Serious Wednesday: Researching What?

 

I LOVE research! Of course, I have to confess: I seldom stick to the ONE thing I'm researching. So
many interesting items pop up when you're researching, which means I detour to research those items that MIGHT be used someday.  

Here's a partial list of things I researched for my latest book: Hunter's Rose, book two of the Troubles in the West series:  

* Names. These are really important to me. I like to know what they mean and their country of origin.  Since one of my protagonists is Mexican, I wanted a Mexican name for her. Something authentic and pretty. After all, she came from an important family. Rosita is the name I picked.

*  Flowers. Since Rosita was a protagonist, I thought it fitting that she should love roses. Hunter, the other protagonist knew this and surprised her with a gift of roses.

* Trains. Rosita, traveling with an older friend on a train--I needed to know how fast it would go in the late 1800s, what meals might have been served, layovers, etc. 

* Food. I wanted to know foods that not only Rosita might prepare, but also on the train as she traveled. Quite interesting!

To me, research is important and a fun activity. I may not get everything exactly right, but I sure try hard to do so. 

Remember, authors, to do your research. You'll be glad you did. 

Serious Wednesday: True or False: Becoming a Writer...

True or False:  Being a writer is lots of fun! 

True! It is. 

Seeing the progress you make on your document or novel, 

• seeing your piece published in a magazine or newsletter... 
• or holding your book in your hand...
• and reading the readers' interest/love/emotion in their comments and reviews are satisfying and encouraging. 

But, wait! It's also false! Because? 

• It's hard work to become an accomplished and successful author
• You'll reach plateaus where you think you'll never get off of
• Cruel or supposedly helpful remarks and critiques will discourage you
• You'll learn you have to grow a tough skin
• You have to do a lot of research
• You'll have to edit...edit...edit...and edit some more. 
• Publishers will reject your work.

But eventually, if you're determined enough and work hard enough, follow solid advice and do all you can to make a dream become reality, you'll see results. 

And all the work won't matter anymore...

At least until you begin another article or book. 

But it's all worth it when you type those words: THE END! 

Keep Writing! 

More Writer Tips

• Donna Hanover says: Work hard at several projects. That way, no matter what is going wrong, something will die going right.

I like this, but it's because I do it. Whether you're writing more than one novel at a time (usually I have two or three going), or editing, research, writing, plotting, or whatever, it keeps your mind keen and fresh for your projects.

You hit a snag in your novel?
Edit another one for awhile, or go back over the one you're working on. Lots of times I discover a thread I've forgotten about which gives me a new target to aim for.

Your mind is a total burnout?
Start fresh on some new research for that idea you've had for years. Add it to your files to use when you're ready. When you come back to the novel you're trying to complete, you'll be eager and ready to resume working.

Can't quite get the ideas going you need for your new novel? Give your critique partners a call. Set up a half-hour, two hour, whatever, session. Let them know your basic idea, and then sit back and get ready to jot down all the ideas that will soon be flying your way.


Quote:
Fortune favors the brave. --proverb

Blessings

Writing

Writing.
What does it mean to be a writer? Let me feel you in a little more about living the life as a writer:

• Excitement. I love creating with my pen (or uh hmm, computer).
• Research. A "real" writer does it. In other ages, writers could get by working only with their imaginations. Today, readers want as near to truth as a writer can get, along with all those fictional settings and characters. One nightmare for a writer is to have a knowledgeable reader discover a "mistake." No, that illness will not cause immediate death. No, that Native American tribe would NOT act in the way a writer described it.
• Besides research, there's editing (and I edit and edit). Some other do it. Never quit. And I certainly know that feeling. Even now, if I go back over completed and submitted novels, I would find areas that I'd like to change and recreate. You have to learn to quit.
• There's brainstorming. One of the hardest things for me. Okay, I can get ideas, I can write them. I can edit. I can quit. But when it comes to nitty-gritty, give-me-more details, I call on critique partners to brainstorm with me. We suggest ideas together, work through those ideas, keep, discard, change, and eventually to with some of them. Great helpers, critiquers are.
• Submitting. If you're fortunate enough to secure an agent, all the better. Thankfully, the first agency I approached accepted me as a client. If there's a good working relationship, it's a wonder to behold. A good agent is on top of the publishing world. They know what editor just left his/her post, what's being accepted, where to send your manuscript. They will negoiate for you when you get a contract. They'll call you on the phone when you need to talk. Some do critiques and help you sharpen your work even more. They'll sympathize when rejections hit you. They'll rejoice with you when good news come your way. They're worth their weight in gold.
• Marketing and self-promoting. Most writers would rather not ever have to bother with this. BUT in this age, it's a "have-to." If you want to see another contract (and just because you get one, doesn't mean you're gonna get another). Speaking engagements, tours, constant pushing yourself (your books) out there with libraries, bookstores, booksignings, internet marketing, etc. It's required!

Yeah, I shrink and shiver at the thoughts of this last one. I'd much, much rather let someone else do it. But it's not to be. So, in spite of the fact that I'd rather be writing, and that it takes my precious time away from writing, all that stuff has to be done.

One other thing I wanted to mention in this post that might clarify things a little for some of you. There's several ways of publishing. Here are a few with very brief descriptions:

Traditional, larger presses: Where you get an advance, royalties and some promotion.

Smaller presses: possible advances (not always), royalties, less promotion, but some, depending on the amount of money available, lots of promotion with the internet and sometimes even e-publishing instead of print.

Vanity: writer must pay to have book published. There are some of these publishers that are legit, but not a lot. Depending on what you pay, is what you get in marketing. Very little, if any editing, is done by publisher. Unless one is satisfied to JUST have your book printed without expecting much else, this is not the best way to go.

Self: There's a lot of ways to go about this. I self-publish hubby and my own children's books. For now, this is a good way to go for us. In a small way, there is quite a bit of selling and recognition. This is a perfect way for someone who wants to write a family memoir type of book. For local writers who want to give or sell to mostly friends and family.

Of course, if you want to and have the dough, you can always have a printer print up your work. Takes more money, and sometimes it's not that much more professional looking.

Got any questions? Feel free to ask. I'd love to talk more about writing!

Quote:
What can be done at anytime is never done at all. --English proverb

Blessings!

Research Fun

Way before you begin the actual writing of a novel (for at least the serious writers), you've gotta do a ton of research (if you're serious about writing authentically).

Let me give you an example:

My suspense. I did research on the following stuff:

Montana State
Nature, trees, flowers, climate, geographical land, rocks, echoes
Rattlesnakes
Detective training
Outfitter businesses
Montana's protected species
Blackfoot tribe
Colleges from Montana
Fines and punishment for hunting out of season
and more!

For one romance book, I researched:

Chefs
Ice Skating
Classical music
Abuse
Various foods
Hot Air balloons
Concert pianists


Another included:

Apples and orchards
Antique cars
Houses, styles
Beginning from scratch to build furniture
Adoption
Death certificates


Is it necessary to do all that? For me, yes. I may only make a single reference to an item. Sometimes more. But I want to have my facts fairly straight. Gives me more credibility. Sometimes, something will never get mentioned, but it helps me know my character better. Why he does this. Why she chose a certain thing.

One problem with research for me is that I get sidetracked if I'm not careful. I might be researching a certain park area, and come across something that is totally fascinating. Woe is me then! If I'm fortunate I'll get away from that with nothing more than some interesting information. The worst case: a new idea for another book!

Only after (and sometimes while I'm writing) do I feel capable of moving on to the actual writing business.


It's a lot of work. But it's fun and informative too.

Well worth the time and effort.




Quote:
The will to win is worth nothing unless you have the will to prepare.


Blessings

Research

I thought I'd give you an idea of what kind of research goes into a novel.

Take the romance I'm working on now, the second in my career series. It's about a restaurant owner who can't cook. Her present chef left, she needs a new one. Manny, her head waiter, recommends his nephew, but she's indecisive. More . . . Ask Sharon, she read the first three chapters, or my critique partners.

I've researched:
Knighthood, cooking schools and any information pertaining to cooking (foods, pay, etc.), certain illnesses, British foods, phrases, and words. I anticipate also doing research on ballooning--and maybe some other sports, and abuse. My research papers are approximately an inch thick--so far on just this 40 some thousand word manuscript.

Now take my suspense. I researched:
Montana (all kinds of things--animals, flora, weather, special things, etc.), Blackfoot Native Americans, P.I. work, a little archeology, detective information, arrows, garbage bins, and rope traps (took me forever on that one). My research notebook on just this one novel (90,000 works) is about three inches thick.

(The research is not counting the manuscript pages)

Do I overkill on research? Maybe a little. It's work, and I like to have what I need or more. I can keep that handy notebook with me, consult it for information, double check certain items.

What kind of research is coming up for future manuscripts I've planned? Here's a short list: Harleys, The Smokies, RV's, KOA Campgrounds, junk shops, painting, Second World War, more archelogy in depth, spiders, Jack Russell Terriers, Real Estate Realtors, Hobos, trains, fire. Just to name a few.

So, yeah, you don't just sit down and type words. And if you do, you gotta go back and research. Make sure of your facts. Document. Do all you can to make your book interesting and factual. Real. So that my friend in Oklahoma won't say: no way that happened in this state. So the reader in Pennsylvania will agree that yes, that sounds like what we'd do.

Just thought you'd like to see a little bit of what kind of work is involved in writing a novel.

Best to you all for a wonderful weekend, my dear readers.



Cute hints from salvagable goods:

Find a junk store door and use it for a table.

Take an old creamery container (or something else similar), place a piece of glass on top for a small table.

Or need a table in the kitchen? Convert a potting table into a work station.



Quote:
God bless the friend you sees my needs and reaches out a hand, who lifts me up, who prays for me, and helps me understand. --Amanda Bradley


Blessings.