Research and Writing
I was talking with a couple coworkers this week about writing papers for school, and I remembered how much I had enjoyed writing papers, and yes, you read that right.
I can still remember learning to write research papers in high school. I absolutely loved it. Most of the class sat down at a table in the library with their friends and did as much chatting as they did work. Not me. I was that odd ball teen who took a table to herself. I had books and notecards spread out across the table and a smile spread across my face.
I loved the research, the organizing of information, and writing the final product. I loved it just as much in college, and I still love it in my own way today.
Research papers are time consuming. That's for sure. What most may not realize is that a lot of the same method can be used while writing even fiction.
When I write about a place I've never been or a subject I know nothing about, I have to research. I have researched some crazy topics. Sometimes I wonder if I've been red flagged as a potential danger. I've looked up information on bomb making, a variety of poisons and drugs, FBI, CIA, various branches of the military, and so much more. When I have characters visiting places or memorials I've never visited, in addition to my regular research, I view as many pictures as I can find online trying to see it from every vantage point. I've even started Pinterest boards on things I might need in future books. (I also have a long list of book ideas outlined on my phone.) Details make stories more believable, but it's harder to get details about places you've never seen or things you've never done. That's why research is so vital in writing fiction as well as informational essays.
After I've learned as much as I can get my hands on, it's time to put that newly found knowledge into something I can use in my book. I have notes spread all around me once again. Sometimes I'm nice and organized, keeping all my notes in a notepad. Other times I grab whatever is the closest to me such as used envelopes. I've held on to one used envelope for years now, because I have notes from The Clause Rebellion on it, and I'll definitely need it as the Clause series continues to unfold.
Once I know what I want to use in my book, it is just a matter of pulling the story out of my mind and writing it down on paper, which, of course, is just as exciting as gathering and learning new information. Maybe I am a little odd and even a little excitable, but aren't all you book lovers out there glad there are odd, excitable people like me in the world?
