I
was catching up on my reading and came across Jo-Ann
Carson’s blog. I found her post, Three
Reasons Why I Love Research, thought provoking. Her reasons included:
- finding new and exciting things she wasn't not really looking for
- grounds her story and lets her imagination fly
- research gives her story depth.
I
agree with all of her points. Her first point, ‘finding new and exciting
things you’re not looking for’ really resonates with me.
I do most of my research while I'm outlining the story although there are times, more than I can count, when I'm writing that something strikes me and I'm off on a hunt. Last week I found myself researching sword fights on YouTube. Two hours later I had watched fighting scenes in Scaramouch, The Three Musketeers, and my favorite The Princess Bride. That's in addition to training videos by Bob Anderson and William Hobbs. Both are great sword choreographers for the screen.
Here
are some other cool things I’ve found while researching:
- The town of Avery, England is built around the ancient standing stones and is very accessible.
- In ancient Egypt, priests plucked every hair from their body, every hair!
- The city of Londinium (which later became London) was established by the Romans in 43 AD. The capital however was Colchester. London became the capital of England in 100 AD.
Why
do you love (or not love) research? What are some of the things you’ve found?
Great post, Ruth! I love research too. I would love to do most of it while outlining, but too often I find myself wandering off to discover something while I am in the middle of writing. This week I wanted some examples of Victorian menus, and found some YouTube videos on Victorian cooking.
ReplyDeleteI love doing research, too. As a reader I really appreciate writers who take the time to infuse their stories with details without bashing me over the head with them. Helen Hollick is good at that. Small details like the foods people ate in different cultures and different times, what they wore, how - and how often - they bathed, etc., all brings the story to life, I think. So I like doing research so that I can inject that same amount of background realism into my work, too.
ReplyDeleteI so enjoy your post, Ruth.
ReplyDeleteAnd your writing.
Every hair? Ouch!
I'm glad to learn that YouTube is a good source to research fight scenes.
You open my eyes.
Thank you.
Hmmmm- I think I use research more as a brain storming tool than actual research (which sounds kind of bad now that I spell it out ;)).
ReplyDeleteI do write SF/F which has less real world research, but I love looking into diffierent things and adding to my "what if" pile! And now you've made me want to look at sword fighting and Avery England!
Great post!
Ruth,
ReplyDeleteGreat question! I had a fabulous time researching the legends of Hawaii.
I discovered that the re-tellers of these legends often had a great sense of humor! The islands were created by a loose family of gods and goddesses, who squabbled and connived amongst themselves, and
the poor humans always took the brunt.
I wanted to 'retell' some of the legends to suit my Hawaiian Heroes paranormal series, but I made sure I read many authentic legends before I did so.
I discovered that Pele, goddess of Hawaiian volcanoes, is one kick-ass ruler, and that Kanaloa, god of Hawaiian seas, is an lusty, equal opportunity tempter of both men and women.
I also discovered Herb Kane, arguably Hawaii's premier artist, had painted beautiful illustrations of many of Hawaii's legends, as have many other contemporary artists. Google Image Hawaii legends and you'll see some amazing art.
best,
Cathryn
http://www.cathryncade.com
@Marin McGinnis
ReplyDeleteI wander all the time it seems from researching sword fighting to druids and for my new story (that Carina will be publishing)archery.
For Knight of Runes I researched 13th century banquets and even tried a recipe.
Perhaps I'll do a blog where we can share recipes we've researched. How yummy would that be.
Thanks for stopping by,
... Ruth
@Meredith L.
ReplyDeleteMy stories are historic fantasy. I try to add some realism to make it believable. It's great to know readers see and appreciate the efforts.
Thanks for leaving a comment,
... Ruth
@Sandy L. Rowland
ReplyDeleteCan you believe it? Every hair! Plucked!!
I so glad you like my stories. I have so much fun writing them.
Hugs and kisses,
... Ruth
@Marie Andreas
ReplyDeleteI think anything that helps with the brainstorming is fine especially with SF/F. You are so right about SF/F elements. How do you research druid spells, time travel, or shift changing? There are no 'how-to' books.
Happy brainstorming!
... Ruth
@Catherine Cade
ReplyDeleteThe Hawaiian legends sounds fascinating. And you were right. I loved the Hawaiian legend art, especially Pele.
Thanks for sharing,
... Ruth
I agree, I love research. While I was recently researching doctors in Austria, I found the first theory linking temperature to illness. Years ago, when I was in college, I discovered James Joyces loves letter, when I was researching something else entirely.
ReplyDeleteA talented author of historical romance or fiction is one IMHO who brings enough history into the story to make it another character. You can only do that if you have researched the history of the period or an historical event. But the problem is too many authors who do a lot of research feel they have to use everything they have learned and can create info dumps. Research's main goal to to make sure your characters are living in the period in which you have placed them so that the reader feels that they do are there right along with them.
ReplyDelete@ellaquinnauthor
ReplyDeleteI love those moments when you find something special and inspiring. It not only gives my stories depth but gives me depth as well.
Who would think I would know anything about medieval fighting tactics or how swords were made. Of course there aren't too many places in a conversation I can interject that information :) But I'm ready!
Thanks for leaving a comment,
... Ruth
@Fraoch
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. I too have read stories, from some of the renowned romance writers and find myself skipping what IMHO is over written historical information (dump). So ... it isn't just a new writer that is tempted.
I know the excitement of finding out new information that you feel compelled to include but when it really doesn't move the story forward and becomes a history lesson it really should be eliminated.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
... Ruth
It can be a fine line
I love doing the research! Sometimes I want a specific point to enrich a setting and other times I'm just surfing, following the threads wherever they may lead. I usually start by looking up one item and wow, never know where I'll be when I finally decide I'd better get back to actual writing. Recently I've been reading about the Knights Templar, but for a science fiction novel...
ReplyDeleteI love finding out how things began - like who invented a deck of playing cards, why did someone lick the back of a frog's head to find out it gave you a 'high', how did they figure out you had to put olives in lye to make them taste good... I love learning how things came to be.
ReplyDelete@Veronica Scott
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem. I get involved in the research and have to pull myself away to do the writing. Sometimes I set my alarm on my cell phone to remind me to get back to writing!
Thanks for the comment.
... Ruth
@Paisley Kirkpatrick
ReplyDeleteWhat great finds! Licking of heads of frogs - yikes they are lucky they got high and not warts!
Thanks for stopping by,
... Ruth