Discussion: What Weird Research Have You Done for Your WIPs?

Photo credit: catherinecronin on Flickr

So some fellow Sweet Sixteeners (2016 debuts part of one of the debut groups I’m a member of) are blogging about weird research they’ve done for their books, and that sounded like a fun topic I haven’t really covered here, so! Weird research.

For Beyond the Red, specifically, I did have a lot of scattered research to do here and there while I was writing, and while some of it is spoilery and thus I can’t really blog about it, much of it is not. Including:

• Temperatures, wildlife, and flora of deserts around the world.
• Variations of different languages, both written and spoken, fantasy and real. 
• Variations of beliefs and rituals of major religions around the world. 
• Different kinds of (primarily sparring) weapons. 
• How certain nomadic people survive in the deserts. 
• How to calculate population growth over the course of several generations. 
• Tattoo styles.
• Different styles of dance, especially…
• FIRE DANCING

And finally, most recently, I found my Linguistics class—particularly the bit about how language evolves—quite useful when revising the book last week.

Granted, most of those aren’t weird except maybe fire dancing, which is more epic than weird, but nevertheless those are some of the things I researched while writing Red. What research have you done for your books?

Twitter-sized bite:

What fun or strange research have you done for your WIPs? Join the discussion on @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)

Vlog: How to Query: Research

So your WIP is fully revised and ready to go, which means it's time for querying! Sort of. Time for query prep. Here's how to get started.

RELATED LINKS:

• QueryTracker
• AgentQuery
• Literary Rambles
• Query Tip: Do Your Research

What tips or resources do you have for writers researching agents? 

Twitter-size bite: 

Getting ready to query but don't know where to start? @Ava_Jae vlogs about the first step: researching agents. (Click to tweet)

On Representation and Research

Photo credit: Steve Goodyear on Flickr

So I’m taking this Creative Writing class focused on the short story. Which has been interesting, because, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t often write short stories. Anyway.

In this class, we critique each other’s work (I know, shocking, right?). And semi-recently, one of my classmates wrote a story focusing on a character with mental illness (OCD and possibly depression) and we had a class critique. 

And some of the suggestions for how the writer could make her mentally ill character more realistic? They made me cringe. Visibly. They were physically painful to my ears you guys, because they were so horrifically stereotypical. 

Not wanting to jump into full lecture mode in the middle of class, I nicely suggested the writer do research before adding anything in. A lot of research. 

I’m going to say here what I couldn’t really get into in class. 

I am of the firm belief that representation of all types of minorities in the media is incredibly important. And I totally 100% encourage writers to do their darndest to represent the world we live in, not the white-washed able-bodied neurotypical world so often portrayed in the media. 

But the thing is, there’s a right and wrong way to do representation, and trying to write a minority without doing tons of research is, quite frankly, disrespectful. And damaging. And painfully obvious.

Look, writing about any kind of minority group you’re not a part of (or hell, even one you are a part of) is scary. And it’s tough. And the thought that someone might read it and call you out on things you got wrong is terrifying. But you know what? People will call you out if it’s obvious you didn’t do your research, and they should. 

I don’t care what you’re writing about, but if you rely on stereotypes to inform your writing, not only are you doing it wrong, not only are you being lazy, but you’re damaging the community you’re attempting to represent. Perpetuating stereotypes is not something to take lightly. Ever. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying your representation has to be perfect in your first draft (I mean, is anything perfect in the first draft? Obviously not). I’m also not saying that you shouldn’t bother attempting to include diverse characters in your WIP, or that it’s impossible for writers to get it right. 

I’m not saying any of that. 

What I am saying is you need to do your research. And a hell of a lot of it. You need to do whatever you can to learn as much about that community as possible—learn about the pre-existing stereotypes, learn about the things the media often gets wrong, learn about the realities of whatever minority you’re writing about, and don’t stop. If possible, try to get feedback from the community—many writers do specific calls for certain types of beta readers to help with that exactly. 

Because the truth is whatever community you’re trying to represent wants you to get it right. We all do. But you need to put the work in, and you need to be respectful, and you need to understand that your perspective on that community may not be entirely accurate. You also need to understand that even after all that research and even with your best intentions, you might still get things wrong. 

But most of all, don’t for a second think you can accurately portray any sort of minority without doing a ton of research. It’s not a step you can skip. The stakes are just too high. 

Have you ever written diverse characters into your WIPs? What suggestions or tips do you have? 

Twitter-sized bites: 

.@Ava_Jae says you can't "accurately portray any sort of minority without doing a ton of research." Thoughts?  (Click to tweet)  

Writer @Ava_Jae says there's a right and wrong way to represent minorities in your writing. What do you think? (Click to tweet)  

When diversifying your writing, "perpetuating stereotypes is not something to take lightly. Ever." (Click to tweet)

Writing Discussion: When Do You Research Your Novel?

Photo credit: Nomadic Lass on Flickr

I’ve been thinking about researching, specifically, researching for a WIP. 

Whether you’re writing a fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary, romance, thriller or something else entirely, some form of research usually comes into play, whether it’s looking up how long it takes a bone to heal, or what the weather is like in Arkansas. 

For me, my research tends to come in three stages:

1. Brainstorming. This is the initial research done while developing the book idea. Researching in this stage tends to be more for purposes of inspiration (Pinterest comes in handy), and the amount of research depends pretty heavily on the idea. For me, it varies anywhere from 100% inspiration fun, to more detailed what is this country/time period/culture like?


2. Quick search. This is the research I’ll do while writing the actual WIP. Usually, as the title indicates, it’s a quick Google search to answer a question or double-check a fact, and it most times it only takes a couple minutes.


3. Filling in the gaps. This is more intensive research done while revising. In this stage, I’ll really get into fact-checking and I’ll gather as many details as I can to add some verisimilitude to the writing. Whatever question marks, blanks or uncertain elements I incorporated into the first draft will be ironed out in this stage. 

With a few exceptions, I complete most of my research in the revision stages, but it varies from WIP to WIP. However, I’m curious about your process: when do you get the bulk of your novel research done? 

Twitter-sized bites: 

When do you do the bulk of your novel research? Join the discussion at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)  

What is your novel researching process like? Share your experience at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)