I’m fully immersed in my story. I’m in “the zone,” typing madly, but this story is practically writing itself. Then one of my characters hands another a cup of tea (insert sound of screeching brakes). Wait! Did they have tea in 13th century Scotland?
Turns out they didn’t. Change tea to honeyed milk. As my writing brain is fully engulfed in the story, the researcher lobe is pulled from standby to high alert. I engage the “find and replace” function to make sure all references to “tea” are removed and replaced with appropriate alternatives (ale, whisky, cider).
How is a 13th century women’s dress structured? Is it a frock or a gown? The reader needs to know that some gowns were laced up the back, while the corset laced up the front. These are important details for the reader to see when the male love interest is in the process of undoing them. Slowly.
My research companion came along on an outdoor trek, discovering and documenting the names of Scotland’s flowers, birds, trees, and general climate. We discovered an abbey ruin and spent an afternoon with its architectural features, building material, and appearance as age and weather took its toll.
Will readers know about the hours of research that went into this story? No. But they’ll appreciate and invest in it. Why? Because the reader will experience a story with a setting and elements of detail that are appropriate to the time. It will be easy for them to immerse themselves into the world of the story because it is authentic, accurate, and believable.
I love research. Why? Perhaps it’s residual discipline from my college Art History courses. I use it now to create an authentic story for readers. At the same time, I am learning and imagining, which are great building blocks for an awesome story.
Charmaine Engelsman-Robins
Very interesting! A wildlife and marine artist friend of mine, the late Linda Thompson, followed the same path: When she was preparing to create a picture of a moose, she didn’t start with a sketch … oh no, that was still WAY down the road. First, she went into the stacks and pulled every tome she could find that contained detailed pictures of every layer of the animal. The for, the skin, the muscles and organs, the bones … Linda knew all of this before she ever even took her trip to moose country to see these animals up-close and personal. Once there, she observed how they moved and related that to the book information she’d already gleaned. She made notes on the habitat, the flora and fauna and seasons and the weather’s effect on the animal. A purist, she shot two dozen rolls of film, 36 exposures each, to be able to bring the details home with her should her memory fail or overload. ONLY THEN would she do her first of many preliminary sketches. Much later, when people would observe the beautiful finished oil paintings on the gallery walls and marvel “It looks so real you expect it to step out of the frame!” was her work complete. Any artist … writer, artist, musician … has a duty to their admirers to get it right. Nice work, Anne. If you’d like to see Linda’s work, go to http://www.lindathompsonart.com
Anne
Thanks, Charmaine! Interesting stuff!
Patricia P. Balinski
Research sometimes gives you the chance to show your family you are a serious writer. Once while watching NCIS with my family, the corpse died from the bite of a blue-ringed octopus, my murder selection, when I yelled, “See even they know about the sea creature.” After that they don’t question my doing research to make my story MINE Thanks.
Anne
Thank you – so glad you enjoyed!
Joni M. Fisher
Thank you, Anne! I agree, readers love to learn about history and new places that provide an experience of the story! Details matter. I especially enjoy when authors provide sensory information of smell and touch and taste. I’ll probably never eat Haggis or drink mead, but I’d like to know what they taste like.
Anne
Thanks, Joni, for your insight!