Mini Workshop: Research

While many, many romance writers are enjoying themselves at the RWA National Conference in California this week, we’re here, in our respective homes, “Left Behind & Loving It.” As part of the LB&LI celebration(?), I’m going to be talking about a topic near and dear to my nerdy little heart: research.

How this will work - I’ll post my “workshop” information here, then I hope you’ll all participate by asking questions in the comments. I’ll be checking them and answering questions, so we can explore the topic in more detail and in the directions you’re interested in. Without further ado, let’s talk about research…

So you’re writing a book where the heroine is a rocket scientist. Only one problem: you’re not. What to do?  

You want to make sure your heroine is believable as a rocket scientist. She needs to say smart things and talk about her latest research project as if she knows what she’s talking about, right? Or maybe her latest project is something integral to the plot of the book. You need to brush up on the facts quick or your heroine won’t be credible and your plot might just fall apart.

Enter: a mad dash to the library! Or I suppose nowadays, most of us would rely on the sometimes-questionable information to be found online. Speaking as a professional librarian (one of my many past careers), I’d have to give you the following advice on how to approach your research projects…

1. Plan Your Attack. You have several choices for where to get your research material and you’ll need to decide how deep you want (and/or need) to go into the topic. If you’re researching a factoid that will get only a brief mention in your story, then I wouldn’t waste three days researching it. But that’s just me. Now, if your entire plot depends on a retrovirus that attacks mitochondrial DNA, I suggest you might want to spend some time learning the difference between RNA/DNA and bacterias/viruses (both personal pet peeves of mine). Here are some of the ways you could choose to research a topic:

a. Library Research - goto the local library and harass the reference librarian (we just LOVE you guys asking us impossible questions) to help you find several tomes or articles on your topic.

b. Bookstore - goto the book store and harass the bookseller or browse the shelves to find some expensive books you might never use again. Personally, I only buy research books if I know it’s a topic I’ll use again and again.

For example, if you’re writing historicals set in the Regency era, I understand the book “The Prince of Pleasure” by J.B. Priestly is one of those fascinating tomes that will give you insight into the life and times of that period. Regency writers should probably buy that one and keep it on the shelf next to their computer. Other historical texts could be useful if you’re writing anything that borrows from history.

c. Internet Research - fire up the modem and type your query into Google, Yahoo or the search engine of your choice. BE VERY CAREFUL of your results because unlike a published hardcopy book, your chances of getting erroneous, false, misleading, or just plain wrong information are exponentially higher due to the nature of the internet.

You should always vet your sources for internet information. Places like Wikipedia can be entertaining and sometimes helpful, but the entries are written by folks like you and me, so mistakes can creep in - or are sometimes put in deliberately. BEWARE. You’re better off trying to find a more trustworthy source for online information, such as university websites or commercial sites specializing in vetted (professionally written and edited) information. An example of a commercial site would be something like WebMD, which is useful for medical information.

This topic is a hot one and has been since the inception of the internet. Likely it will remain a hot topic for years to come. Here are some sites for further reading on this topic:

http://www.hopetillman.com/findqual.html

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webeval.html

http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/critical/index.htm

2. Research Strategies. There are many ways to go about finding the information you need. Try to think of key words pertaining to your topic and use them in several different combinations. Let’s limit oursevles for the purposes of this discussion to database searching. In a library or bookstore setting, you can get help to either do this kind of searching for you or be pointed toward the shelvse where you can actually browse through book titles. But when you’re searching the ‘net, more than likely you’re on your own. So here’s a good method to start your search:

a. Make a List of Key Words. Depending on your topic, you may have a wide array of key words. Try to think outside the box and start with a very broad list of key words. You can always narrow your parameters later. If you’re having a hard time thinking of words, try using a thesaurus. Sometimes that can help.

b. Where to Search? You can try Google, Yahoo or the search engine of your choice, but don’t pass up resources like online library catalogs and even bookseller sites. A quick Amazon or Barnes & Noble search will probably net you a list of titles that look interesting and the ability to read a little bit about the book.

c. Locate the Book. You can find likely books on Amazon or B&N, but remember, you don’t necessarily have to buy the book. You can take the list of likely candidates to a different search engine and search for specific books and which libraries might have them. You can search your local library database, but by far the best place to go (without leaving home) is the WorldCat site.

www.worldcat.org

This site gives you the ability to search a huge number of library databases all at once. You can search by title, author, keyword, ISBN, and even subject. I prefer to already have a title and author in mind when I search WorldCat because the sheer number of results on a keyword search can be daunting. WorldCat will list every library that has your book, and even how far away it is from you (in miles) if you’ve registered. For a common book, that will narrow down your list of libraries and chances are, you’ll find one near you. If not, you’re forearmed when you march into your local library and ask if they can interlibrary loan the book for you.

3. Don’t Overdo It. In other words, don’t spend more time researching than actually writing. If a particular idea requires you to get a Ph.D. in nuclear physics to pull off credibly, then I don’t know about you, but I’d look for a different idea. There are millions of ways to make your plot work. Don’t tie yourself to one idea over which you will agonize in the research process. Some people get so bogged down doing research, they never seem to write. I’d beware of that pitfall, but that’s just me.

4. Create a Cheat Sheet. Sometimes it’s helpful to have the pertinent factoids readily accessible when you actually sit down to write. Your very own “Cliffs Notes” if you will, on your chosen topic. Now, you could just keep the bulky books lying around all over your desk, but when you need a fact, you’d have to page through them. Post-its work nicely for placeholders and you can scribble on them so you know what place they’re holding, but wouldn’t it be easier to just have a sheet or two of notes you can use as a quick reference? I’d suggest putting book titles and page numbers next to the quick facts you copy down on your cheat sheets so you can find the information easily if you need to clarify or double check something.

5. Write! Often, questions about facts will arise as you write. My approach is to keep writing and leave some kind of placeholder in the questionable area, then go back and check my fact later. (Sometimes it’s impossible to do this, I know.) I find if I have to stop, pull out the books, look up the info, then try to go back and start writing again, the process becomes painful. Or worse, I get sucked into the research and never go back to actually writing that day. So, if at all possible, it’s best to let the writing flow (if it’s flowing) and go back later to insert the factoid you needed. I mark my text using the highlight feature in Word. I actually colorcode to some extent - red for BIG questions/problems and other colors for lesser things.

So that’s it in a nutshell. There’s lots more to talk about on this topic, so feel free to ask questions in the comments. And to encourage comments, I’ll be selecting one winner at random from those who post a comment to win a free PDF download of my novella, “Perfect.”

Wallpaper Wednesdays

Here’s another scene of dragony daring-do…

Dragon Isle II
640 x 480 - 800 x 600 - 1024 x 768

DON’T FORGET! Next Wednesday, August 6th, we’re having an all-day chat party on my Yahoo group. We’ll be talking books with a number of my author friends who’ll be dropping by to post excerpts and hang out at various points during the day. Stop by when you can and join in the fun. We’ll have lots of excerpts and contest, prizes and a whole lot more!

Mini Workshop on Research for Writers - Thursday!

We had thunderstorms here ALL DAY yesterday, which was not at all normal. I couldn’t get online all day. Oh! The horror! *gasp*

But the bigger news is that I’ll be doing a mini workshop here on the blog this Thursday, all about research. Some of you may know that I was a reference librarian in a former career (I have a lot of those), so research is something near and dear to my little nerdy heart.

The workshop will cover where to find the best information and strategies for how to use it. I’ll be answering questions posted in the comments, so we’ll be able to interact and I’ll also be giving away a free ebook to those who actually get up the gumption to comment.

We’ll be having Wallpaper Wednesday, as scheduled, then Thursday is the workshop post, so stay tuned!

Legends & Lore: Fairy Rings

First, here’s what Wiki has to say on the subject, in part:

A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms…Fairy rings also occupy a prominent place in European folklore as the location of gateways into elfin kingdoms, or places where elves gather and dance.

It is said that there are about 40 to 60 mushroom species which can grow in the fairy ring pattern. The best known is the edible Scotch bonnet (Marasmius oreades), which is commonly known as the fairy ring champignon.

One of the largest rings ever found is in France. Formed by Clitocybe geotropa, it is thought to be about 800 m in diameter and over 700 years old.

On the South Downs in southern England, Calocybe gambosa has formed huge fairy rings which appear to be several hundred years old.

…they are known as ronds de sorciers (”sorcerers’ rings”) in France, and hexenringe (”witches’ rings”) in German. In German tradition, fairy rings were thought to mark the site of witches’ dancing on Walpurgis Night, and Dutch superstition claimed that the circles show where the Devil set his milk churn. In the Tyrol, folklore attributed fairy rings to the fiery tales of flying dragons; once a dragon had created such a circle, nothing but toadstools could grow there for seven years. European superstitions routinely warned against entering a fairy ring. French tradition reported that fairy rings were guarded by giant bug-eyed toads that cursed those who violated the circles. In other parts of Europe, entering a fairy ring resulted in the loss of an eye. Outside of Europe, fairy rings are associated with diminutive spirits in the Philippines.

Scandinavian and Celtic traditions claimed that fairy rings are the result of elves or fairies dancing. Such ideas dated to at least the mediæval period; The Middle English term elferingewort (”elf-ring”), meaning “a ring of daisies caused by elves’ dancing” dates to the 12th century.

One of my favorite paintings is by the pre-Raphaelite artist, John William Waterhouse, depicting fairies dancing in a fairy ring.

Rings of all kinds are great devices when writing epic fantasy. I’ve used stone circles in my paranormal books as well. The circle is a powerful geometric shape and lends its special magic to fiction readily.

Whatever the scientific reason for mushrooms growing in a circle, it still seems somehow like magic. Even when the trick is revealed, we still marvel at the magician. In this case, even when science decides why these things happen, I think many of us will still be enchanted at the wonder of nature.

Although I’ve never seen a fairy ring in person, I’ve always wondered if I’d have the nerve to step into it if I somehow came across one. Would you?

Off-Topic: Pickens

I’m going to take just a moment here to say something semi-political, though that’s generally not my style. Those of you who know me, know I’m a native NY’er with a deep love of country and Capitalism, which makes me something of a political hybrid. My friends in Boston call me Conservative while folks down South think I have some liberal social views. But when it comes to money, I’m a Capitalist. Don’t forget, I worked on Wall Street for a while right before 9/11. I’m a strong believer in leaving the money with the people who earn it — not redistributing it according to some politician’s ideas of what’s right. I earned it. I know what to do with it. Sheesh! But don’t get me started…

Here’s something I think is worth listening to:

Now, I haven’t figured out what his angle is yet. I’m suspicous by nature, so when somebody spends millions on advertising, etc, I always wonder if it’s going to be another John-Corzine-like takeover of a state government or something. (For those who don’t know about NJ’s governor - he’s a very rich man who used his own money to run tons of ads supposedly to educate taxpayers before he ever ran for office - it seems now that was just a way to make himself famous so people would vote for him.)

But I watched the video on pickensplan.com and was impressed by the numbers. Our Canadian friends use a lot of natural gas to power their vehicles and I think it’s a good way to go. On Long Island, where I live, most of the bus fleet has been converted to natural gas and they’re still somewhat noisy, but not as disgustingly dirty and smelly as those old diesel busses. It might be something to consider. So if you’ve seen the commercials and thought about going to the site, I encourage you to do so. His ideas have some merit and those idiots in Congress won’t do anything useful unless the people threaten to vote them out. We need to do SOMETHING to get them motivated to do the right thing. Otherwise they’ll just sit on their asses launching investigations into useless crap for the rest of our lives instead of fixing the problems we have NOW.

Oops - got a little vehement there. Sorry. Now, about those pretty windmills… I’ve actually seen thim in operation in both California and Pennsylvania. I think they’re beautiful. But then, I’m part Dutch, so I guess windmills are in my blood. LOL. Still, I don’t know why anyone would object to them. They’re pretty to watch - almost like looking at fish swim around an aquarium, they’re very peaceful to see moving slowly through the wind - and they use a resource we have in abundance to generate the power we so desperately need to keep our country running. I think they’re a win-win situation. I also like solar energy, but there are only a few parts of the country really suitable for producing it on a steady basis. So let’s turn the desert into a big mirror, eh? LOL!

I hope you don’t mind my injecting a little bit of reality into our discussions here, but I think this is worth talking about. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Wallpaper Wednesdays

Here’s another dragon portrait - one of the very first dragons I wrote about, Kelzy, mother of Kelvan…

Lady Kelzy - Scales
800 x 600 - 1024 x 768 - 1280 x 1024 - 1600 x 1200

HOW TO USE: Click on the size you want, then right-click to “Set as Background” on most systems.

FireDrake is #1 Top Reader Rated at ARe!

I just happened to wander over to AllRomanceeBooks.com and noticed that my book, FireDrake, is at the top of the Top 10 List of Reader Rated books. I’m just THRILLED!!! It was on the Top 10 Best Seller list soon after its release and now it’s climbed all the way to the top of the ratings list.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a book at the top of the ratings list, so this is a real milestone for me. Thank you to all who read and rated the book on ARe!

Legends & Lore: Toadstools

I’ve always wondered where the word “toadstool” comes from. It turns out that the words toadstool an mushroom have been used interchangably for many, many years. However, most people seem to think of poisonous fungi as toadstools and the edible ones as mushrooms. Of course, it’s my no means settled. I assume different areas of the country or parts of the world will see it differently.

The Wiki entry on the subject conjectures that the word toadstool came from the association of poisonous toads with the poisonous fungi. I prefer to think of what I call the “Thumbelina” explanation. Even toads need a place to sit, don’t they?

Perhaps because of my visits to the Netherlands, I tend to associate the red toadstools with white dots with gnomes and fairies. It makes perfect sense to me that a frog prince would sit on a toadstool while holding court with his subjects of the forest. How about you?

Vid: Otters Holding Hands

This is one of my all-time favorite YouTube videos…

Wallpaper Wednesdays

I’ve been experimenting with some great dragonscale backgrounds I recently accuired. Eventually, I’d like to do a series of dragon “portraits” something like the following, but it’s still in the drawing-board stage. In the meantime, here’s the first of my new, higher-resolution, larger sized wallpapers…

Black Dragon Scales
800 x 600 - 1024 x 768 - 1280 x 1024 - 1600 x 1200

HOW TO USE: Click on the size you want, then right-click to “Set as Background” on most systems.