I love collecting information, learning facts, and organizing tidbits, so you'd think book research would be natural for me. It's not. It's daunting. Though it's not the work that scares me, but the fact that I never have an idea of where to start. However, as I've gotten more manuscripts under my belt, I've developed a general approach which has helped me a ton, especially in my latest revision.

The big picture. Current fashions to political events to the most popular song. What's the weather like? Economic times? Predominate religion? These are jumping off points. Some of these details may never actually show up in the manuscript, but they can influence the world. For instance, your 15-year-old character may not be directly affected by an economic recession (might not even know what the word means), but his parents will be aware of it - the type of house he lives in could be dictated by it - his clothes - even the trends in pop culture (no joke - there's a theory that ties economics inversely to the popularity of vampires/zombies). 

The finer details. These nitty-gritties are the tidbits that you normally think about: maps, diagrams, timelines, important notes, so I won't belabor this point. It's critical to keep this organized in a readily accessible way (like Katy's note cards - or whatever works for you). I prefer cloud-based digital files that I can access from anywhere. Whatever works for you, but you'll want these at your fingertips when it comes to writing and revising...instead of scouring your manuscript to remember the name of the main street in Palo Alto. 

Character specifics. In fact, I keep all my character interviews and backstories along side these other research notes. This includes their basic traits, tics, and the like. Here's a good place to keep photos that inspired your character. Again, all of these notes should be something easy to refer back to when you need to know if Martha has green eyes or blue.

Keep updating. These files/documents are alive. Never be afraid to add or modify as needed. At the very least, go back through and update them at each major revision. 

And before you know it, you'll have piles of note cards, shreds of napkins, diagrams, sketches, pinterest boards, and excel spreadsheets (Gawd, I love excel spreadsheets).  All of this compiled info, my friends, is your well of authentic details (as Jackie mentioned) that will breathe the life into your characters and world. 

I'm so pleased to introduce Jackie to you today, and to have this fantastic post from her on the ups and downs of a writer's task as researcher. Check it out, and be sure to look into the upcoming Niagara Writer's Retreat and Conference--a great event coordinated by Jackie. 

Authenticity.

That’s the word that comes to mind when I think of research.

“If a reader can punch a hole through your story, you’ve lost them,” Ellen Hopkins says, and I hear her voice every time I think about taking a short cut as a writer. Thus, research has become part of my daily routine no matter WHAT novel I’m working on, from searching up the most popular song of the 1890’s, to making sure a 1976 Monte Carlo could still be on the road in 2011.  But it became especially important in my first book, when (stupidly) I decided to tackle a period piece. (Rookie. What can I say, I didn’t know any better!)

It looked innocent enough, a newspaper clipping placed on my desk, by an enthusiastic student (in my teaching days, enthusiastic students were as rare as six-figure book contracts, trust me) about Holocaust victims in pursuit of unpaid insurance benefits, having invested their life savings with big American insurance companies just prior to being taken away during WWII. I acknowledge the article with interest and went on with the day, but found myself revisiting the clipping several more times. An story idea came to me that clung like strong perfume, always lingering in the back of my mind.

Years later, out of work, I found myself at the computer wondering again about the clipping. I’d rescued it from the purge of my teaching materials and decided to Google more on the topic, and again to my amazement found there was a court case going on in the US, involving a handful of elderly survivors who had taken on the Insurance Company. Intrigued, I picked up the phone and contacted one of them, asking if they wouldn’t mind an interview. That led to several more, and a fully developed outline for a story that haunted my sleep and wouldn’t let me go.  

I started the next day, planning to open with an unusual escape from Auschwitz, a concentration camp, just days prior to its liberation. To get it right, I researched everything I could about the camp, its layout, surrounding towns, the routines of the guards, the prisoners. Days passed, as I poured over mountains of research, getting the dates and times, even the weather right. I studied maps and photos, painstakingly re-building the world, piecing together the most plausible escape route for my characters. I figured once I finally had them out of the camp and into the woods, my researching nightmare would be over. WRONG…

In the middle of the book my characters are walking on foot across war torn Europe back to their home in Vienna. Their seemingly innocent journey was suddenly requiring research at every turn, in the form of access to legible, authentic maps. Those dated prior to the war, before countries were split up, given away and renamed. Like pawns on a chessboard, their every move required strategy, and then there was the little matter that the war was still raging. Every time I planned a route for my characters it was subsequently thwarted, under siege at the time, or had just been bombed. I poured over flight maps, (both German and American) and records of bombing routes trying to avoid the planes, then decided one particularly frustrating day, why avoid them? Isn’t it infinitely more interesting if they get caught in, and survive one of these air raids? I rewrote the chapter and carried on, but still something was missing. My words laid flat on the page.

I realized I had no idea what it was like to be there, really be there. What was the landscape like? How about after the bombing? Had I even included the proper trees? What did it look like, smell like, feel like, running alone through those woods, two fugitives, in search of their homeland and a last chance document? I couldn’t answer any of it. My writing lacked depth and feeling -- it lacked authenticity. It felt cheap and I didn’t like it.  

I suddenly felt very stuck. Stupid. Thought perhaps I might give up. I remember dropping my head down on the keyboard, thinking, what am I doing, I’m never going to be able to do this piece justice, and yet I had a burning story I really wanted to tell. In a moment of desperation, I raised my head and googled…”child pushed in a wheelbarrow across Europe after WWII,” which I’d decided my main character was doing at that point in the story, pushing her little sister home in a wheelbarrow she’d just stolen. To my amazement an article popped up. A short story written by a man named, Paul Hartal, whose mother had done that very thing. She’d pushed him and his little sister across Europe in a wheelbarrow back to their home in Budapest, after being released from a concentration camp. My eyes lit up. Could it be? Seriously?  What luck?

I read his short story with interest and then googled his name and again to my amazement, found he was an artist living in Montreal with a website that provided a phone number. I rang him that day and we talked for four hours, in which he provided me with all the sights and smells and feelings, necessary to bring my character’s journey to life. And the best part was, he was telling it to me through the eyes and memories of his childhood, as he was only eight when it happened to him.

A fast friendship evolved spanning now six years, exchanging emails, encouragement and writing, (he’s also a great poet, check it out here.)  and although I’ve not yet finished that book, I’ve decided to revisit it again, recently. It seems the daunting amount of research required to complete it just can’t outweigh its haunting presence in the back of my mind. Here’s hoping now that I’m a more seasoned writer, I can finally do the story the justice it deserves. Wish me luck?

  

Remember researching = authenticity. And authenticity holds readers.

Happy researching!    

Jackie Garlick-Pynaert writes Y.A. She is represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary. When she is not writing, Jackie organizes events for writers to help them improve craft and make valuable connections with top talent in the industry, including big name authors, agents and editors. Check out the all-star line up of her upcoming event, the Niagara Retreat and Conference, May 3-5, in Niagara Falls Canada. I understand there is still room.  www.niagararetreatandconference.com

My dictionary defines the word research (for our purposes) as a transitive verb: • to discover facts by investigation for use in (a book, program, etc.) 

But recently, I looked at it differently.  The prefix re- means Ÿ once more; afresh; anew.  If we look at the word with this definition of the prefix, it could mean to search again. 

Historical fiction requires a lot of research using both of these ways of looking at the word.  I do tons of preliminary research—discovering facts by investigation.  I read histories and biographies, I scour timelines, I explore any primary sources that have been transcribed and posted online.  I try to visit some of the places I describe—even if the buildings are no longer there.  I read popular psychology about relationships and interactions between women and the lives of girls today. 

I try to store all of this information as best I can.  I am a very visual thinker and reader, so I can conjure up pictures of what I think the great hall of Greenwich might look like after reading Alison Weir.  Or I imagine a conversation between two characters after reading a book like Odd Girl Out.

I take notes.  Copious notes.  I have index cards with me at all times and beside my bed and reading chair at home, just so I can take a note that I think might be relevant.  I keep all of these in little boxes, sorted according to specific detail or character.  I can refer back to these if and when it’s needed.

But sometimes, I need to re-search.  Usually after a first draft is finished, I’ll start reading again.  I’ll reread a book like Alison Weir’s Henry VIII the King and his Court, just to see if any images or details jump out at me the second time around—anything that may affect this book and this draft specifically.  I go back to places I describe—Hever Castle comes to mind—so I can get the view from the window just right or the smell of the river.  And I’ve got a terrible head for numbers, so I constantly have to call up Wikipedia to check birth dates and years for my characters (though before I turn in a draft, I make sure I confirm these dates using a fact-checked and reliable source).

Even with all this research and all these resources, I know I get some things wrong.  I’ve caught other historical novelists in errors.  I try my best not to make mistakes.  I cringe at the very idea.  I’m kept up nights by mistakes I’ve already made. 

So I re-search.  And hope I get it right the next time.

The word “research” used to fill me with dread.  I equated the term with long hours spent pouring over dry texts to extract snippets of information that no one would care about.

I was so wrong.

I think part of the problem is that in school, I rarely got to pick the topics that interested me, and the information and sources available at the time were limited.  Somewhere along the way, I discovered that learning wasn’t something reserved for classrooms, and that I could learn about virtually anything through books, the internet, traveling, and interviews.  I can indulge my curiosity about topics I wish I’d studied, hobbies that fascinate me, or places I’ve longed to see.

One of the great joys of fiction is creating worlds from your imagination and grounding them with real facts and details. I get to choose what I write about, what interests me, and what I want to explore.  Inevitably, research leads me to look at my story in a new way, or helps me find the missing pieces of a plot puzzle, understand a character, or just helps make everything a bit more real. 

But learning to love research and embracing it took time.  I started with a toe in the water.  An   When I started researching myths for the Bandia series, I had to overcome a huge barrier and actually (gasp) explore large tomes in the nonfiction section of the library.  I learned about science and math theories because my character is interested in those things.  I read about witchcraft and magic, the Crusades and how religion and magic intersect in Irish culture.  I read a lot, which I think is a good foundation for researching a book.  But there is so much more out here.

internet search, which usually led to a broad overview on Wikipedia.

For my new project, I pushed myself much further into the research vortex.  I set my story in a real city, New York.  I began by using the internet to map out routes and locations for my characters.  I had a general idea of what neighborhoods and landmarks I wanted to write about, and I was able to pull up maps and street views from the comfort of my desk.  I purchased books about some of the landmarks online, visited websites and travelogues on the internet, and looked at pictures others had taken and posted online.  A Google “Images” search can yield informal photos snapped by tourists, capturing things the guidebooks don’t show you, and leading to blog posts about the place with even more rich detail.

Then I visited the city, and actually visited the places where scenes took place, taking in subtler details, sounds, smells and tastes.  I brought my netbook with me, and along with taking photos of everything that caught my eye, from people, to artwork, and architecture.  I would often sit down in the middle of place and start taking down notes about what I was seeing and feeling.

I talked to people whenever I could about the places I was seeing. I learned about the history of the place, took tours, and tried to find out things that weren’t in the guidebooks (though I read those too).  Along the way, I was amazed to find little details that mirrored or contradicted the themes in my stories, symbols that I could use as anchors in the narrative, and the occasional surprise that made my story come to life.

 

I also talked to people who were experts in their field, mining them for information and brainstorming with them about plot threads or character arcs.  I spoke to a historical archivist at a church, a psychologist who treats depressive disorders and a doorman in a Park Avenue apartment building.   

I can’t believe I ever hated research.  It’s become one of my favorite parts of writing.  

Follow the Yellow Brick Road or Poppies... Poppies...

Follow the Yellow Brick Road or Poppies... Poppies...

Posted by Donna Cooner

This week's theme is Research and I'm currently in the process of researching how to handle separation anxiety in goat dogs (see photo). (Yes, those were feather couch pillows)

Seriously, research is one of the BEST THINGS EVER about being a writer. It's an open ended adventure down a road to discover new plot twists, specific details and unusual characters. You may eventually get to Oz (and finishing the WIP), but you'll definitely discover a few tangent poppy fields along the way. Research on a writing project allows me to become a "pseudo expert" on anything and everything that interests me. It's the total excuse for attention issues,but you might be surprised what people will tell you when you lead with, "I'm writing a book and was just wondering what it's like to be a ... fireman...or bartender...or cab driver...or tight rope walker."

My favorite research writing story happened about fifteen years ago. I was writing a mystery where the main character was involved in an internet dating site. At that time, Match.com was not a household word and very few women were on the Internet. I was single and decided the best way to learn about Internet dating sites was to post an ad. So I wrote one from the perspective of the main character (and me) which was to be included in Chapter Two of the book. I followed all the directions carefully, posted the ad, and left for a business trip. I had no idea what to expect. Later that night in a Chicago hotel, I logged onto the site to find I had received over two hundred responses in the span of a few hours. Everything from "I'm seventeen and still live with my parents. I hope you don't mind." (I did) to "just ignore the woman in the picture. She's no longer around." (He had attached his wedding photo!) Just reading the responses was quite the story. The Internet mystery I was writing never fully developed, but that little research side trip did end up in LOTS of potential characters that are still populating stories and even led to a marriage (mine).

Another poppy filled sidetrack involved my research for a mystery where the victims are killed by arrows through the heart. It seemed somehow poetic, but I didn't know anything about arrows and archery. The result, however, was a seriously freaked out sporting goods employee who didn't quite know how to answer all my questions about how I might kill someone with a bow and arrow. What KIND of bow? What would the wound LOOK like? etc. etc. He eventually came around and a snippet of the resulting information is included in the paragraph below:

The pine needles crunched quietly beneath his booted feet, the only sound in the new night, as he walked away from the white sheet of paper suspended in mid air. He turned slowly to face the target, drawing an arrow out of the quiver, and raised the Hoyt Deviator bow - nocking the arrow in place. Bringing the bow to full draw, he felt the back of his hand brush against the consistent, unchanging bone structure of his face. His nose lightly touched the bowstring as he settled his breathing by sheer willpower and he felt his heart begin to slow, just the way he had taught himself to do. His body was in harmony with every sound - every light push of the wind around him - and he waited for every pause in the beating of his own heart for the exact moment to loose the arrow. He exhaled half way into the cool night air, and then, with ever increasing back tension on the string, his fingers opened and the arrow took flight - sailing swiftly and effortlessly through the air -cutting through the paper smoothly to find the target beyond.

Research nurtures the discovery part of the writing process. Yes, it can definitely be a procrastination tool and a distraction, but it's just so much fun!

To prove it, here are just a few of the random things I've recently researched:
Acting Lessons
Male Teen Age Models
Trail maps in the National Forest
Internet security
Trees of East Texas
Water Moccasins
Musical Lyrics
Clothes from Gossip Girl episodes
Favorite Female Baby Names
Chemistry Experiments Gone Wrong
Twirlers

So, enjoy the research poppies and if anyone knows a goat whisperer (or wants a dog???) let me know.