I recently
attended a writers’ group where members read a bit of their work aloud and the
group made comments. Three writers were faulted on their research. One for
having the wrong make of car, one for incorrectly describing the setting, and
the third for his description of police procedure.
As
one member pointed out, if readers come across incorrect information, they lose
confidence in the writer and often toss the book aside. I agree, and I have
done that.
A writer must never underestimate a reader’s
knowledge. No matter what the
genre, it’s important that the information presented be as accurate as possible.
This means the writer must do the
research. Simply going on-line and checking Wikipedia is not enough.
So
how do you do this research? For my thriller, Echoes of Terror, set in Skagway, Alaska, I used a variety of
sources. I have friends who, in 2007 when I started plotting the book, were
going to be in Skagway volunteering for the National Park system. I’d wanted to
visit Alaska for years, so my husband and I booked a trip to Alaska. We met my
friends when our cruise ship docked in Skagway. They became our taxi and guides
during our time there. They also set up an appointment for me to meet with one
of the park rangers.
I also
sent an email to the Skagway police department and set up a meeting with one of
their officers while I was in port. He met with me the day we arrived, gave me
a tour of the police department and verbally walked me through the steps they
would take if notified of a teenage girl’s disappearance.
I
can’t begin to describe how much additional information I received simply by
talking with these people, seeing the facilities, and touring the area. With
both the park ranger and the officer, I continued an email correspondence after
I started writing the book.
I
also went online and researched information, both historical and current, about
the area; read articles about the abduction of teenage girls; and subscribed to
the Skagway newspaper. When I had the final draft of the book ready, I asked my
friends to fact-check it for me.
Is
it possible I have something in the book that isn’t correct? Of course, there is. I know
my police officer in the story acts in a way that is contrary to police
procedure, but I’m hoping her actions are understandable under the
circumstances.
My
point is, do all you can to make sure what you have in your story is accurate.
If you don’t, it can hurt you.
***
Maris Soule started her career writing romances (25
published, 2 RITA finalists). At the turn of the century (2000), she began
writing mysteries and suspense novels. (The
Crows, As the Crow Flies, and Eat Crow and Die, were published by Five
Star Mystery/Gale/Cengage and A Killer
Past, was published by Robert Hale, Ltd.) In March 2017, Echoes of Terror, her 30th book and one
of the last released by Five Star Mystery, will be available. She has also had
a couple short stories published.
Originally
from California, Soule met and married her husband while she was attending U.C.
Santa Barbara They moved to Michigan in the early ‘70s, where they still live
(except in the winter when they head for Florida). Over the years, she taught high
school art and math and raised two children she’s very proud of. Reading and
writing have always been her passion, and she’s presently working on two new
mysteries. For more info: http://MarisSoule.com
14 comments:
Thank you, E.B., for the opportunity to appear on your blog. The release date for ECHOES OF TERROR is getting closer and I can hardly wait.
Maris,
Excellent advice! Sounds like you do thorough research. I believe every book needs to be well-researched whether it's fiction or non-fiction, contemporary or historical.
Yes, but I've bogged down in too much research. I think you must research, write, and then decide what will be discarded. Then research deeply those parts you keep. Knowing when and what to research is important to save yourself time. I've included too much research when I thought it fascinating. But it was way outside of my plot.
I get bogged down in research, too. I write as much as I can, keeping a running list of easy items I can google and more complicated things that will require journal articles and books. I do research chores at the end of the day.
My fictional town is in an area I've lived in all my life. It has a bit of a gardening theme and I've a gardener, too. My police force is very small so I don't have to get into any serious police procedures. When I had a Civil War Reenactment in one book, I researched guns from that era and consulted a writer friend with her husband are Civil War buffs and take part in Reenactments, and all her books are about the Civil War era. When I wrote Murder in the Corn Maze, I went through one for the first time. I have a sister who is a botanist, and a niece who is married to a small town cop.
Gloria, it sounds like you do a great job with your research.
To E.B. Davis. You are right. We can go overboard on the research. The more we know, the more realistic we can make something sound, but when the research becomes more important than the writing, there's a problem. Also, no matter how much I know about a subject, place, or object, what appears in the book is usually only a very small percentage of that knowledge, and I often find it best to wait until I have the rough draft so I know specifically what I need to delve into.
Margaret, that's a good idea. By waiting to do the research after your writing for the day, you don't get sidetracked and you know specifically what you need to research.
I write mostly about things and places with which I am very familiar, but of course have to do research at times, and I can get overinvolved in that at the expense of the writing because it's fun. (Yes, visiting an iron furnace museum was important for a short story whose main characters were iron furnace workers, but did I really have to visit three of them? Two were multi-day trips that took away from the time I had to write.)
One of my frustrations is when editors (and readers!) "know" things which aren't true, often from having a skewed idea of the conditions in correctional institutions or the rights a convicted felon will surrender in order to get parole, or just from watching inaccurate things on TV.
KM Rockwood I love that you visited 3 iron furnace museums. Yes, it's easy to get over involved in our research. And how frustrating to be told something you know is accurate isn't.
Great advice and info Maris!
Good luck and God's blessings
PamT
Thanks, Maris, for the terrific points you made. Sometimes writers feel so much pressure to deliver within tight time constraints that it is tempting to cut corners when it comes to doing research.
Thanks, Pamela. Research is one aspect of writing I truly love. I guess I'll always be a student.
Grace Topping, I understand having to work under a deadline. Although I loved it when I had contracts for two or three books, nowadays, I find it a pleasure to take my time with a book. ECHOES OF TERROR actually took me 7 years to write from when I had the initial idea until I went to contract. I don't recommend taking that long, but I needed the time with this book.
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