Monday, August 19, 2013

The Research of Writing


Whenever I think about my work-in-progess, my stomach turns a bit with anxious excitement. I'm convinced my WIP is going to rock -- that is, it will rock whenever I get to actually writing it. As of now, I'm in the research phase -- a never-ending period of note-taking, interlibrary loans, browsing Ebay for authentic historical artifacts and interviewing relatives about their high school English assignments. Not only am I conducting research reminiscent of my college days as a history major, but I have to outline the novel (using the fantastic Snowflake Method I have come to love) as well. I need to know my characters as if they were real people. I have to discover my hook and inciting incident and I have to outline my scenes. All this is time-consuming and it means I'm planning and not adding to my word count -- which makes me feel like I'm not writing at all. Because I'm not. I'm doing research.

My WIP is a YA murder mystery set in 1955 involving a cast of international characters who all live in a boarding house in rural Pennsylvania. My list of research questions seem endless. I need to know 1950s pop culture, food, slang and clothing. I also need to know what teenagers in the 1950s did for fun. What books were they assigned in English class? Where would they go to college? For instance, did you know Harvard University only admitted males until the 1970s? Women went to their sister school, Radcliffe. I know this because I took 2 HOURS worth of notes for 1-2 lines of dialogue.

I spent a couple of hours at my local historical society trying to get information on how boarding houses were run in town. Except, there was very little information to be had. I stopped by my county Sheriff's office to see if it would be possible to look through 1950s case files, but I was informed they don't keep those records on site. I'm dealing with a murder and I need to know about crime scene investigation and police procedures. How long did it take for a police officer to respond to an emergency phone call? Did small towns have detectives? If not, who was called in to investigate? I took the sheriff's business card in order to set up an appointment and I'm hoping he can help me.

I feel like I'm back in college scanning texts for tidbits of info to prove my thesis. Except in this case, facts are not enough. My main protagonist is a 17-year-old girl from Argentina and I need to know how a young immigrant would adapt to 1950s America. What slang would confuse her? How would she feel the first time a boy took her to a drive-in movie theater? What American food would she love or detest? What music would she like? In fact, just writing these questions here is making my head spin. (I need to get my research binder, STAT.)

And my novel has a more sinister component about Nazi war criminals. Nothing like reading about horrific war crimes to get me in a happy mood.

Truthfully, history is my thang. Despite the overwhelming amount of research, there's nothing quite so exciting as discovering a piece of history that jives with your plot twists. But at some point, I have to put down the history books so I can write my own book.

Research is not just for historical fiction. Anyone writing contemporary or fantasy has to do their fair share of research.

So, writers -- how do you balance the research and the writing? Do you research first or outline your novel first? How does it ever get done? And in what area of research do you consider yourself an expert? Sound off below.


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11 comments:

  1. Great post! I try to research just enough to get the story written, then go back and fill in details. I also search out experts on the topic to read over the story. Often they offer insights that I never would've thought of.

    My current WIP spans 70 years. I could easily get lost in the research, so I keep a lot of stuff vague, especially if it's not particularly relevant to the story. I want enough details to set the story, but not so many that the story gets lost in the setting.

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    1. Having an expert read your work is an excellent idea. I'm going to have to find me a cop from the 1950s. Or a criminal justice professor.

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  2. Wow- you're doing your stuff! If I tried to write in that time period, I'd be so lost, as I didn't have a single idea as to what would constitute for an answer to your questions. I can't wait to read what you come up with!

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    1. Thanks, Leandra. Hopefully I can get you some pages soon.

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  3. I would never have thought of all those questions -- or gone further than the internet and my local library. I write (epic) fantasy, but I am not nearly so good at research as I am at outlining. Most of it feels like I'm tossing in random bits of knowledge-I-already-have. Whenever I finish writing the draft (whichever draft it is -- currently, that's something like Draft 3 or 4), then I go and Google a few things that I'm unclear on.

    But man, do I wish I was better at research! Awesome that you can think up and look for so much. :)

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    1. Thanks! I have a degree in history and a graduate degree in library science so research is in my blood. I can't say I did nearly this much research for my first novel as it takes place in 1996 and I remember events quite clearly.

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  4. "All this is time-consuming and it means I'm planning and not adding to my word count -- which makes me feel like I'm not writing at all."

    I feel like there's the potential for this kind of thing in so many fields of endeavor, but *especially* research. My take in my own writing (not fiction - more like journal articles and such) is that a huge percentage of my time is spent on these background tasks that don't seem like they're accomplishing anything at all...but then by the time I put pen to paper (figuratively speaking), I know exactly what I want to say, and it's just a question of spitting it all out.

    As you know, lots of YA authors (Holly Black! Elizabeth Wein!) have some sort of background in research - whether from a library perspective or an academic one. I think it enriches their work a lot. Plus, as you say, being someone who loves to dig through historical research is definitely an advantage in such things. :-)

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    1. Research and proper planning usually makes writing go a lot quicker. I will plan as much as I can and then hopefully, I'll be able to get that first draft down rather quickly.

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  5. Wow, you're awesome! I generally (loosely) outline first, do a bit of research, and then delve into writing. If I get caught up on something, I do more research or spend a good amount of time with my notes to refresh my memory. My current WIP deals with some really depressing and sad topics--like depression, bullying, suicide--so there's really only so much time I can spend doing research before I have to move on to a happier task.

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    1. I hear you on those depressing topics. I found a documentary on nazi war criminals and I can't bring myself to watch it.

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  6. Wow- that's some seriously intense research! I don't like to get caught out on inaccuries even though I write fantasy, so I check everything - my latest WIP involved research into scientific theories about what Earth would be like with two moons (and it's fantasy, not sc-fi!). I also researched real similar historical periods and cultures to immerse myself into it. I really enjoy research, but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to write historical fiction!

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