Writing brings many surprises, from characters who begin to speak for themselves, to the time it can take to construct a scene, to plot twists I hadn’t envisioned but now can’t imagine the book without. But one surprise that just keeps on giving is how many things I need to know that are not in that handy well of background knowledge. As a rule, I try to avoid writing anything that requires much research. It’s not just the information-gathering that puts me off; it’s the idea that despite all the care I take to ensure that my information is accurate, I could still introduce some huge flaw and be forever discredited.
Such avoidance can only last so long, however. Shortly after I’d finished assigning most of my past careers to various characters and setting stories in most of the regions in which I’ve lived, I began to write, of all things, a book that’s loosely based in history. (Key word: Loosely. I still need that wiggle room.) Researching a shiny new career is one thing; building a whole Medievalish world is quite another.
For my various professions I’ve had to take several classes in research techniques, and although I’m not a master when it comes to digging up information, I know my way around Google, several online databases, libraries (Dewey decimal system and all), and your basic reference materials. Which is a good thing, since I recently found myself browsing a website on Medieval weaponry. This was quickly followed by searches for ways to communicate with horses, injuries to the frontal lobe of the brain, the layout of a typical castle, and bread recipes. And the research continues, all so that I can add about four words per subject to lend credibility to the book.
And amidst all this information gathering, the most important thing I’ve learned is this: research is not as scary or as boring as I’d thought. Sure, it’s daunting, and not as fun as writing, and when I’m in the middle of a scene and suddenly find myself desperate for a few obscure details about fabrics in the 1400s, it’s definitely a distraction. But it’s doable, and it can lead to some pretty amusing searches.
Which leads me to wonder…What are some of the weird things you’ve found yourself researching, either for your writing or otherwise? Ever read a book where the research was just plain wrong? (No author bashing, please! Everybody makes mistakes.)
I write fiction too, and I think I could get lost researching if I let myself. Even things like short flashbacks require some research. (What was the Scottish countryside like back when he wandered there as a boy? What kind of hats did national park rangers wear in the 40s? Besides hard tack, what did Confederate soldiers eat?) You don’t realize how many tidbits you’ve picked up over the years in your research until you play Trivial Pursuit!
That’s so funny, Kristi! Just last night we had some friends over to play Trivial Pursuit, and I admit to being a bit disappointed that none of my new knowledge came up during the game.
Hey!
I totally agree with you i use to be daunting byhistorical fiction and scren plays and now i love it. research is cool because its information that anyone can find out, if someone else can do it so can you.
iIve researched history of donuts to spas, to backpackinig in europe to communal dining to mileage (that idea is in the works so i can’t expand on it) and its been a lot of fun. whats fun to is to create fictional worlds or scenes off of a piece of reality, check out the pullitizer by Gwendolyn Brooks called March – its great!
keep writing, can’t wait to see you in print!
The weirdest thing I’ve researched had to be the life span of a condom. Don’t ask.
i don’t write, but still find myself researching on google. 🙂 these days it’s mostly about migraines and chonic pain – i spend more time than i would’ve ever thought learning about headaches.
can’t think of any books i read where the research was incorrect. maybe i need to keep my eyes out for it? 😉
77free, I love your list of research topics! So varied! And thanks for your optimism and encouragement with my writing. 🙂
OMG, Melissa. I’m not asking, but I’m *telling* you that I’m dying to know the context of that one!
Oh, Emily, I hope you find your solution soon. As for finding books with errors, they usually involve places where I’ve lived or professions I’ve had, which is probably why I gravitate toward writing about those professions and places I know from extensive first-hand experience.
I’m not a writer, but part o fmy job is to do research and I recently had to do research on the various ways of asking one question and coming up with the same answer, no matter which way the question is asked. I spent one day and was able to find the question that I needed.
History fascinates me and I love well written historical, but I don’t think I could be as thorough in research as what would be required to write historical.
My wip has a vigilante. I keep waiting for the Internet Police to break down my door and demand I explain searching for substances that will burn a vehicle and body beyond recognition, or untraceable drugs that would kill a man in a cup of coffee. :0
Book bashing. Hmm. I read an HQN rom/susp not long ago set in Toronto. Less than an hour outside of the city, our poor heroine was in a wilderness, no traffic, towns, cell service. Ah, I live an hour from Toronto and every page of this book screamed that the author had obviously never been there. She fell just shy of putting us poor Canucks in igloos. Drove me crazy!
My character has a slight nervous break down at her mother’s funeral. The next day she’s humilated. She compares it to having to throw out a condom because it’s been that long since you’ve had sex. Condoms have a three year life span. Three years??? Cobwebs, anyone?
Dru, now I’m curious about the question! What you said has me now trying to devise questions like that, too.
Lainey, that was hilarious! I’ve heard that some authors have been tagged before because of their searches, but it should be pretty easy to prove what you’re doing all the research for. As for the Toronto countryside, I’ve read similar things about places near where I live. The Stand by Stephen King mentions a small city where the characters stop for gas or something. In reality, it’s just a waystop about a half hour from where I live, with maybe one family living there.
That makes sense, Melissa. Wonder if *that* will ever come up in Trivial Pursuit? Hmmm. I’m guessing not. Too bad. I hate to waste a good piece of trivia. I’ll have to break it out some other way, then. 😀