Research:
                               Do You Cringe at the Word?

     Perhaps the word “research” brings back all of those bad memories from school—
having to look up a ton of boring facts before you could even start to write an even
more boring term paper.  
     If the daunting idea of research is stopping you from writing your book, work
backwards.  Go ahead and start your book before you make one visit to the library.  
Start creating the characters that have been bopping around in your mind and fall in
love with them.  Suddenly, you’ll find that the idea of learning about their world is
exciting—not depressing.
     When I was “just a reader” of romance, I loved historicals because I felt that I
was not only reading for enjoyment, but I was learning about a specific time in
history.  I didn’t know for a fact, but I assumed the author had taken the time to
research so the book was fairly accurate for the time period it was set in.  
     Once I started writing, I learned that this was indeed true.  Our readers should be
able to count on us to do the work of researching.  Now, everyone knows that we take
some liberties when writing fiction and I believe that’s okay.  No one wants to read
about a hero and heroine who only bathe once every few months.  But for the most
part, we need to stay as accurate as possible.
     After several years as a newspaper reporter, I first came up with an idea for a
fiction novel when I was touring a castle in Wales.  I asked my then ten-year-old
daughter if she could hear the voices of the people who used to live there.  She, of
course, looked at me like I was crazy.  But my imagination was off and running.  
     When I returned to Colorado, I sat down and started writing.  At that point, I had
no idea what time period I was setting my book in.  I didn’t know if my hero was
going to be a king, knight, or earl.  And guess what?  It didn’t matter because I wrote
that scene (which incidentally ended up in the middle of the book) and I fell in love
with these two people.  I suddenly wanted desperately to know where they lived and
what their lives were like.
     I wrote several more chapters before hitting the library and starting to read.  I
started with some general history books on the British Monarchy and stumbled across
a particular political event that was interesting.  Aha!  I could use this to move my plot
along.  And so, my time period was set in the 1200’s.  Then I began to look for
specifics.  Who was my hero?  I learned that in this time period there were very few
earls but quite a few barons who were the holders of castles and lands under King
Henry, so he became a baron.  Then I hit the kid’s section of the library to learn the
basics about castle life, training for knighthood, marriage customs, etc.  The books
written for children are accurate but you don’t have to wade through a ton of
irrelevant material, so this may be a great place for you to start your research.
     During this time, I kept writing.  This is so important.  Don’t let your research
take over.  If you do, you run the risk of losing your passion for your story.  Keep
going.  Put asterisks or some other symbol in spots where you need to check your
facts, but keep on writing.  
     Another great place to get quick answers for your work is an online writers loop
that is specific to your time period or genre.  If you write romance, consider joining
Romance Writers of America and you'll find many sub-groups to help you.  There is
KOD for mystery, HHRW for historical writers, and your local group for general
questions.  On my historical loop, someone recently asked a question about when soap
had been invented.  Within hours, there were some great responses complete with
book and website references.  
     So don’t let the idea of having to do research stop you from writing that story that
is constantly in your mind.  Start writing first, then let your passion for your story
drive your research.  All of a sudden, you’ll find yourself grabbing for that dictionary
of word origins or the book on coroner procedures with an excitement you never
would have dreamed possible.  

This article appeared in the May 2002 issue of PikeSpeak, the monthly newsletter of
Colorado Springs RWA Chapter, Pikes Peak Romance Writers.