|
mary rosenblum
|
Hello, all!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Welcome to our Tuesday Forum.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I wanted to talk about
research today because it's a big part of writing, particularly if you're
writing novels.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And of course, if you're
writing in the speculative fiction universe where you are going to have to
create the universe as well as the characters and story
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
it's particularly necessary.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The question becomes...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
how do you keep track of it
all. And even if you don't think you need to do any research,
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
say you're writing about a
family's complex relationships and it's set in your town, you have
everything you need right there...that may be true.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But you need to keep track of
the things you invent as you write that novel. The charcters' appearance,
his or her preference for fish, fear of spiders, the fact that she drives a
maroon Camry, the dry cleaner's shop is next to the convenience store...
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
or you'll find yourself
leafing through hundreds of pages of typewritten manuscript looking for
that detail you can't remember.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Of course if you're writing,
say, historical fiction or that fantasy world you built from the ground up,
you're going to have reams and boxes of research long before you even
start.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It's a good idea to think
about what you're going to need when you actually start writing. That will
help you organize your material.
|
|
sss1208
|
Doesn't this apply to creative
non fiction articles?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And nonfiction as well, sss.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It's particularly important
when you're dealing with real-life research, say a travel piece, a personal
narrative where readers expect your details to be accurate, or even a
fiction story set in a real location.
|
|
classy1064
|
I have a software program that
helps and also use notecards
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
There are some good templates
available.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This month's issue of the
Women on Writing website has an article on organizing research including
some templates. I didn't have a chance to look it over thoroughly -- it
just went up -- but it seems to be more geared to nonfiction writing.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/
|
|
destiny8
|
Can you name a couple
programs/templates?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
No, destiny, because I don't
use them.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Why spend money for something
you can design to suit your own particular needs?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you find one that works for
you that's great.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But start by figuring out what
you need.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It's probably going to be a
mix of computer files and physical file space for things such as pictures,
brochures, that sort of thing.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Think about what you will need
as you write your piece. If it's a nonfiction travel piece, you'll need to
know roads, restaurants, hotels, mileage, that sort of thing.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You'll want photos, menues,
price lists, schedules.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You might divide those up:
Restaurants Hotels Entertainment Sightseeing Routes
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And of course Photos.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
For a fiction story, you're
going to need characters , locations (houses, businesses, general layout of
your location).
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This would be for a fiction
story set in the real world, say. Or a personal narrative.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you're doing historical
fiction the files will increase dramatically!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Slang and idiom. Food. Social
customs. Transportation. Dress. Legal Issues.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That's just a start. You'll certainly
find new categories as you do your research.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
For a made up universe the
files increase even more. World. Culture. Religion. Economy. Social Issues.
History. Mythology.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And each of these categories
is quite large when you are evolving these for an entire race.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And researching is a balancing
act between too much and too little.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You need to know your universe
well enough that you don't make BIG blunders in your first draft that
require big rewrites.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But on the other hand, you can
spend the rest of your life researching and never actually start the piece.
Not good. :-)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You don't publish what you
don't write.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That's the dangerous side of
that dividing line. Research can be a WHOLE lot more fun than actually
getting that first draft down on paper
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
and you can justify not
writing -- you're still doing the research.
|
|
gwanny
|
Mary as a general rule of thumb,
when do you tell yourself enough research is enough?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
When I feel that I have a
sense of my world in general, I know the culture, society, physical
universe well enough not to fall over my feet, I go.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I don't know everything yet
and as I create scenes I begin to run into details I have yet to think
through. So I either do it then, or I put in a place holder [add food
details here] and move on.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
When I have completed my first
draft, I make a list of all the details I need to research and then I do
it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I would rather put in that
place holder than stop the flow of the draft to spend a week researching.
|
|
writermom
|
isn't it better to make the big
blunders in the first draft so you can do the rewrites and catch although I
realize the goal is to make no blunders I would think the first draft is
the place to make them if they are going to made
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Exactly, writer. You are
probably not doing yourself any favors if you know so much about your
universe that you make NO mistakes or find no research holes in your first
draft.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You've probably spent WAY too
much time on the research. Most of what you find you actually won't use in
the work, but knowing it will help you create a sense of depth and
continuity.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If your character goes out to
the cow shed and you suddenly realize you don't know what kind of cows the
folk kept back then or even if they kept the in sheds, put in a place
holder and find out later on.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That, by the way, is a great
thing to do when you hit a block and stall on the first draft. :-0
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Go back and research some of
your 'holes'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You're still working on the
novel, you're not banging your head against the scene that won't work and I
find
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
that as I do that research,
getting back into a part of the novel that was going well, it usually
breaks the stall for me.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
However if you are creating an
entire world, it is a good idea to take the time to think that universe
through fairly thoroughly
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
in terms of culture and
environment.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
How different races think
about each other, what gods they worship, how they feed themselves is going
to have a profound impact on how these
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
characters think, speak, and
act.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
One of the best ways to get
rejected in the SF and fantasy universe is to create a diverse world and
then populate it with people who all have a middle class white American
world view.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Editors can spot that a mile
away and so do readers.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
People ARE shaped by their
environment and the resulting culture shapes the individual.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That's what makes really good
SF and fantasy a real challenge. But if you are up to it, it sure will make
you stand out in that huge slush pile.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Even if you're using a real
world setting, the thought you give to developing your character in depth
-- research -- is going to add depth to that story.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
One thing I recommend -- when you're
doing research, start out by just doing it. Read everything you can find
that's even remotely related to the world you plan to create.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You never know what gems lurk
in marginally related stuff.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Rough out those categories for
yourself -- the ones you think you'll need.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Maybe one character works in a
brewery, so you'll file all kinds of brewery information under that
character's name.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If it's an historical, you
might file details on dress, bathing habits, personal hygiene, hair styles,
under 'personal lifestyle'
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You could file everything
related to cooking and obtaining food, markets, prices, under 'food and
cooking'. Let's pretend our book is an historical where the MC is a
housewife.
|
|
lore alley
|
mary, I find myself doing most
of my research online, then getting stuck over those little nuances that
you can only get from talking to real people... how do you find people who
have the experience or expertise you need to interview? that's NOT my
strong suit
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Real life interviews are
always a boon if you can do them, lore.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you're writing fiction,
they can be very important if your MC belongs to a profession. You want to
get 'insider' details. (Police, fireman, lawyer).
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
For nonfiction it is simply
essential.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You just have to take a deep
breath and find ask a stranger for fifteen minutes of his/her time, Lore.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You can also find websites
online that offer 'expert' connections.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
People post an email address who
are willing to talk to you about what they do.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Iin my experience, most people
are very flattered to be asked for help.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And if you're writing a book,
you offer an aknowlegement as payment. :-) Then be sure to include it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If someone has given me a lot
of time as an informant, I'll send that person a signed copy of the book,
afterward.
|
|
hidden fairy
|
Would it be a good idea to map
out your story?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It is, hidden.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It gives you an idea ahead of
time of what you might need to know.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Of course, not everyone can do
a detailed chapter by chapter outline ahead of time. I can't usually do a
detailed outline for more than a couple of chapters ahead. My characters
have too much influence on what the plot does.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But if you know your overall
story arc, where your characters will probably go and what they'll probably
face, you can do some of that work ahead of time.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you know you're going to
send them through a swamp and have them attack a 14th century castle
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
you can have that 'swamp' and
'14th century castle' homework done before you get there.
|
|
janecj333
|
The 'facts' in sf that worry me
the most are those no one really knows about...flying a space-capable craft
into and out of a planet's atmosphere, slowing down from near-light speed,
using technologies that don't exist yet to travel from world to world.
Research is good, but my feeling is always that the little knowledge I have
is way too little to write a credible scene.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You have two types of science
in SF, Jane.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
On the one hand you have
science fantasy SF -- here the science is made up. Here the work is making
it credible.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Your planet must work. (Try
Steve Gillett's 'World Building' to get that right).
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you do a binary star system
with a planetary system you need to get your orbital mechanics right.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But your warp drive, ray gun,
or what have you merely need to be plausible, based on today' sknowlege of
physics.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you do near future SF, you
are faced with the challenge of building plausibly on today's science to
create tomorrow's science and made up stuff doesn't work as well.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
That does require a very
strong working knowlege of the science you're dealing with and is probably
why you don't see as much near future stuff
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
as you see science fantasy
stuff.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It's much easier for your knowegable
readers to pick holes in your science!
|
|
sss1208
|
How about JDRobbs's slides and guides
, tubes and auto chef. any thing like auto chef coming out soon for us
earthlings?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I suspect most of those have
tenuous connections to today,sss. :-) They're not so far in the future as
you might think.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
The main things about research
are 1: organize it in a way that works for you and for what you plan to
write.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
2: Stop when you have enough
to get started writing!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I have known more than one
person working on the Great Historical Novel -- who is still doing research
and has been doing research for years and will probably be doing research
for years. :-)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Research CAN become avoidance
behavior. :-) Useful avoidance behavior perhaps, but if you never write the
story, what good is it?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And there is nothing more
daunting than a huge cardboard box full of brochures, pictures, scribbled
notes, and what have you
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
when you are on chapter ten
and you need one particular detail.
|
|
tory
|
Mary, any hints on how to avoid
picking up all kinds of junk from doing internet research? (sorry if this
is a repeat question. Evn had trouble getting on-line.)
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Good point, Tory, I should
have brought this up.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But internet doubt is SO
engrained in my brain that I didn't think of it. Doubt EVERYTHING you read
on the internet.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I had my student, Nick, (he's
12) research a global warming issue on the internet last year.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
He found stuff to substantiate
'yes' and 'no' and it sounded equally real when you read it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You really need to pay
attention to who is posting the material and does it have links to reliable
sources.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Usually, if you start
back-tracking on sources you'll figure out who's behind it eventually. That
was the point of my exercise with Nick.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
When he researched his sources
carefully, he found a lot that were...BIG suprise...traceable back to auto
or oil companies.
|
|
tory
|
I seem to receive tons of junk
e-mail after I've been surfing for research. Hate that.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Set your browser not to accept
cookies, tory.
|
|
sss1208
|
Mary you just made my day again,
Research CAN become avoidance behavior.- and Dobut everything you read on
the internet
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
No duh, sss. :-)
|
|
sss1208
|
did not get to finish my
statement rather than question- but the point is Writing family history
applies to your two statements
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It certainly does.
|
|
grayalien
|
Is it a rule to always do your
research before you start writing, or is it ok to do the first draft, then
do the research and revise? I would think that doing the first draft would
tell you exactly what facts you need.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Well, yes and no, gray. If you
do your first draft, you can create a society and universe that suits your characers'
needs, that's true.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I'm assuming you're talking
about SF/fantasy.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But on the other hand, I've
found that if you create the world first it often throws some very good
kinks into your plot, kinks that may make your story much stronger.
|
|
tory
|
Yes, I've seen virtually the
same words on an issue posted by 6 or 8 different sites, but usually can
find the original.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
And realize that if anyone has
an agenda and wants to promote a particular idea or urban myth, you can proliferate
stuff very easily so that the search engines pick it up quickly.
|
|
tkat_2
|
My problem with historical
fiction is language. It sounds too modern. Any advice?
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
It isn't hard to make modern
English sound 'archaic' tkat without making it a distraction to the reader.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
First you have to eliminate
ALL modern references and slang. When your fifteenth century courtier says
'awesome' everybody winces!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you simply drop
contractions entirely out of your dialogue, you will make that language
sound 'different'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Contractions are very English
(as in the language).
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
If you use some of the slang
and idiom of the time, you enhance that sense of 'old langauge'.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Just try not to go so
overboard on it, or on phonetic spellings that readers can't pay attention
to your story
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
because they're so busy
deciphering your dialogue!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
One of the cool things about research
I"ve found -- at least from the fictional angle -- is that
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
often your research will alter
your original concept of the story.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
You'll find out cool new
things that will give you new inspiration.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
When that happens, your
background has just become a much more integral part of your story and that
strenghtens the entire story tripod.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
But remember -- when you
realize that you've forgotten your story, that you're simply having a ball
researching this time/place, time to stop and start draft one!
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Well, this has been a fun
Forum and hopefully this helps.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Join us tomorrow, same time
and place for our casual chat.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
I'll post the transcript in
the usual place:
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Writing Craft: Forum
Transcript. Have a good week, all!
|
