19 Responses to “7 Great Online Research Resources for Writers” Tilen on March 23, 2011 9:45 am. Use a good mix of primary and secondary sources for both perspective and immediacy. As relates to fiction writers, this could mean researching a period of history, or a particular place, in which the story, or part of the story, is set. For the monthly regular workshops, each has a start date and each week's lectures will appear on the same day. The needs of your story or novel will determine the best approach. You might also need to learn about criminal law, ballet training, drug addiction, breeds of horse, essential oils, or remote control ducks. Print/Mobile-Friendly Version. However, the same things that give that sense of immediacy also mean that those sources often don't have much perspective. The coupon code you entered is expired or invalid, but the course is still available! Research for inspiration. We assume you know how to look up something of interest to you and your story. Of course, it’s never really a waste of time, from the point of view that learning is valuable in itself, and may also be helpful for future projects, as well as the current one. If it was forced out of them, that's uncool. You want enough detail to sketch out your setting and make it come alive but not so much that it sounds like a Ph.D. dissertation. If the research isn’t crucial to the story as a whole, however, you can do it as you write. With fiction, you have some latitude, but you still don’t want to be so off that you jerk your reader out of the story. What are some geographical markers you should capture and describe well? The chief faces his tribe and says, "I see your fears, your desperation... but perhaps we have been looking at this all wrong... if we save our village and succeed in continuing to live in peaceful isolation, how will writers get any inspiration for creating isolated tribes of their own in the stories they may create?". One great starting place to find this information is the bibliography of a good secondary source. Writers do research. Check out local restaurants with the cuisine of the area you're writing about. These are both excellent resources for all things name related, but actually, contain information that can be fascinating, on many subjects. Not everything you write about should be based on our real world. To begin with, you need good research tools. Writers of secondary sources also have their own biases and may be less open about them than the narrator of a primary source. Thanks a lot for the links. The writers wouldn't be able to just use their imagination for that. I can't imagine a Michael Crichton novel, for example, without the painstaking research he used to make the sci-fi premises seem believable. Of course, if anyone is open to interaction, then by all means. Whilst Google is very much the major search engine nowadays, alternative search results can sometimes provide those answers, that eluded you in previous searches. I was really inspired when I read about the level of research he did before writing Dune. Writers? Definitely try it, if and when Google doesn’t deliver the information you’d hoped for. Even if this service isn't available, they can introduce you to research databases, electronic and paper card catalogues and archives. Yes, some people can write without researching much at all. — How to work in the research and knowledge you do have without making your story dull? But actual research? Any name from mythology, and you invariably have instant access to a concise version of the story behind the myth. Imagine a story centered on this rocky tidal island. Some stories, in practice, can be hard to work on, until you have at least started to research them. Many people don’t consider it worthwhile to consult Bing, but I disagree. These tools may be found at libraries, archives, museums, on the Internet and a variety of other locations. Historical resources can be broken down into two basic categories: primary sources, which are contemporary records of the time period that you are researching; and secondary sources which are written after that time period. In addition, meanings and interpretations of historical data often change over time and can be viewed from number of perspectives. I have links to a number of websites with useful historical information on my web browser so if I have a question, I can research it easily. An unknown error has occurred. It’s one of the many amazing aspects of being a writer, that I, for one, deeply appreciate. Think of it this way: you can’t write in a vacuum. “A mental hospital,” says McBrearty, “is the perfect setting for the doomed lovers, who are trapped in their own delusions.” For McBrearty, it was important to select from his many experiences the ones that captured the setting but also related closely to character and plot. You cannot just pull things out of your butt, so to speak. Look for another source to back it up. If your protagonist is on the wrong side of the law, say, a burglar – perhaps a safe cracker – find out how to crack a safe. Often the writer is using multiple primary resources as well as other secondary sources. Dean wrote over twenty-five original Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, plus Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man novels, and others. What’s an ordinary day like? Books and magazines can help, or simply talking to people, with more knowledge about a particular subject than yourself. “Every shift, I would ask the ladies questions: ‘How do people meet people on this island?’ ‘If two people were going to have a secret affair, where would they rendezvous?’ ‘If the main character were to sleep with a 17-year-old, would you hold it against her?’” From this informal research, Tseng chose stories that helped her develop both character and plot. You don’t need me to tell you that, but I will, anyway. Not only can they kill you on sight (for the one island of isolated tribes people I believe you might be talking about) but you could bring diseases with you that they have never encountered before and could destroy a good portion of them if not all of them. Keyword searches may also use the operators
Because in order for fictional stories to be believable, often they need to be somewhat, somehow, based in reality. I mean, I agree to some extent. This long-running event hopes to offer a hybrid conference in spring 2021, presenting both in-person and virtual instruction for attending writers. And how to make readers say, “Wow, felt like I was there.”. I'm imagining a native population, on the brink of apocaplypse, calling a frantic meeting to decide how they will stop the incursion of foreigners and the pillaging of their ancestral forest. Should you do it all before writing your story or novel, or should you write and research as you go … Primary and secondary sources each have their advantages and disadvantages. If the research is crucial to your story’s character, plot, and theme, you may want to do much of it before you begin composing. These organizations often have knowledgeable people in them who are pursuing research projects of their own and like to share. WMG Publishing Lectures and Workshops And yes, you should use your imagination. See what sources are available to you and check out library book sales, used bookstores and the Web for additional materials that you need. You're writing a work of fiction, not an exhaustive historical account. Well, I am glad to see that this is something that has been shot down, so to speak. How would writers get any inspiration for creating isolated tribes of their own in the stories they may create?" Did anyone do this better than Frank Herbert? But the example you used (researching isolated tribes) is not something that you should personally go and research. You don't have to be an academic or a librarian to use archival materials. Ultimately, I think your foundation is good in that yes, research is generally a good thing. There's no point collecting hundreds of bits of information only to create a disorganised mess that you won't be able to navigate later! It’s amazing for research, and especially useful if you’re looking for images. If anything, your worldbuilding will be better if you spread out your knowledge base and learn about multiple cultures, rather than just this one specific one. Using a primary source like a diary or letters from the time period has the advantage of immediacy. I honestly don't understand how people think that what EVERY writer needs is imagination... like, is imagination somehow going to manifest ideas you've never had before? “It’s hard to put your finger on what makes a really good piece of writing good and what makes a failed piece of writing a failure, and it’s been interesting for me to have to justify my opinions.” In doing research as a fiction writer, Lennon embraces a term his wife once called them: professional dilettantes. Even if a writer isn't writing a story about any specific tribe, they can't get inspiration (even if from other sources) unless someone researched tribes." You can see something and be inspired to write about it. As a modern historical author, I definitely find it inspiring, and have a board devoted to all things retro. If your protagonist is strongly tuned into the sights, sounds, and rhythms of nature, which animals and their behaviors will your character notice? Check facts carefully, but keep in mind that as long as the world you create has a strong air of reality, you can get away with not being completely real-to-life. Try looking up Cassiopeia or Rhiannon, on either Behind the Name or Nameberry. But there are answers and that is what this workshop is about. That writing better fiction is a good reason to bother isolated tribes?? My apologies, it was not my intent I am sad that my true intent got lost in translation due to my haste and frustration. There is no such thing is total objectivity. Given the drawbacks and advantages to both types of sources, it's a good idea to try and read a broad selection of both primary and secondary sources. Let’s say you situate a character in a part of the country you’re not familiar with. Gigi Will Know: Are editors sick of COVID-19 pitches yet? Once you do sit down to write, the key is to be thorough but not too thorough. Those are just two examples. Choose what you can use and let the rest go. 5 things a personal essay needs to succeed (and sell). It may help you to allocate very specific time slots, in which to do your research – if that suits your personality type and lifestyle. You can get secondary research from the past and flavour it to modern day but by no means is it okay for someone to go and try and interact with an isolated tribe. Any number of things come into play when you’re writing fiction. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. These factors will affect how much detail readers and editors will expect from your work and what you should be prepared to provide. Setting isn’t the only thing you might need to research. Research for Fiction Writers — February 20, 2018, Distorted Perceptions – Print Book Update, Distorted Perceptions Novel: Available Now, Caught in a Nightmare – But Still Publishing My Novel, Books: Vibrant Carousel, and Alternative Landscapes. Please click the button below to reload the page. Perhaps not very much if you base your fiction on your own experiences. Once you know a few really great sites, you may be able to save yourself time and effort, by visiting these directly. I just meant that it's nice to see people interacting and learning from one another. First of all, writing and research are a duo and I wouldn’t know half the stuff I know now if I didn’t research it. Entered is expired or invalid, but I disagree people don ’ t think it s. 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