The Various Journeys of Research

Embarking on a career as a romance fiction novelist, one of the first things I learned I had to do well was research. Whether it be the time, or the place, or both, when my book takes place, what my characters do for a living, I better know my facts. Even when I'm making up my own alternate worlds or history, there have to be "facts" about whatever that world is.

Back in my early days of writing, there was no internet, so just about all of my research was dependent on paper books - libraries and bookstores were frequent haunts. I amassed quite a collection of books about the times I wrote in, the clothing and cuisine of various cultures and eras, and covering a wide array of other subjects pertinent to whatever period I found myself writing in.  I remember the days when we first moved in the house, had no kids (other than my dearly departed - and still missed - Beezer, a black cat w/six toes on her front feet who liked to sit in my lap as I wrote), and what is now my son's bedroom was my office. I had two desks - one with the word processor/computer, the other covered with a ton of books opened and flagged, highlighted and dog-eared so I could refer back to the facts as needed. Wow. Haven't thought about those days in a really long time - have to say, I think I like the little corner in the far end of the basement I have now even better. lol

The advent of the internet changed a lot of things for me. Suddenly, I could find the books I needed online and bought as many as I could, cutting down on time spent in bookstores. And libraries – I no longer had to renew a book for months on end – I now had my very own copy! I'd spend hours immersed in those books, looking for the right detail to include to propel the plot.

A few years later, the internet offered still more – papers and articles and blog posts started appearing and, suddenly, I could find just about anything I needed online. I bookmarked tons of pages, saved a million more, and even printed many of them so I could have the info on hand without having to go back out to the web while writing.

I learned how to use certain terms in my searches for info, so I could pinpoint just what I needed, and in the process, discovered some amazing sites. Sites that held me enthralled with the information they covered. And herein lay the problem –  it's fairly simple to get caught up reading about something, but on the internet, it's so much easier to get lost in the search for details. Read one article and there's usually a link to somewhere else with still more info, maybe even a link to something never seen or heard of before during all the other research sessions.And another link, and another, and yeah, you see what I mean, right?

A great many of my research hunts went (and still go) something like this:

"Did people do this then? Insert various years and cultures. There, that's the one. Click. OK, not quite what I needed, but wait, that's pretty cool, wonder how to make that fit into the WIP. What's this? Another link? Hmm, wonder what that means. Click. Oooooh, yes, that looks like just what I was looking for. Click. Never heard of THAT before, but it sure would fit perfectly into that other scene. Click. Who knew? Another factoid that will come in handy. Click. Click. Click. Etc., etc., etc. Wait, how did THREE HOURS pass by so fast?"

Yeah, it's so obvious I love the research aspect of writing, and I suspect just about every author does, no matter what they write, but dang, it takes little to no effort to get lost on a never-ending journey, and while it's a journey that teaches so much, the downside is losing writing time. There are a few things I learned from this after really being annoyed that I could have whipped out several pages to a chapter, or even more, instead of searching for minutiae about my setting.

First, whatever series I am working on, I need to figure out when and where the story takes place. Then I do a quick rundown of the sites and/or books that will provide me the most details about what I need to make each scene realistic, and read through those sites/books in the very beginning stages of the novel. One thing I learned - every two or three websites with the info I needed simply reinforced facts I'd dug up long ago in my personal hard-copy library. I'll give the internet points for being a bit faster.

The other thing I've chosen to do in many of my books is to use more detail in some scenes than in others. There are a few reasons I do this. One is that, as a reader, I actually like to fill in some of the details myself, when it comes to certain story aspects. The other is that too much detail can drown out important interactions between the characters. No doubt using details specific to the time and place make the story come alive. Lord knows I have lists (in spreadsheet form, natch! :D ) of some of the most fascinating factoids I will always be searching for a way to include in a book. Still, it's the characters who drive the book for me, and that is almost always my main focus when writing, even when there's a lot of action in various scenes.

I have to admit, finding obscure nuggets of info that I can and have turned into gems of a plot point are the most rewarding results of a research journey. For instance, when I stumbled across the official proclamations made at the execution of the Welsh prince, Dafydd, I knew I had to include it in Warrior's Possession in an attempt to make the history come alive. The execution scene is one that has always been part of the book, but now, to me, it had even more impact, giving a bit of insight into Edward I and the thoughts of many of the nobility (and even the entire population) of the time.

But I must be careful when exploring - I suspect a good portion of authors can attest to greeting the sun when it rises after spending hours seeking out tidbits that enhance and propel their story. The allure of discovering the fascinating trivia of a time or place that contributes to our world-building is as alluring as putting that world into words.

Knowing I'm not the most disciplined person in the world has led me to put some self-imposed requirements on my research. For instance, there's now a set time-limit for jaunts, especially if they happen to coincide with writing time. Honestly, sometimes, you just have to go find some logical item/factoid to keep the scene going. I either cut myself off after a set time (usually 10 minutes max), or limit myself to when I find that one detail needed at that specific moment (if it happens to be found before the time limit max). And even if there is no logical reason to include those other details, they will come in handy someday. You know I have notes to go back and dig deeper through for even more stories. ;) 

On another note, Warrior's Possession is available through most online distributors - now including NOOK at Barnes & Noble! Here's where you can get your hand on this scorching erotic romance that's so hot, it just might fry your Kindle  (or Nook)!

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/warriors-possession-gianna-simone/1122431121

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Possession-Gianna-Simone-ebook/dp/B00ZS51HJ0 

All Romance ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-warrior039spossession-1840827-354.html

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/558296

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/warriors-possession/id1024730697?mt=11

Also available in print: http://www.pinkflamingo.com/products/Warrior%27s-Possession.html

 

 

What to Include and How Much?

I write a lot of different genres, and some of my favorite ones are the ones where I make up worlds of my own. I can do or have anything happen in these worlds. I can toss the rules out the window. I also love to write stories that take place in the past. The medieval era is one of my favorite times and I can toss a few rules out when dabbling in the past as well.

But there are times when research is essential, no matter where or when the tale takes place. For instance, the Bayou Magiste Chronicles all take place in an alternate version of modern-day New Orleans and the surrounding area. Since the location is real, I need to make sure I am up to speed on the modern culture, the history of the city and the general flavor of the area. In the Warrior's books, the research needs to be a bit more in-depth. Since there are real historical figures as supporting characters in these books, the facts need to be accurate.

Over the years, I've learned how to sprinkle the realism in with the fantasy. When I first started writing in the medieval era many eons ago, I was anxious to show how much I knew about the period, so I crammed in so many details around every event in the book that the darn thing ended up well over 120K words! I read and bought every book I could get my hands on about the area I was writing about, the people I was including and the general way of life of the time. I have a lovely library of books about the Middle Ages up to Elizabethan times.

Then the internet dawned and everything changed. For one thing, it was easier to buy all those research books online. For another, websites dedicated to every possible person, place and time popped up all over. I didn't have to go to the book store or pore through mountains of books to find the fact I knew I had but couldn't remember where I got it from. And I didn't have to wait until the next day when I was writing after midnight and needed a critical piece of information. Of course, this created a whole new distraction.

It's so easy to get caught up in research – the books were bad enough. I could spend hours reading through them, highlighting and flagging pages with places to refer back to later on. But the internet… I could spend DAYS clicking on links and uncovering new details and off I go to another site, then another, then another. Next thing you know, two hours of valuable writing time is gone. Oh, but wait, there's one more place I need to look… poof! Another three hours gone.

I finally had to stop. I came up with a way to keep my focus on the story – mark the place in the book where I needed to confirm something and move on. Finish the scene, chapter, whatever it was that needed to get done. Then, and only then, look up the fact(s) that needed clarification. They can be added in or adjusted during revisions and future edits.

The other dilemma is determining how many of the facts to include. Too much and it's overkill, not enough, and you can't tell 1284 England from modern day U.S. Striking that balance can be difficult – it's so easy to get caught up in adding everything you know. Setting the stage is one thing, piling mountains of monotonous details will send that stage crashing right down.

It's the same thing with the BDSM aspects. When writing paranormal or historical BDSM-themed books, today's standards and protocols don't always apply. There are no such things as safewords in medieval Scotland and Wales (not that I've found, anyway and believe me, I looked!), but there sure as hell is bondage and spanking, multiple partners and the like. On other planets, where the culture revolves around submissive women and dominating men, again, the general rules don't apply. That doesn't mean there aren't certain guidelines or standards to apply, they're just different from what us Earthlings know.

Creating all these different situations requires a different kind of research – brainstorming. I am a firm believer that plotting and planning is research, just as much as looking something up in a book or online. A basic knowledge of our own world is enough to start the creation of another, but the details of that world still need to be spelled out clearly. Which circles right back around again to how much should be included? You want the reader to get a real visual for your world, whether it's a time long ago, or a place on a distant planet, but you don't want to bog it down with too many details.

Striking the balance is something I've learned to do much better these days, though, with each book, when I get to the final edits, I always find something in there that I have way over-killed, or even under-killed! Usually, it's the former – I am a bit too wordy for my own good. And like all writers, every word is near and dear to me, cutting them out is like picking yourself with a needle. Over and over and over again.

I have learned to be ruthless – while some information is fascinating, and usually spurs the hunger to learn even more, sometimes it's best just to address whatever facts there are lightly. The key, I think, is to let the characters, by their words and actions, reflect the historical data such as the laws and culture of the time, or inter-planetary customs in a galaxy far away, or even when two people, one magical, one not, interact.

At least, that's the goal. I like to think I've gotten better at reducing the fat, and getting right to the meat of the story. Now if I could do that with myself! lol