I get tired of those who take too literally that old trope 'write what you know', as I'm sure do most of you. But I'm curious how far do most of you take your research for things you know nothing about? Do you do all your research before the first draft, or dive in deeper during revision? Do you mostly stick to the Internet and the library, or do you interview people or travel to locales? I know as an introverted writer I can be a little interaction-averse even though I know most people are not scary and happy to let me pick their brains if I ask nicely :)
At what point during your writing process do you work on establishing authenticity for things that are out of your realm of experience? What techniques or tips do you have? How do you make your research more efficient - filtering for what you need to know?
And if anyone's ever spent time in Stockholm, Sweden let me know because I have never set foot there but the characters in my WIP will be!
Writing what you DON'T Know - Authenticity
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maybegenius
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Re: Writing what you DON'T Know - Authenticity
Rachelle Gardner recently had a post on this topic that I liked a lot - http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/ ... -know.html
The gist is that even if you're writing about something outside of your realm of personal experience, as long as you're writing from your own knowledge base and how you know someone would react to that situation, it will come off as authentic. Let's face it - if we all ONLY stuck to writing what we ourselves have personally experienced, we'd be writing autobiographies, not fiction.
As far as research goes, I do some basic research before I start a rough draft. Enough to establish a timeline, facts that are important to the story, and the like. I don't let myself get too bogged down, though, because the story needs to get written first. After it's done, I'll usually pick the brains of friends and family members for their knowledge. My dad's a doctor, so he gets medical questions. I have friends who are into horseback riding, or studying Victorian America, and I ask them to check my facts for realism. I keep that stuff to the realm of specific fact, though - not opinion. Outside of the odd critique of "a person in the military would never say this/act this way, they would say/do this instead," I try to keep my point of view strong in my writing.
The gist is that even if you're writing about something outside of your realm of personal experience, as long as you're writing from your own knowledge base and how you know someone would react to that situation, it will come off as authentic. Let's face it - if we all ONLY stuck to writing what we ourselves have personally experienced, we'd be writing autobiographies, not fiction.
As far as research goes, I do some basic research before I start a rough draft. Enough to establish a timeline, facts that are important to the story, and the like. I don't let myself get too bogged down, though, because the story needs to get written first. After it's done, I'll usually pick the brains of friends and family members for their knowledge. My dad's a doctor, so he gets medical questions. I have friends who are into horseback riding, or studying Victorian America, and I ask them to check my facts for realism. I keep that stuff to the realm of specific fact, though - not opinion. Outside of the odd critique of "a person in the military would never say this/act this way, they would say/do this instead," I try to keep my point of view strong in my writing.
aka S.E. Sinkhorn, or Steph
My Blog | My Twitter | YA!Flash Tumblr
Represented by Michelle Andelman of Regal Literary
My Blog | My Twitter | YA!Flash Tumblr
Represented by Michelle Andelman of Regal Literary
Re: Writing what you DON'T Know - Authenticity
Since I write fantasy most of my research is really easy, though I get accused of daydreaming a lot. I just tell them I'm "working."
I do a lot of my writing first. I write until I find something that I don't know for sure - like how a certain sword fight would go - and then I do one of two things:
a) I stop writing and jump on the internet. I cruise around and try to find instructions, youtube videos, or sword craft manuals. I try to visualize how things would go. If I find what I'm looking for then I work it in; if not, then I try to rewrite the section to include something I do know.
b) I mark that section and continue writing, then go back to research later. I try not to do this, though, because most of time what I learn becomes important in later passages. Or if I change the way things go in the battle, then I will have to adjust my outline to compensate.
In short I try to write as much as I can and research later. I don't know why, but it works for me. :)
I do a lot of my writing first. I write until I find something that I don't know for sure - like how a certain sword fight would go - and then I do one of two things:
a) I stop writing and jump on the internet. I cruise around and try to find instructions, youtube videos, or sword craft manuals. I try to visualize how things would go. If I find what I'm looking for then I work it in; if not, then I try to rewrite the section to include something I do know.
b) I mark that section and continue writing, then go back to research later. I try not to do this, though, because most of time what I learn becomes important in later passages. Or if I change the way things go in the battle, then I will have to adjust my outline to compensate.
In short I try to write as much as I can and research later. I don't know why, but it works for me. :)
Brenda :)
Inspiration isn't about the muse. Inspiration is working until something clicks. ~Brandon Sanderson
Inspiration isn't about the muse. Inspiration is working until something clicks. ~Brandon Sanderson
Re: Writing what you DON'T Know - Authenticity
Yes! I saw that Rachelle Gardner post and that's what partly inspired these questions. I guess I'm less confident not when it comes to authenticity-as-sincerity but more authenticity-as-authority. Like will I ever be able to believably describe a city I've never visited? That sort of thing. You don't know what you don't know !
And quickly filtering for the most relevant information is a big one. I have an idea for a writing community website specifically aimed at having writers share their non-writing-related expertise that they know would be relevant to other writers. Like detailing regional slang, or the most realistic way a villain could escape from LAX, or medical terminology. Short of searching through forums like these does any resource like that exist?
And quickly filtering for the most relevant information is a big one. I have an idea for a writing community website specifically aimed at having writers share their non-writing-related expertise that they know would be relevant to other writers. Like detailing regional slang, or the most realistic way a villain could escape from LAX, or medical terminology. Short of searching through forums like these does any resource like that exist?
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maybegenius
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Re: Writing what you DON'T Know - Authenticity
Actually, the NaNoWriMo forums have something a lot like that! http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/forum/157
It's more of a space to ask people specific questions about plot and character realism.
It's more of a space to ask people specific questions about plot and character realism.
aka S.E. Sinkhorn, or Steph
My Blog | My Twitter | YA!Flash Tumblr
Represented by Michelle Andelman of Regal Literary
My Blog | My Twitter | YA!Flash Tumblr
Represented by Michelle Andelman of Regal Literary
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r louis scott
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Re: Writing what you DON'T Know - Authenticity
I write historical fiction, and while I will admit to being on the Geezer Squad here on the Bransford Forums, I still don't have any direct memories of the early fifth century.
So, how can I possibly write what I know? Well, I have a lifetime of reading behind me, both excellent fiction and interesting books on ancient engineering, some source documents from the period, and studying how re-enactors go about their business. With this I can write along quite well, because I don't have to tell my reader everything I know, I have to give them enough to form a good picture in their mind. I need to avoid anachronisms of course, because while many readers won't know that lorica segmentata armor has been out of style for two centuries, it could ruin the flow of the story for someone else.
Naturally, sometimes you need a good fact or two to make a scene right, and this is when I do a bit of specific research. Since my current WIP is set on the verge of the Dark Ages, sometimes that information is a little hard to find. When two young friends of my protagonist are married, I looked for information about ceremonies for my time and place but couldn't find a damn thing. Luckily, this is fiction, so I had him fall asleep during the ceremony and wake up only when the other villagers cheered the completion of the union.
I guess my point here is that you don't need to paint a picture that resembles an oil portrait. Give the reader some room to fit your story to their own vision.
So, how can I possibly write what I know? Well, I have a lifetime of reading behind me, both excellent fiction and interesting books on ancient engineering, some source documents from the period, and studying how re-enactors go about their business. With this I can write along quite well, because I don't have to tell my reader everything I know, I have to give them enough to form a good picture in their mind. I need to avoid anachronisms of course, because while many readers won't know that lorica segmentata armor has been out of style for two centuries, it could ruin the flow of the story for someone else.
Naturally, sometimes you need a good fact or two to make a scene right, and this is when I do a bit of specific research. Since my current WIP is set on the verge of the Dark Ages, sometimes that information is a little hard to find. When two young friends of my protagonist are married, I looked for information about ceremonies for my time and place but couldn't find a damn thing. Luckily, this is fiction, so I had him fall asleep during the ceremony and wake up only when the other villagers cheered the completion of the union.
I guess my point here is that you don't need to paint a picture that resembles an oil portrait. Give the reader some room to fit your story to their own vision.
Re: Writing what you DON'T Know - Authenticity
I do research enough to make it semi-realistic. Never worked for the police as a plainclothes and kind of hoping I never do. We live in the 'burbs, where nothing ever happens (last bank robbery was in 06, before that 89, hasn't been a homicide since 83), so I haven't talked too too much to the local po-lease. Did go ahead and talk to one of the local plainclothes, though, because he was friends with my dad, and I've mostly been using him from a procedural POV. Example: A little bit before where I stopped in my MS, the protag and his partner get the names of three (maybe four?) of the missing girl's friends as well as their streets (no exact addresses) and they take a recent photograph of her. Now they have a couple of options: a.) go back to HQ, run of copies of the picture, and get the uniforms out on the streets b.) go to the school and pluck the kids out of class to talk to them or c.) get the full names/addresses of the kids from school officials, speak to them after school gets out, and run the kids' names through the database to see if any of them have past offenses. Obviously different officers would act differently in this situation, but I continually felt like whichever one I went with was wrong, so talking to him helped me solidly pick one. I did pull up lists of police ranking structures from DC, Philly, and NYC and used those as a template to create the ranks for my fictional PD. But that's about it really. The police of my book are more closely related to Jack Regan and Elliot Stabler than Charles Ramsey or Raymond Kelly. I don't have the patience to pull a Val McDermid and spend years talking to police to create as damn near accurate a portrayal of officers as possible; and frankly, I think the way things are going is close enough to reality to work. At the end of the day, it's fiction. As long as my cops aren't doing things no cop would ever be able to do (even bent bobbies), it's a good representation.
I spend more of my time researching killers. Either just plain old ordinary murderers or serial killers. There's some great stuff to be found there. For example, Peter Manuel killed a family and stayed in their home for about a week, even taking care of their cat while he was there. Then he stole all the money in the house and took the family car, which he dumped a little ways away. On the way to dump the car, Manuel gave a lift to one of the officers who was investigating the disappearance of his previous victim (who he had buried in a field). They spent the bulk of the ride to the station discussing the girl's disappearance and Manuel even told the officer he felt the police were looking in the wrong places. The first victim linked to Manuel (he claimed to have killed 18, but only 9 have been attributed) was bludgeoned to death on a golf course with a length of iron. And there's just other really, really interesting stuff out there that's usable. Another thing I love to do is go looking for unsolved cases, preferably very old ones, and then go looking through old newspapers and other publicly available documents to get an idea of what exactly was going on. Fascinating stuff to be found there.
I research before I write and while I write.
I spend more of my time researching killers. Either just plain old ordinary murderers or serial killers. There's some great stuff to be found there. For example, Peter Manuel killed a family and stayed in their home for about a week, even taking care of their cat while he was there. Then he stole all the money in the house and took the family car, which he dumped a little ways away. On the way to dump the car, Manuel gave a lift to one of the officers who was investigating the disappearance of his previous victim (who he had buried in a field). They spent the bulk of the ride to the station discussing the girl's disappearance and Manuel even told the officer he felt the police were looking in the wrong places. The first victim linked to Manuel (he claimed to have killed 18, but only 9 have been attributed) was bludgeoned to death on a golf course with a length of iron. And there's just other really, really interesting stuff out there that's usable. Another thing I love to do is go looking for unsolved cases, preferably very old ones, and then go looking through old newspapers and other publicly available documents to get an idea of what exactly was going on. Fascinating stuff to be found there.
I research before I write and while I write.
Re: Writing what you DON'T Know - Authenticity
I was recently asked to take a look at a historical novel. There were three overarching authenticity issues I had with the story. Not an issue so much as a reason for the issues, the story is set in a time period and situation that has great potential. However, that's an indirect cause of the issues. Historical narratives have exacting challenges and rigid conventions and daunting audience expectations.
The first-person narrator's voice is in a contemporary dialect and with contemporary idioms, too literate and too modern for the narrator-protagonist's circumstances.
The setting situation is vague from lack of familiarity with the natural history of the depicted region.
The social and political situation of the depicted times and region is unauthentic from limited familiarity with its social and political history.
I suggested three courses of action to gain familiarity. Read period narratives to get a sense of the flavor of how the characters might speak and write, and incorporate the discovered voices with a light touch. Reading for immersion in the voices and contexts of a times is a good technique for hearing and adopting the voices of the past.
Study the region's natural history for insight into locating more specifically the contexts of the depicted places.
Study the social and political situation of the region and the larger forces that shaped the local region.
I suggested sources for all three, what with the Internet being so freely accessible, they were all available online. I also recommended other sources widely available at most libraries.
The naivete of the story was refreshing for its insights into the author's perspectives; however, that naivete led me into an alienation effect from too much of author surrogacy's self-efficacy, self-idealization, and self-indulgence.
It's worth noting that journalism frequently gains impact from tasking reporters to report on circumstances with which they have no previous experience. A fan of a music group has a biased outlook and lacks a fresh perspective. The report is likely to be tainted by a too familiar insight into the lexicon of the band's mystique and might represent an unbalanced viewpoint.
A live weather reporter on site who's a veteran of hurricanes isn't likely to be as excited as a first-timer is about experiencing a hurricane. An excited voice is thrilling and entertaining. In a public service purpose by itself, an excited voice lends authenticity to the cautionary purpose of reporting severe weather. Writing about what one doesn't know about can add an engaging mood and an authentic, fresh, and unique perspective to a story's voice.
The first-person narrator's voice is in a contemporary dialect and with contemporary idioms, too literate and too modern for the narrator-protagonist's circumstances.
The setting situation is vague from lack of familiarity with the natural history of the depicted region.
The social and political situation of the depicted times and region is unauthentic from limited familiarity with its social and political history.
I suggested three courses of action to gain familiarity. Read period narratives to get a sense of the flavor of how the characters might speak and write, and incorporate the discovered voices with a light touch. Reading for immersion in the voices and contexts of a times is a good technique for hearing and adopting the voices of the past.
Study the region's natural history for insight into locating more specifically the contexts of the depicted places.
Study the social and political situation of the region and the larger forces that shaped the local region.
I suggested sources for all three, what with the Internet being so freely accessible, they were all available online. I also recommended other sources widely available at most libraries.
The naivete of the story was refreshing for its insights into the author's perspectives; however, that naivete led me into an alienation effect from too much of author surrogacy's self-efficacy, self-idealization, and self-indulgence.
It's worth noting that journalism frequently gains impact from tasking reporters to report on circumstances with which they have no previous experience. A fan of a music group has a biased outlook and lacks a fresh perspective. The report is likely to be tainted by a too familiar insight into the lexicon of the band's mystique and might represent an unbalanced viewpoint.
A live weather reporter on site who's a veteran of hurricanes isn't likely to be as excited as a first-timer is about experiencing a hurricane. An excited voice is thrilling and entertaining. In a public service purpose by itself, an excited voice lends authenticity to the cautionary purpose of reporting severe weather. Writing about what one doesn't know about can add an engaging mood and an authentic, fresh, and unique perspective to a story's voice.
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