Writer Wednesday: Research

First, a confession...

When I first started writing, a decade or two (ouch!) before I actually published, I wanted to be a historical romance writer. My favorite stories to read were Regencies and, because I read them, I wanted to write them.

Enter reality.

Historical romance in general, and Regency in particular, has very demanding fans. Get something wrong about the Regency era, and the readers WILL haunt you. And, as much as I loved to read them, I really didn't want to do that kind of research.

Years later, I worked in the public library system in the reference department (yes, I see the irony). And I really do love research now, but I no longer want to write Regency. :)

I learned a few things in the process, though.

• First, my voice in strongly grounded in contemporary fiction. If I had continued to attempt to write in the Regency era, even with the best research skills, I would have failed, because Regency is not the way that I "speak."
  • The lesson here is to find your natural voice and genre.
  • They should be compatible and, yes, it does make a difference.
• Second, every book requires research.
  • I have interviewed police officers (this one has actually been ongoing).
  • Spent long, laborious (and joyful) hours culling through the FBI's webpages.
  • I've studied weapons and bombs and self-defense.
  • So even though my writing is contemporary, I still have to research.

Most of it is fun. Often it is distracting from the real work, but necessary all the same.

• To avoid the distractions, stay focused.
  • As you're writing, make notes on what you need additional research on [don't stop writing to check "real quick"]
  • Go back to do research at a different time, and have your list of research questions handy.
  • Set a time limit and stick to it!
  • Don't follow the hyperlinks from one site to the next.
  • Keep your end goal in mind.
  • If you're looking up stuff on bombs, don't go down the Unabomber Manifesto bunny trail. Next thing you know, you're on 4chan interacting with questionable "anonymous" sources, and you really might show up on an NSA watchlist. (I'm just saying, be careful).
• The key to good research is recognizing a quality website versus click bait and the ubiquitous blog from some random blogger. Not that bloggers are all wrong all the time, but they are not created equal. Make sure you know your source before you write a story around research found on "Joe's Blog."
  • Does the author sign their blog or otherwise affiliate their name with their blog?
    • This refers to reference type information, not book bloggers etc.
    • If the writer doesn't want to list their name, why would you trust their research?
    • If they didn't put their name on it, why would you want to put your name on anything based on their research?
  • Does the author list credentials?
    • How does the writer know what they know about random subject matter?
    • Here's a little aside. Sorry, it can't be helped. My brother is a conspiracy theorist. And, hey, he can be whatever he wants to be, BUT, here's the key, a critically thinking researcher would ask questions of blogs, YouTube videos, and questionable articles based on the thinking of a guy who believes he's inside the head of John Malkovich (Being John Malkovitch).
    • Be wary of well-meaning but inaccurate information.
  • Does the page have flashing ads every time you scroll?
    • Sometimes, this is the website provider, but something to consider:
      
      • Is the website designed to share information or make money?
    • That's not to say affiliate links are bad...I'm really talking about click bait.
  • Does the writing seem professional?
    • Typos happen to all of us, but if it's full of misspellings, typos, broken links, and questionable information that conflicts with the other sources, put that site on your blocked list.

The best advice I can give, however, is to enjoy the ride. Research can and should be mentally engaging. It should be interesting and intriguing.

Consider it playtime. Have fun!