When you first think of research what comes to mind? Let me guess, science right? Well did you know that research can be used for all different kind of things. When you want to know more about a subject the best way to get good information is by doing research. I remember back in the day when I was in science class and I had to research a topic about static electricity. Now let me just say that i'm not that old, but the internet wasn't really popular when I was in 8th grade. I had to use the encyclopedia to help me with my research on static electricity. I know your thinking, an Encyclopedia though? Yes, this was the only thing that I had to do research with. Google, wasn't really the thing then but there was Wikipedia and Online Encyclopedia's. Now with it being 2012, we use research for all sorts of things like research papers, proposals, etc. When researching we first have to figure out what it is we want to learn about. Being an author, I never really researched a lot because I write fiction novels. But, I now know that I have to conduct research in order to make my story the most believable even if it isn't true! I know I was thinking," Well if it's fiction, does it really matter?" I used to have that mindset all the time until now. For those who don't know I'm currently in school getting my Master's Degree in Creative Writing at FullSail University. While being a student I have learned about about Story Development, Writing For Games, Animation and Screenwriting! Out of all of the things thus far, I must say that Screenwriting is my new baby. I love learning about the different Acts, and how being able to learn new things is very important. But, I also learned that when being a screenwriter WE must RESEARCH our topic. Even down to the location, the characters, the development of the script, etc. Now I thought that this would be an easy task since i'm an author. Boy, was I wrong!! Yea, screenwriting and writing novels are SO different. It's just like vinegar and oil...it doesn't mix! Screenwriting is a whole different ball game. I just started a class called " Literary Research". When I first realized that I was taking this class, I thought, " What the hell, I hate research!" But, now that I am in the class, I learned that I have to have an interest about what i'm researching. Now that it's something I want to do, it isn't as hard. I remember watching an interview with a screenwriter for class and he said," Research was the best part of my project." After hearing him say that, I thought to myself, " What is he smoking?" The more that I listened to the interview and gained some insight on what he was saying it all made sense to me. The screenwriter said something along the lines of, " When I write a script I want to have all the facts and I don't want to lie. If can have so many articles, books, and things that i've researched and only use a handful of it in my project." It clicked with me because I was learning the insight to research which is that, just because I get a lot of information, I can pick and choose what I want to use. Screenwriters are told to " Write what we know." In some cases this where our research will begin. A FullSail teacher by the name of Dustin Lee, he shares about dialogue and teaches Story telling within the screenwriting process. He states that film is a visual medium. Ever since I have started FullSail, I am so fascinated with screenwriting and this is the route that I will work in from now on. Okay, back to research, here are some pointers to effective researching tips,if there are any lol.
Here are some research tips that I found to be helpful and I use for class!!
Here is an interview that I found on Dustin Lee who teaches Screenwriting at FullSail University. I didn't have him as a teacher, but it's neat that he was willing to talk about screenwriting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FyuzPYbyfE
If you'd asked me ten years ago how much research I did for my fiction writing, I probably would've said "Not much at all". I guess back then a lot of what I wrote was based on my own experiences, or my imagination, and what I didn't know, I made up. Then I got hooked on a pirate story which was based on a real person who lived back in 1717, and research became my new passion! Over the past nine years, I think I've gathered more material on pirates than I ever thought possible, but the supporting information has been as detailed, if not more so.
Some of the things I've researched include: money in the southern US - what currencies were used, how they were compared for value, what one guinea or one shilling would buy; sailing ships, with a particular interest in brigantines; clothing, food, houses, drinks; medicinals and diseases; what books were published back then; what language was used - I've had a great deal of fun with all 13 volumes of the Greater Oxford Dictionary! Along the way, as well as pirate stuff, for other novels and stories I've researched horses and horse riding, ballet, tunnels and underground houses, country policemen, city homicide detectives, remand centres, and various types of head injuries, to name just a few topics.
So the tips I'm offering come from experience, and are aimed at fiction writers who need to obtain good background information that is as accurate as it can be.
* no matter what information you find or where it is, record the source. I keep a big notebook and I put book titles and authors in it, as well as websites and journals. You never know when you might need it again, or might need to verify where you found it.
* don't rely on the internet for everything. Yes, it's handy and you can find heaps of things there, but it should only be one of your sources. Wikipedia is a starting point - I look at it because these days it comes up first in a search half the time - but from there I branch out and look at at least ten sites. There are many, many websites that are created by people with a specific interest in a subject. That doesn't mean they're an expert. I've found many sites with inaccurate information, or pushing a certain point of view. I like to find sites maintained by government departments (in the US many states have a department of history and/or conservation, for example), universities and/or academics with specific knowledge, and local history sites.
* even books can be wrong, often because new knowledge or evidence has been discovered. Check the publication date, and compare with other books. I try to verify important information I want to use in my book by finding two other sources that confirm it. Not always possible, though.
* interview people, if you can, and if it's relevant (no one who was alive in 1717 was available for me). But I have done interviews that have enlightened me on ballet, horse riding, frogs, injuries and country policing, for example. Prepare good questions beforehand, tape the interview, and take good notes. I've had two occasions where the tape recorder has died halfway through.
* collect anything and everything. I particularly love stories about the people who lived in my era (the tour guide at Como was an amazing resource - thanks, Betty!), and how they lived. Odd little snippets can become part of your novel and add more interest - and sometimes more humour. You never know when a tidbit can come in useful. Again, I keep all this kind of stuff in my notebook, either as notes or pasting it in.
* go to the places you are writing about, or something similar (see my previous post about Ripponlea). I have a friend who writes fantasy for whom a particular beach is the beach in her novel, and walking along it helps her to write those scenes with more authenticity. I'm excited to be going to South and North Carolina in a couple of months to research more about pirates.
* use the libraries all around you. Not just your own public library but all the others. For example, I went to Hawthorn Library the other day to look at some things in their local history section, and the librarian informed me that as long as I lived in Victoria, I could join their library for free and take out books. We also have State libraries with huge collections, and often you can access the collections at university libraries. And don't forget that libraries these days have more than books - they have newspapers on microfiche, photographs and ephemera.
* don't think that if you're not writing historical fiction then you don't need to research. I think every book benefits from good background research. My horse stories really came alive for me (and, I hope, the reader) after I'd had a riding lesson.
* don't forget movies. Yes, I've watched all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies! But I've also watched a lot of old pirate movies, all the Hornblower TV series, and anything with old sailing ships or set in my era (for the clothing and houses). A lot of movies aren't exactly accurate with their costumes and architecture, but they help to give you the 'feel' of the time, at least.
* you can also read published novels set in your era, to see how other writers deal with inserting the fact into the fiction. It's a skill, to weave the setting and background and historical information in without lapsing into info dumps. We can learn by reading the best and the worst.Some of the things I've researched include: money in the southern US - what currencies were used, how they were compared for value, what one guinea or one shilling would buy; sailing ships, with a particular interest in brigantines; clothing, food, houses, drinks; medicinals and diseases; what books were published back then; what language was used - I've had a great deal of fun with all 13 volumes of the Greater Oxford Dictionary! Along the way, as well as pirate stuff, for other novels and stories I've researched horses and horse riding, ballet, tunnels and underground houses, country policemen, city homicide detectives, remand centres, and various types of head injuries, to name just a few topics.
So the tips I'm offering come from experience, and are aimed at fiction writers who need to obtain good background information that is as accurate as it can be.
* no matter what information you find or where it is, record the source. I keep a big notebook and I put book titles and authors in it, as well as websites and journals. You never know when you might need it again, or might need to verify where you found it.
* don't rely on the internet for everything. Yes, it's handy and you can find heaps of things there, but it should only be one of your sources. Wikipedia is a starting point - I look at it because these days it comes up first in a search half the time - but from there I branch out and look at at least ten sites. There are many, many websites that are created by people with a specific interest in a subject. That doesn't mean they're an expert. I've found many sites with inaccurate information, or pushing a certain point of view. I like to find sites maintained by government departments (in the US many states have a department of history and/or conservation, for example), universities and/or academics with specific knowledge, and local history sites.
* even books can be wrong, often because new knowledge or evidence has been discovered. Check the publication date, and compare with other books. I try to verify important information I want to use in my book by finding two other sources that confirm it. Not always possible, though.
* interview people, if you can, and if it's relevant (no one who was alive in 1717 was available for me). But I have done interviews that have enlightened me on ballet, horse riding, frogs, injuries and country policing, for example. Prepare good questions beforehand, tape the interview, and take good notes. I've had two occasions where the tape recorder has died halfway through.
* collect anything and everything. I particularly love stories about the people who lived in my era (the tour guide at Como was an amazing resource - thanks, Betty!), and how they lived. Odd little snippets can become part of your novel and add more interest - and sometimes more humour. You never know when a tidbit can come in useful. Again, I keep all this kind of stuff in my notebook, either as notes or pasting it in.
* go to the places you are writing about, or something similar (see my previous post about Ripponlea). I have a friend who writes fantasy for whom a particular beach is the beach in her novel, and walking along it helps her to write those scenes with more authenticity. I'm excited to be going to South and North Carolina in a couple of months to research more about pirates.
* use the libraries all around you. Not just your own public library but all the others. For example, I went to Hawthorn Library the other day to look at some things in their local history section, and the librarian informed me that as long as I lived in Victoria, I could join their library for free and take out books. We also have State libraries with huge collections, and often you can access the collections at university libraries. And don't forget that libraries these days have more than books - they have newspapers on microfiche, photographs and ephemera.
* don't think that if you're not writing historical fiction then you don't need to research. I think every book benefits from good background research. My horse stories really came alive for me (and, I hope, the reader) after I'd had a riding lesson.
* don't forget movies. Yes, I've watched all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies! But I've also watched a lot of old pirate movies, all the Hornblower TV series, and anything with old sailing ships or set in my era (for the clothing and houses). A lot of movies aren't exactly accurate with their costumes and architecture, but they help to give you the 'feel' of the time, at least.
I hope that this information will help you writers better with getting your script started. I know it's helped. Stay tuned for more information.
Krystol
References:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FyuzPYbyfE
http://sherrylclark.blogspot.com/2010/02/10-research-tips-for-fiction-writers.html
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