Book writing – how far does author research need to go? -

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wolfme Reading The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

12 Sep 2012, 09:46 PM | Post: #21

Oops I done it again!!!

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RE: Book writing – how far does author research need to go?

research for Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Giles: It's easy when you live on a Hellmouth.

Dr. Who Research:

Dr. Who: Timey wimey wibbly wobbly...

In all seriousness, yes I do belive in research but depending on the story it may not need too much.

I don`t have to like a book to enjoy reading it.

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AERichards Reading The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

13 Sep 2012, 06:21 AM | Post: #22

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RE: Book writing – how far does author research need to go?

(26 Jul 2012 04:22 PM)L K Jay Wrote: One thing I find difficult is to write about a place before I've visited it. Which is why I'm off to Paris this weekend for a bit of research for the next instalment of The Ghost Hunters Club...

Maybe I'll set my next novel in the Maldives...

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AERichards Reading The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

13 Sep 2012, 06:43 AM | Post: #23

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RE: Book writing – how far does author research need to go?

I think that the depth of research needed must depend on the amount of technical or historical detail required in the novel. To make it authentic needs some solid details and if the characters are going to be engaging in, for example, operating a submarine or visiting the court of Queen Elizabeth then decent and in-depth research is essential. Even in a book focused on an invented world, such as The Hunger Games, some research is needed (such as how a variety of weapons work, or how different types of society function).

Abby

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Stephen R Hulse Reading Licence: Reviewed:50 Years of Bond Movies - Patrick Mulready

16 Sep 2012, 10:59 AM | Post: #24

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RE: Book writing – how far does author research need to go?

This post was last modified: 16 Sep 2012 10:59 AM by Stephen R Hulse.

I once hung myself upside down out of a window, hooked only by my knees, to check whether it would be possible for one of my characters to get themselves back to safety from such a precarious position. Thankfully I've stopped short of having myself beaten-up, shot or stabbed in the pursuit of authenticity.

I did once however spend a lot of time creating an international crime investigation agency, meticulously working out its operating procedure and hierarchy, only to discover that the imagined agency actually existed, and worked exactly as I'd outlined it! So I could have saved myself a huge amount of time and effort by simply Googling their website.

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George Hamilton

18 Sep 2012, 07:51 AM | Post: #25

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RE: Book writing – how far does author research need to go?

(16 Sep 2012 10:59 AM)Stephen R Hulse Wrote: I once hung myself upside down out of a window, hooked only by my knees, to check whether it would be possible for one of my characters to get themselves back to safety from such a precarious position.

Now that is what I call authentic research.

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Stephen R Hulse Reading Licence: Reviewed:50 Years of Bond Movies - Patrick Mulready

23 Sep 2012, 08:29 PM | Post: #26

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RE: Book writing – how far does author research need to go?

(18 Sep 2012 07:51 AM)George Hamilton Wrote: Now that is what I call authentic research.

Why thank you, George. In that one particular instance it really was justified...at least that's my story - and I'm sticking to it!

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Alex Hunter Reading Seeing a Large Cat, Elizabeth Peters

24 Sep 2012, 10:08 AM | Post: #27

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RE: Book writing – how far does author research need to go?

This is a fascinating question, with equally fascinating answers!

I'm working on my second (well, second to-be-published) novel The Watchmaker's Chain and it relies heavily on much of what's been discussed. In some respects the plot has to fit in with and around acknowledged historical fact, and to that extent I have researched the relevant areas. There is also a point at which my story diverges (fairly dramatically) from what historians would recognise, but even there, having researched the facts I've tried to ensure that even though my version of events is obviously fictional, it is presented in a way that could theoretically have happened, and couldn't easily be disproved.

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Stephen R Hulse Reading Licence: Reviewed:50 Years of Bond Movies - Patrick Mulready

25 Sep 2012, 10:49 AM | Post: #28

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RE: Book writing – how far does author research need to go?

(24 Sep 2012 10:08 AM)Alex Hunter Wrote: This is a fascinating question, with equally fascinating answers!

I'm working on my second (well, second to-be-published) novel The Watchmaker's Chain and it relies heavily on much of what's been discussed. In some respects the plot has to fit in with and around acknowledged historical fact, and to that extent I have researched the relevant areas. There is also a point at which my story diverges (fairly dramatically) from what historians would recognise, but even there, having researched the facts I've tried to ensure that even though my version of events is obviously fictional, it is presented in a way that could theoretically have happened, and couldn't easily be disproved.

Exactly. I have an historical adventure set during the time of the early Roman Empire that I've been working on on and off for a while now. I was already quite familiar with the period in question, and I augmented that with copious in-depth research. But that certainly hasn't meant that if the story calls for me to step outside of that research I won't do so without the slightest hesitation.

At the end of the day I'm writing a piece of historical adventure fiction, not a text book. If I can present my version of events in such a way that they appear both plausible and entertaining, all the better.

But the demands of the story always come first as far as I'm concerned.

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Alex Hunter Reading Seeing a Large Cat, Elizabeth Peters

25 Sep 2012, 01:15 PM | Post: #29

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RE: Book writing – how far does author research need to go?

George MacDonald Fraser did this so well with the Flashman books that in the 1970s some individuals became convinced that they really were the memoirs of a victorian soldier (and not fictional at all). The disadvantage of having done that good a job though was that GMF spent years fielding letters from over-keen students of history who delighted in spotting any and every inconsistency and inaccuracy.

I'm sure there's a lesson there!

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Kristen Stone Reading Children of the Plantation by Faith Mortimer

25 Sep 2012, 09:33 PM | Post: #30

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RE: Book writing – how far does author research need to go?

Very interesting to hear what other people do. I think if you are writing something that is based in a certain time period you need to get the facts right, even down to the type of underwear people are wearing (if such things are going to be mentioned). And it would be wrong to have a Civil War soldier shooting a repeating rifle.
Personally, I try to write in genres that do not need much research as it takes me too long. But if something does crop up that I'm not sure about - Google is marvellous!
But I write FICTION and my readers can choose whether to believe what I write or not.

Kristen Stone -author, editor and publisher
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