Hello World Out There World!
This week I’m tackling the question: How important is research to you when writing a book?
I went into some little detail regarding this question on my author interview with Serious Reading a while back but I thought I’d dive in deeper. So, here we go!
Depending on the topic I could spend 10 minutes to 10 weeks researching. When it comes to my blog posts, most of what I write is opinion based and therefore doesn’t have a lot of facts required. Not saying what I’m writing on my blogs I didn’t research… it is just what I’ve written on here is my formulated opinion on the things I’ve read online or formed after having conversations with others interested in these topics.
What I usually spend time researching is what I’ll be using in my books. I want to be able to share correct information with my readers… as I believe if I am going to have people read my work it should be close to accurate as possible. People learn from reading and I don’t want to be sharing the wrong information. At the same time, I am no close to being an expert as Trump is at being a good President. I do not claim to know all the science behind natural health practices. I do not claim to be an expert in medieval history or military tactics. I’ve read books, I’ve made notes and those notes I use in my work. At the same time, I have to trust that the information that I’ve read is correct. For all I know the six books I’ve read could be a creation of someones opinion and not based in fact at all.
That’s one reason why I love writing fictions because as much as I may have truth weaved between the words my writing doesn’t have to be taken as truth. I could include actual ointment recipes or how to make your own tea within the pages of my book but at the same time not be taken completely seriously because of the fact my characters ride magical creatures and shoot lightening bolts from their fingertips, (all right maybe not lightening bolts… but you get the point).
Research is important. Most writers understand and know this. Most writers want to come across as competent in their craft and at times fear about being corrected or called a hack for not getting something right in their books. I know I have the fear and that is why I spend the time exploring the subjects I include in my books I’m not familiar with like naturopathy, botany, and medieval combat. As much as my world is based in fantasy it is my research that helps ground my readers in some kind of twisted, relatable reality.
Am I the only one to think this or are there some writers out there that feel the same way? Am I doing too much research or is this common for writers to feel this way? I’d like to know your opinion on this matter, so don’t be afraid to leave a comment in the area below.
Remember stay safe, be creative and until next time – Toodles! o^.^o
October 13, 2016 at 6:24 pm
Research equals growth! It opens you up to new ideas, new channels of inspiration that can lead you anywhere as a writer. Nice post, thanks!
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October 13, 2016 at 6:30 pm
I agree. I’ve learnt more from researching for my novel than I ever did when at school. I think that’s due to focused interest in the subjects versus being forced to learn something that holds no interest for me. It’s fascinating how much information is out there just at our fingertips if we just open ourselves up to it.
Thanks for the comment. 🙂
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October 13, 2016 at 6:38 pm
Agree with that totally, you are going to absorb more of what you want than what you are told! Look forward to reading more of your blog!
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October 13, 2016 at 10:31 pm
I think if you ask, people will give a wide variety of answers about how important research is, but they actually end up doing pretty similar amounts of it. A lot of people only write about topics they’re already heavily invested in, so when they write about it, they think to themselves, well, hey, of course that’s how it works, I already know about that; they think they didn’t do any research, because they already did the research before, for fun. A lot of other people have a topic in mind, and have to scramble to find enough information on it, because it’s something they never thought much about before; they say it’s always important to research everything, because they didn’t realize how many details they added in about things they already knew about.
You sound like you’re saying something somewhere in the middle, which I think is probably the most common (which it would be, if most people are doing similar amounts of research). Personally, I try to only write things that I know about to a similar extent the characters involved do, because I feel like it sounds more convincing, but I am also that person who looks up bleary-eyed in the wee hours of the morning trying to figure out where I even found the paper I’m reading, so I’m probably in the ‘accidentally already researched it’ camp. I tend to only look things up if I have specific questions about specific details.
(Also, my main character will at some point shoot lightning bolts from his fingertips, so that turn of phrase tripped me up a little. 😀 )
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October 14, 2016 at 12:06 am
I agree. I think it depends on the writer and how they approach their writing. I think that’s why it is a question that is asked during interviews with authors because everyone has their own opinion when approaching the research topic. 🙂
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October 14, 2016 at 1:47 am
And, of course, there’s always that feeling that it’s really silly to act like fiction is supposed to be ‘right’ all the time…until it’s something you know enough about and then it just keeps nagging at you. (I get that way about Mendelian inheritance.)
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October 14, 2016 at 2:37 am
I talk a lot about medicinal plants since my main character is training to become a healer in a medieval type old… so I have to be knowledgeable about medicinal plants so my character sounds like she knows what she’s doing and those teaching her sound like they have experience/ knowledge. It is interesting to say the least but at times it can get overwhelming. 🙂
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October 14, 2016 at 2:57 pm
When I was writing “Louis” I tended to just do it and then check facts, quickly, later. Wikipedia was just coming into being at the time. I didn’t want to break my flow, I guess. The problem with writing on the fly, and completely untutored, as I did, is that my tale doesn’t have all the stock ingredients for a “good novel.” It may have character dev. but I’m not sure that that classic moral conflict is in there. It’s just comic book action, social commentary, a bit of love and slightly fuzzy history, time travelling, and a twist ending.
Maybe that’s why it’s still sitting on my HD. You’ll probably make it as a published author and my try will just be a curiosity to be deleted by nieces and nephews some day. 🙂
But to get back to your question. When I started commenting here back in (April?) it prompted me to look at my book again. I began editing the intro and first chapter. And even then I had to think.. “Is this an anachronism?” and checked at Wiki.
But again, all on the fly.
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October 14, 2016 at 3:56 pm
I’m glad commenting here led to you taking a look at your novel again and I think the term “good novel” is kind of arbitrary. Bestsellers and popular books are influenced by readership. Twilight is a terribly written book series but is considered “good novels” by the masses. Same with 50 Shades of Grey. I think as long as you have people willing to read what you’ve written anything can be considered a “good novel” now-a-days.
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October 14, 2016 at 7:59 pm
Yeah I find that interacting with people in person and on the web usually has a reciprocal effect. So I was probably picking up your own enthusiasm, which translated into action here.
Art… I still wonder if there is a universal standard of “good art” or not. People have been debating this since at least Plato. 🙂
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October 14, 2016 at 8:59 pm
I don’t know… I think that is also a personal thing. Someone may love and considered the Mona Lisa “good art” while others will consider it basic. Some people may consider Anime ‘good art’ while others will call it a bastardization of Disney cartoons… Everyone has their opinions and I believe there will always be people to debate what makes for ‘good’ anything…
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October 15, 2016 at 1:09 am
Yeah, staying on art and not straying into morality, in which there might be absolute good, I’d tend to agree with you. I’m a music person and enjoy countless different genres. But when I’m diggin one, the other seems trite. It’s all about my focus at a partic. time. Thank God for spotify, stingray, etc. I’m in musical heaven, most of the time. 🙂
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October 15, 2016 at 3:46 am
I know what you mean. I have a very diverse playlist of songs that go from Mongolian throat singing all the way to screamo to Celtic folk to edm… I don’t know what I’m going to like next. XD
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October 15, 2016 at 4:01 am
I enjoy conversing with young people. Keeps me up to date. Must admit I had to look up screamo! And since it was 90s I really have no excuse. 🌝
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October 15, 2016 at 4:12 am
I wasn’t into it when it was popular. I honestly just listen to it as background noise when I’m writing because if I listen to something with words I understand I usually find myself typing the lyrics into my sentences. That’s why most of my music is in other languages or just instrumental.
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October 15, 2016 at 4:20 am
I used to listen to ambient music at Trent. I couldn’t write papers without it. But yeah, words would have been too much. In the 90s I was mining the excellent Ottawa public library. Very strong on choral music. Thomas Tallis, etc. But I was also coming back to pop. Alanis, no doubt, and the emerging “techno” scene.
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October 15, 2016 at 4:51 am
I was in middle school in the 90s… the years of My Chemical Romance and Avril Lavigne.
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October 15, 2016 at 6:27 am
Avril… My mom likes her because they were born in the same town. I suppose Neil Young came from the same general area… Musically and otherwise. Granddaddy of grunge. 😎
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