Write what you know

[Mouse]

You should always write about what you know about, right? But what if you don't know much about anything?

I know you have to research and I do do a lot of researching, but lately I'm finding researching so distracting. I have to stop what I'm doing to go and look something up, then I get side-tracked doing other stuff.

Like today. I wrote three sentences, then realised I don't know what happens to someone once they've discovered a dead body. So I Googled it briefly, then ended up watching a film.

I've now stopped writing again, trying to think of a good town/city to set something in. The trouble with living in the countryside is that not a lot happens here. I need a place with lots of hotels and somewhere an actor would go to promote his films. However, I know nothing about cities. The nearest city to me is Exeter. I rarely go there.

I might make a place up, or just avoid naming anywhere.

I do know about hotels, having worked in one for five years. I also know about paranormal stuff - having belonged to a weird paranormal circle when I was younger, and regularly (and recently) attending ghost hunts. So those parts of my story are okay.

But it's just everything else! Towns. Murders. Police investigations.

I guess what I'm trying to ask beneath this waffling, is, should I stop whining and just research like everyone else? Or alter my story so I don't have to keep stopping to look things up by writing about what I do know?

How does everyone else cope with not knowing stuff? I'm pretty sure the answer will be research... Damn my laziness and poor attention.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Ask on the Chrons. I've done that a couple of times, but it's probably even more distracting than googling it. Generally more entertaining, too, and informative.

(Chrispy's dialogue on space ship drives and how they work has been one I've gone back to loads of times. I still don't entirely understand it but I took in enough to use the info in a couple of places.)

You have my sympathies, I'm currently going between the prequel and sequel of mine and thinking which to work on first and procrastinating terribly. So, no writing happening at this end, either. Just lots of empty word docs with names.

 

[alchemist]

How does everyone else cope with not knowing stuff? I'm pretty sure the answer will be research... Damn my laziness and poor attention.

Yes, research and...what?...oh, look at the doggie...

Er, yes, research. I have computer folders full of stuff, like desert flora, mountain-climbing terms and Vertigo's journey calculator. Sometimes I google, and sometimes it's better to ask here (about things like the structure of starships). It's hard to only write about what you know in the SFF world - so much is undiscovered.

In any event, if we just wrote about our jobs, it would be very boring. I found my search for combustible chemicals in a chemistry lab to be quite stimulating.

In your case, go for a break to London. I keep telling myself that if I ever have to do a sequel, I'm going to Arizona to look at deserts.

 

[Mouse]

Oh yeah, I do ask here. Tis good! I had a thread on horses once, and one on spaceships.

I think I'm just hoping for someone to say 'just write any old thing and don't worry if it's not right!' Which I know won't happen.

London would be good, alc, if I could take the dog with me!

 

[The Judge]

It's not the research which is the problem if you end up watching a film...

OK, there are two ways of doing it. The first is just write and write, and if you realise you need to research put a big note "[check court procedure]" and carry on writing. Me, I can't do that, but I can see the advantage in just getting a first draft down, and it will avoid the attention-span deficit. The disadvantage, though, is that you write a stonking good scene, and then you research and find out it can't happen the way you thought and everything you've written has to be scrapped, which to me is a worse waste of time.

The way I do it is research as I go, ie every third sentence. But it's necessary to keep a firm grip on the process. I make notes, get the info I need and then get back to the writing. (That's the theory, anyhow...)

Is he a Hollywood actor and a big name? If so, then frankly I'd be surprised if he went anywhere but London to publicise the movie. Journalists will go to see him there in the hotel, with timed slots and strict "that's it, next guy". Interviews are likely to be semi-syndicated, I think -- that is, the big papers/magazines will have accredited journalists who write for their own paper/mag, but I think there's a way that other interviews get farmed out to smaller ones.

If this is a short story, I wouldn't sweat it too much. If it's a novel, I think you have to make a concentrated effort at getting it right, so either you spend time on research, or you find a way of not needing it -- eg you keep everything in her POV and have her gloss over things she doesn't understand.

 

[goldhawk]

I think I'm just hoping for someone to say 'just write any old thing and don't worry if it's not right!' Which I know won't happen.

Just write any old thing and don't worry if it's not right! (Anything to please .) Don't forget the golden rule: Never let facts stand in the way of a good story. (There's a reason it's called fiction.)

I found another good way to get the facts right is to talk to people involved in the subject. There's Facebook, Google+, Twitter and numerous forums all over the net. Try using this: "Hi, I'm a writer and I'm writing a story about..." People love to talk about what they do and you can get what you're looking for very quickly.

 

[Abernovo]

I know you're predicament. I once spent two days researching physics problems and kept finding interesting sideroads that had nothing to do with what I needed, but were SO interesting (I think I just proved my own boringness, getting geeky over physics). Unfortunately, the only solution to many of our problems is research.

As to making a place up, go for it. Some of the best fiction in history has been in fictional settings, often with a real basis, but allowing more artistic licence. Think of Hardy and Austen, to name just a couple. It can even be an area in a city, such as a fictional district.

For what it's worth, I get the whole countryside quiet thing as well. I often see more wildlife in a day than I see people in a week. Now I love being in the country, but I struggle with describing real cities. I suppose a solution might be world-building on a small city scale. Or lots of research. As alchemist says, you could go on a little field trip/break to a city.

 

[Mouse]

It's not the research which is the problem if you end up watching a film...

OK, there are two ways of doing it. The first is just write and write, and if you realise you need to research put a big note "[check court procedure]" and carry on writing. Me, I can't do that, but I can see the advantage in just getting a first draft down, and it will avoid the attention-span deficit. The disadvantage, though, is that you write a stonking good scene, and then you research and find out it can't happen the way you thought and everything you've written has to be scrapped, which to me is a worse waste of time.

Yeah I was thinking about doing this, and I've only ever done it once before where I wrote in 'write description of journey here' instead of writing it there and then. In actual fact, I deleted my note and never did describe that journey.

I like to be in the character's head. So if I'm seeing what they're seeing, I like to know what they're seeing and write it there and then. If that makes sense!

The way I do it is research as I go, ie every third sentence. But it's necessary to keep a firm grip on the process. I make notes, get the info I need and then get back to the writing. (That's the theory, anyhow...)

This is mostly what I do. My problem at the mo is that I'm so keen on getting on with the story that each time I need to stop to look something up, I don't feel like doing it, so I stop entirely.

Is he a Hollywood actor and a big name? If so, then frankly I'd be surprised if he went anywhere but London to publicise the movie. Journalists will go to see him there in the hotel, with timed slots and strict "that's it, next guy". Interviews are likely to be semi-syndicated, I think -- that is, the big papers/magazines will have accredited journalists who write for their own paper/mag, but I think there's a way that other interviews get farmed out to smaller ones.

Brill, thanks TJ! I think he's a big-ish actor. Not a huge name but up and coming.

If this is a short story, I wouldn't sweat it too much. If it's a novel, I think you have to make a concentrated effort at getting it right, so either you spend time on research, or you find a way of not needing it -- eg you keep everything in her POV and have her gloss over things she doesn't understand.

Nope, novel this time. And I'm pretty sure I'll definitely need at least three (probably four) POVs. Otherwise the not understanding thing would've been good.

Just write any old thing and don't worry if it's not right! (Anything to please .) Don't forget the golden rule: Never let facts stand in the way of a good story. (There's a reason it's called fiction.)

I found another good way to get the facts right is to talk to people involved in the subject. There's Facebook, Google+, Twitter and numerous forums all over the net. Try using this: "Hi, I'm a writer and I'm writing a story about..." People love to talk about what they do and you can get what you're looking for very quickly.

Yeah... my sort-of partner's niece is a policewoman so I could always ask her stuff, I guess. Though according to him, she's not a very good policewoman.

--

I'm reading a book at the mo where three of the characters are doctors and I keep wondering if the author is a doctor or just did a lot of research because the stuff he's writing is mind-boggling. And there's lots of psychiatry stuff in there too and I'm wondering how he knows it all!

Abernovo: I think I will make up a place name to be safe! Ta.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I write the first draft and then research - which allows me to tailor research and make it bend to fit my story. When I can't find out imagination fills out the rest.

 

[Boneman]

Tough one: if we do too much research we end up putting (possibly) too much of it into the story, because we're caught up in it. Do too little research and everyone who does know how far a horse can travel and how much feed it needs a day, throws the book down in disgust at our amateurishness. I've no idea what happens if you discover a body, but I'm pretty certain I could invent a few scenarios that might upset a few paramedics, but not the rest of the world. And besides, in your story, the readers will simply accept what's done with the body, because it is fiction...

 

[Mouse]

Tough one: if we do too much research we end up putting (possibly) too much of it into the story, because we're caught up in it. Do too little research and everyone who does know how far a horse can travel and how much feed it needs a day, throws the book down in disgust at our amateurishness. I've no idea what happens if you discover a body, but I'm pretty certain I could invent a few scenarios that might upset a few paramedics, but not the rest of the world. And besides, in your story, the readers will simply accept what's done with the body, because it is fiction...

What I've done with the discovery of the body, is skim over it. The character is so shook up that she can't remember much of what happened. So I've said that she spoke to police, but not said what she spoke about, and that she's now staying with a friend.

I wondered about whether the hotel would close, after there being a murder there, but said it'd only close for a couple of days. Which I presume is what would happen. The worst thing that happened at the hotel I worked is that we had some people nick a load of silverware.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Fish and newt, that's my thought for the day.

I had a pond scene with a fish in it, and I thought on the read through, how boring, so I went to research what else might live there and came up with a newt.

The first comment I recieved back on my scene was why was a newt there; it didn't seem right. I went back to fish.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

What I've done with the discovery of the body, is skim over it. The character is so shook up that she can't remember much of what happened. So I've said that she spoke to police, but not said what she spoke about, and that she's now staying with a friend.

.

I have to confess with this scenario to using other authors - I read mystery books and watch crime shows - so figured if the information was good enough for Midsomer Murders or Quentin Jardine my stories could get away with it. The science I get from Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell It makes me more accurate usually than CSI - which as Boneman points out delights more people than it frustrates. For every few people peeved about the way you treat your horses, there will be more that don't know anymore than you do It's fiction and whilst it's important to try and get it right - I'd rather personally read a good story, if I want technically correct there are textbooks.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

My answer is the same as the one you've been hearing: research.

But research is not confined to what you look up in books or on the internet. It can include talking to people who are directly involved in whatever it is. For instance, as in your case, the policewoman. She may not be a good policewoman, but she will have been trained in the right procedures before being unleashed on the world.

Research might mean an actual visit to the place you are writing about. You say you don't know much about cities and rarely visit one. Go to a city, but take a notepad with you and record everything you see that might have a bearing on your story, or that might be used for local color. You may not use it all, but it will be there if you want it, and it may save you from making mistakes. It's not like taking a trip to the Sahara desert, you know. If a day or an afternoon soaking up the atmosphere of your nearest city is too distracting, then maybe the story isn't ready to be born yet, and it needs more time to gestate. Give it that time. And while you are waiting, nourish it with the research it needs to be born strong and healthy.

I know you are a go-with-the-first-inspiration type of writer and sometimes that serves you well, but perhaps you need to learn to be more flexible.

 

[Mouse]

I have to confess with this scenario to using other authors - I read mystery books and watch crime shows...

Another book I'm reading at the mo is about what happens when a body is found on a train. Can't actually remember what ended up happening to the body though!

My answer is the same as the one you've been hearing: research.

But research is not confined to what you look up in books or on the internet. It can include talking to people who are directly involved in whatever it is. For instance, as in your case, the policewoman. She may not be a good policewoman, but she will have been trained in the right procedures before being unleashed on the world.

Research might mean an actual visit to the place you are writing about. You say you don't know much about cities and rarely visit one. Go to a city, but take a notepad with you and record everything you see that might have a bearing on your story, or that might be used for local color. You may not use it all, but it will be there if you want it, and it may save you from making mistakes. It's not like taking a trip to the Sahara desert, you know. If a day or an afternoon soaking up the atmosphere of your nearest city is too distracting, then maybe the story isn't ready to be born yet, and it needs more time to gestate. Give it that time. And while you are waiting, nourish it with the research it needs to be born strong and healthy.

I know you are a go-with-the-first-inspiration type of writer and sometimes that serves you well, but perhaps you need to learn to be more flexible.

I probably do need to learn that and I will try harder!

Hopefully going to see a show in London for my birthday in May, so I'll have to take a notepad with me then.

Thankies!

 

[Ursa major]

What I've done with the discovery of the body, is skim over it. The character is so shook up that she can't remember much of what happened. So I've said that she spoke to police, but not said what she spoke about, and that she's now staying with a friend.

From experience, you dial 999 (in the UK) and ask for an ambulance, just in case the body isn't dead (yet). They, or the paramedics, will get the coroner involved.

(Having said that, some deaths are more obvious than others - an example off the top of my head: a beheading - so you might ask for the police first.)

The operator will probably ask a series of questions mixed in with suggesting some immediate actions you might take (though even with a case of beheading, I doubt they'd say, "Run away as fast as you can!" just in case you turned out to be the one wielding the axe or sword).

 

[AMB]

The operator will probably ask a series of questions mixed in with suggesting some immediate actions you might take (though even with a case of beheading, I doubt they'd say, "Run away as fast as you can!" just in case you turned out to be the one wielding the axe or sword).

And I bet the operator isn't even embarrassed when they hear that the police found two bodies when they arrived, one of which appeared to have just got off the phone. All because the person calling 999 'could' have been the bad guy...

 

[Cam Winstanley]

The Judge (Post 5) rejects simply skipping over research as not working for him but for me, it worked perfectly. I took four months off to write a complete novel so before the money ran out, I HAD to finish it. This meant an arbitrary number of words every day (I chose 2500) and resulted in a completed first draft that was littered with paragraphs saying //THERE NEEDS TO BE A BIT HERE THAT EXPLAINS BLAH BLAH, BLAH//.

It was only after I'd filled in the blanks during a second draft that I'd produced a readable story and it took four more drafts before I considered it finished, then another couple of years before I thought about putting it up on the Kindle store.

I'm on my second one now and still find research to be a distraction to writing. It's set in Phoenix, Arizona, a place I've spent a lot of time in but not one where I live. If I need a location that's an apartment complex near to a mall, I could spend ages looking on Google Streetview or I could simply type //CHANGE NAME OF STREET AS APPROPRIATE// and carry on writing.

This is how I do it. Whatever works for you, I guess.

 

[Ursa major]

And I bet the operator isn't even embarrassed when they hear that the police found two bodies when they arrived, one of which appeared to have just got off the phone. All because the person calling 999 'could' have been the bad guy...

I doubt they'd even be willing to shoulder some of the blame.

(I expect that the operator will think that someone capable of phoning up about a beheading is the kind of person who will be prepared show some neck.)

 

[AMB]

Strangely, I have found researching as I went gave me more ideas as to how my story should progress.

But really, I think it might be a good idea to pencil in a daily research time. That way you can research the things you need in short order without interrupting your writing time too terribly. If you don't need that time each day, don't use it, but remember you have it for when you want it.