Proper Research

Proper Research

So, you have an idea to write a book. It doesn’t matter what type of book you plan to write, well except science fiction about some outer space galaxy that hasn’t been named yet, you will have to do some form of research to ensure you have all the facts correctly. Let’s say you’re planning to write a book that involves one of the previous wars, or maybe politics, a government agency, law enforcement, a specific murder, or even royalty in some period of time, you have to make sure you do proper research to ensure you have details right, historical timeline correct and most importantly wording and language correct. The last thing you want to do is write a 150-word novel only to realize in the editing phase that you were using a modern phrase that wasn’t even invented yet in the 1700s. How embarrassing would that be to your fans.

In addition, while conducting your research you might come upon information that would be a great filler in a chapter. One thing I love to include in my novels is that of specific historical trivia. Another thing I like to include is detailed information that my reader can visualize and research further themselves. For example, when I wrote “Last Wish” I included detailed information about the United States Army regiment entering a town in Germany along the Rhine River where they encountered a young girl who was scared and frightened, she would be killed. The only thing that would make her stop crying and screaming was the gesture of a Tuskegee Airman sharing his bar of chocolate from his C-Rations when the enemy was getting close. I not only included the details about the village, but also the military unit number too. Since that book was published, I have heard from a number of Army personnel who said they went back to check to see if that unit was where I said it was during World War II and they found it was right there on that date I mentioned. It details like that that give credibility to your writing and especially research abilities to tell a good story. So don’t be afraid to do extensive research throughout the writing process. Make notes on possible topics and trivia that you can use in your novel to enhance the storyline and maybe even give more mystery to your plot.

You might even need to interview people who were witnesses to a crime, or maybe a retired cop to help you learn the language of law enforcement. How about interviewing a soldier, sailor or Marine to learn their special language? Also, if you’re going to set your story in a town that has a famous building or monument and you plan to mention it, it would be advantageous to you as the writer to get the name of the building correct. For example, native Chicago residents call the Sears tower the Sears Tower, they never call it the new name of Willis Tower. To them it is strange to even think about calling it anything other than the Sears tower. If you plan to use a legend story within your story, be familiar enough of the original legend to quote it correctly, and for God Sake be sure you understand the meaning of the legend before you start using it. It would be embarrassing to be challenged in a book review by someone who knows the legend better than you do, only to be called out as an idiot for not doing your homework first before putting word to paper.

If your story is set in a place, you’ve never been, say Istanbul, Turkey, and you’re having a hard time describing it to your readers, turn on your google street view and immerse yourself in the area. Describe the location as best you can from what you see on the screen. Same goes for weather conditions, don’t say It’s snowing in south America in January when it’s summer in that area during that time of year. Need to learn about the best time to harvest corn in the Midwest, turn to Google or your local library for help.

Know your characters before you start to write.  I can tell you from first-hand experience that your characters will take over your mind, your heart and your fingertips when writing and take you to places you never intended them to go throughout the story. So, you better know those characters before you start writing. You never want to jolt your reader from your storyline or plot by inserting ridiculous and misinformation that takes from away from the plot or confuse them completely because you didn’t do your homework properly while researching a topic, location or subject matter.

 

Author Elizabeth Kilbride is a former political operative, author, scriptwriter, historian, journalist. business professional, and creative artist, and life coach consultant. Ms. Kilbride holds a Masters in Criminology and a BS in Business Management who stepped out of the loop for a while, but who is now back with a powerful opinion and voice in the direction of this country and our economy. As a life coach, she is available to counsel individuals to enjoy their dreams and a better life. Ms. Kilbride loves to travel, photograph her surroundings and is also a gourmet cook who loves to garden and preserve food for the winter months.