycling, etc, is my life, and many of the characters are real folk.
When it comes to language, I am a polyglot and a linguist. All of the foreign locations are ones I also know well, and as a polyglot the foreign language is what I speak myself. When it comes to medical stuff, though, I ask a friend, and she knows who she is.
Varies a lot
Some stories don't really need any research (mostly the short ones). Some get me going back to look something up at least once a chapter. Like Erin said, sometimes I get so caught up in research I run out of time to write! ;)
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America