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mary rosenblum
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Hello all!
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mary rosenblum
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Welcome to our Tuesday Forum.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about Research, today. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me
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mary rosenblum
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I thought this might be a good
time to talk about research and its relationship to what you are writing.
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mary rosenblum
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Research is critical if you're
writing nonfiction of course...
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mary rosenblum
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especially in this age of
recent problems with falsified 'facts' in the media.
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mary rosenblum
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But it's equally important in
fiction, where reader reaction affects your sales.
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mary rosenblum
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On the other hand, it CAN
become a nice way to avoid actually writing the novel, submitting it, and
having to face the potential of rejection. :-)
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lore alley
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LOL. that's for sure, Mary. I've
dubbed myself a "professional researcher"
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, you are not alone, lore.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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It's a great way to avoid
writing. :-)
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andi
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I needed some information on the
year 1878. I was reading a timetravel novel and found information about how
the house was furnished, outside like the trees
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mary rosenblum
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Andi, you need to be a bit
careful there.
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mary rosenblum
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If you use a fiction story as
your 'research' you are depending on THAT author to have done his/her
homework.
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mary rosenblum
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But what if that author did
not, and readers were turned off by it and stopped buying his/her books?
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mary rosenblum
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You have no way to know that,
but if you use that author's research and it is wrong, you too, will
suffer.
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mary rosenblum
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If you use Perry Mason books,
for example, to base your attorney POV's life on...you are in deep trouble.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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I like to use personal
narratives written by people who experienced the time, place, that I am
writing about...
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mary rosenblum
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but even there, I like to
double check with factual material.
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geezer
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I used a person's journal for my
SS on the dust bowl.
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mary rosenblum
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Exactly.
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mary rosenblum
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That kind of thing is very
useful since you get a person's feelings, thoughts, personal experiences...
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mary rosenblum
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and if you couple that with
some factual material, you'll usually have a very sound platform of
information.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about Research, today. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me
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andi
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thanks, Mary, I'll double check
somewhere.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a good idea, Andi.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about Research, today. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me
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davidpro4
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How many primary sources or
researches is it ideal to have?
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mary rosenblum
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You have to use your
judgement, david, in terms of how complete the information is...
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mary rosenblum
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the background of the source
provider (author, interviewee, whatever)...
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mary rosenblum
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and whether it answers all
your questions. I find that it usually takes me several sources...
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mary rosenblum
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before I've obtained all the
details I need for my piece. Sometimes I have to use a lot of sources...
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mary rosenblum
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if information tends to be
sparse or incomplette.
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beryl
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My MC was shot in the head, my
neurologist said he would make sure I had the effects and recovery
accurate. Do I need more info?
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mary rosenblum
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That should be fine, beryl,
and good for you for doing that. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Too many novice writers just
sort of guess about the effects of illness or trauma or...worse yet...
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mary rosenblum
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they use TV effects they've
seen. NOT a good idea!
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mary rosenblum
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If a medical condition plays a
role, by all means find some doctor somewhere who can tell you if you get
the details right or not.
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mary rosenblum
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One of the things that can
sell your novel for you is accuracy in your details.
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mary rosenblum
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If an editor has to choose
between your book and one other and your book includes accurate details
while the other one...
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mary rosenblum
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uses generic guesses, the
editor will buy yours.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about Research, today. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me
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mary rosenblum
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And research can pay off for
you in other ways.
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mary rosenblum
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I ended up on a bunch of
science panels at the writers conference I just attended...
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mary rosenblum
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with NASA employees, Physics
PhDs, and other assorted scary professionals. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But I had done a LOT of
research into areas of science related to long term space habitat...
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mary rosenblum
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and I was able to participate
in the panels with these real experts on pretty equal footing...
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mary rosenblum
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and picked up a lot of new
readers that way.
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mary rosenblum
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If I had sat up there and been
silent or made stupid comments, I sure would not have.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about Research, today. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me
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mary rosenblum
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I got a question via email
from someone who couldn't make it in person today:
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mary rosenblum
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When creating your world, how
important is it to know how hay and wheat are farmed? Where the nearest
mine for iron is? Do we need to focus on these details even though they
won't directly be in the story? I have a palace/castle on a mountain in my
story. Do I need to do the research how it would have been built?
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mary rosenblum
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These are backstory details
and it really does help your story if you do know a lot of these details.
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mary rosenblum
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While they may not bear
directly on your plot, they allow you to create a world that seems much...
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mary rosenblum
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more real than a 'generic
fantasy agricultural' setting.
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mary rosenblum
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You can slip those details
into the scenes and they make your world unique.
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mary rosenblum
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Your MC might notice the
hand-hewn stone blocks...
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mary rosenblum
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or see a bunch of serfs
rolling huge stones along on peeled saplings to repair a ruined wall...
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mary rosenblum
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and even though it's just
visual background to the story, it adds layers of complexity and reality to
the setting.
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janp
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Did he like his bourbon or
didn't he touch alcohol? Two points of opposition; both by well published
authors. Which to choose?
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mary rosenblum
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Do you mean that you found
contradictory 'facts', Janp?
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janp
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You bettcha.
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mary rosenblum
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Then you're going to have to
do one of two things...
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mary rosenblum
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If you want the 'real' truth,
you'll have to do more research and see which piece of information...
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mary rosenblum
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is better supported. OR, you
simply choose the version that suits what you're doing. It depends...
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mary rosenblum
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on what you are writing and
how important the actual truth is to that piece.
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mary rosenblum
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But with that much variation
between 'facts' I think I, myself, would dig a little deeper...
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mary rosenblum
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and see which of the two
accounts seemed most likely to be accurate.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about Research, today. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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shelli
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So, how far, then do you go into
these outlying details?
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mary rosenblum
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I usually find a LOT of 'em,
shelli. As many as I can.
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mary rosenblum
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It's the old iceberg
analogy...(my favorite)... I know the 'iceberg' worth of details...
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mary rosenblum
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about that time/place/area of
science...
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mary rosenblum
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but only the tip of that
iceberg ends up in my story.
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janp
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This was historical and played a
large part in identifying his character.
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mary rosenblum
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Then I really would try to
figure out which account is the accurate one, janp.
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janp
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I found only one contradiction
but it was be a well known historian and jolted me into further exploration
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mary rosenblum
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There you go. And I'm
impressed if you only found ONE contradiction! I have a friend who writes
historical mystery...
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mary rosenblum
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and she finds LOTS of
contradticions.
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geezer
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Save what is not used for the
next story.
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, that's always a good plan,
geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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You now have a pool of
research that can be used for many things.
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janecj333
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Most of us don't know how many
tanker trucks and shipping container loads it takes to support a generic
contemporary agricultural setting, much less one in fantasy/history
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mary rosenblum
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But you should know it, Jane.
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mary rosenblum
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That kind of information is
out there, and it's what makes the difference between a 'generic' universe
and a rich one.
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mary rosenblum
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One of the reasons that Tor
Books put my novel Horizon up as their market leader this year...
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mary rosenblum
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was because my future universe
was as deeply researched as it is...
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mary rosenblum
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they felt that made it stand
out from the generic future SF out there.
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mary rosenblum
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And when you research, say,
that agricultural economy today...which is of course, quite doable..
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mary rosenblum
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you can reasonably extrapolate
to the fantasy or historical agricultural village.
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speckledorf
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Another way research pays off is
it inspires other ideas. Or for me it does anyway.
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mary rosenblum
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Oh yes.
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mary rosenblum
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Often, the facts that you
uncover in your research may suggest a whole new story to you. :-)
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beryl
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To keep balanced, would you
recommend one hour a day of writing, even when doing research
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mary rosenblum
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Well, it depends on what stage
you're at, beryl.
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mary rosenblum
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I have found over the years,
that I'm most efficient if I divide my reasearch into 'background' and
'foreground' research.
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mary rosenblum
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In otherwords, I have to do a
certain amount of basic research before I can write the first draft.
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mary rosenblum
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I have to know what my
universe is like, whether it's real world and I'm researching what a
landscape gardener does...
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mary rosenblum
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on his day job and what a
particular town is like...
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mary rosenblum
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or building the ecology of
Europa.
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mary rosenblum
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I can't have my characters
really do anything until I have a rough knowelge of where/when/who/.
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mary rosenblum
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But then, I get started.
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mary rosenblum
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As I go along, I may leave
lots of little, bracketed [insert details here] notes in scenes...
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mary rosenblum
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where I realize I need to find
out what stores are on this block, what apple growers do in March, how
often the magnetic field of Europa shifts...those kinds of things.
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mary rosenblum
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But my story can still move
forward.
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mary rosenblum
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I fill in that research later
on, when I know what details I need and which ones I do not need.
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mary rosenblum
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That way, I'm working on the
book or the story at the same time I'm doing the research.
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mary rosenblum
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Most of those details go in at
the second draft stage.
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mary rosenblum
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When I began writing, I did
ALL my research first and ended up spending way more time than I needed,
since I acquired tons of details I never used...
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mary rosenblum
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and always found that I had
missed details I actually needed and had to go find them later, anyway.
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gskearney
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So there's a very basic
difference between details that add scene and details that drive plot, and
it pays to know the difference? --gk
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mary rosenblum
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Yes. And it will certainly
save you some time, gary.
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mary rosenblum
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Now you may run into a need
for details that can't wait until draft two..
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mary rosenblum
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then you just stop and find
out what you need, then get rolling again.
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beryl
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It seems the [ insert details
later ] would help expert know what information I need
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mary rosenblum
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It does indeed, beryl.
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mary rosenblum
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And you can use your find
feature to spot those. [computer tip here]
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mary rosenblum
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Just search for that word
string. Saves you paging through 400 pages of ms.
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sojourner
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Isn't it also important to
research a place you've visited, to help get a more complete view and avoid
personal bias coloring your descriptions?
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mary rosenblum
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It can often give you a much
deeper insight to that place, sojourner.
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mary rosenblum
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When you visit a town, you're
going to have valuable 'first impressions' that will help convey that town
to the readers...
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mary rosenblum
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as if they had visited.
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mary rosenblum
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But if you know a lot more
about the town...what the people mostly do for their livings, what is the
political climate...
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mary rosenblum
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waht are the local concerns,
the history, the socioeconomic makeup...
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mary rosenblum
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you can sneak some of those
details in as your characters interact...
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mary rosenblum
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and it will deepen the
setting.
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mary rosenblum
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It won't be a painted
backdrop, but will feel like a real place.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about Research, today. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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beryl
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My MC is being terrorized. She
consults a security expert (which is going to help me), how much detail is
too much detail about this subject?
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mary rosenblum
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Whatever fits your character's
(and the story's) needs, beryl.
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mary rosenblum
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You have to keep your
characterization in mind here.
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mary rosenblum
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If your MC consults the
security expert, what is she concerned with? Her safety.
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mary rosenblum
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She is under stress...she
wants to hear how he can keep her safe, but might not want to hear...
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mary rosenblum
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about all the details of the
security industry in general.
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dub cooper
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So essentially, details that add
scene are salt and pepper, while plot details are meat and potatoes?
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mary rosenblum
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That's a good way to put it,
dub. And the more specific and less generic your details...
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mary rosenblum
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the more you're adding thyme,
curry, rosemary...rather than just salt and pepper. :-)
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geezer
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I visited a canyon like the one
in my SS. There were cougar tracks in the mud. I added that tho my SS and
it increased the drama.
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mary rosenblum
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Yep...that's one of those
'salt and pepper' or 'rosemary' details...
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mary rosenblum
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You need to use specific
details all the time anyway.
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mary rosenblum
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lunch is bland.
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mary rosenblum
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A tuna salad on a bagel is
more specific.
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mary rosenblum
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A plate of oysters at
McCormick and Schmick's while the Rose Festival fleet parades under
Portland's bridges is 'rosemary'.
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janecj333
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How do you avoid setting your
story someplace that will make the reader roll his eyes? If I ever sat down
to read a mystery and found it was set in Tacoma or Sumner or little
Eatonville, WA I'd put it back on the shelf. Boring.
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mary rosenblum
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Well,you're actually in the
minority, Jane.
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mary rosenblum
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Amazingly, perhaps, a local
setting really increases sales in that area.
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mary rosenblum
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People really like to visit
the place they read about...and if they live there, they really like to see
how the author portrayed their town.
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mary rosenblum
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Even if we're just talking the
state, you'll see increased sales within that state.
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mary rosenblum
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Part of it may be that readers
want to see if you did your homework. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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So do it!
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janecj333
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Maybe that interest is morbid
curiosity?
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mary rosenblum
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It really isn't.
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mary rosenblum
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People LOVE to see their 'home
town' on the public stage.
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mary rosenblum
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I was pleasantly surprised by
this, actually.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a much larger force than
I would have guessed, but I"ve since heard from other...
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mary rosenblum
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authors and editors that it's
pretty typically true.
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mary rosenblum
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Of course, an exotic setting
is also a big selling point.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can do it
realistically, rather than generically.
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mary rosenblum
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If your novel is set in Taiwan
or Greenland...
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mary rosenblum
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and it really comes to life
for the reader, so that they think you MUST have lived there...
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mary rosenblum
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that's a plus, too.
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gskearney
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I think it's like any other
details in your story. It lets the reader make a direct personal
connection. --gk
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mary rosenblum
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That's probably it, gary. They
can really see themselves 'in' that locally-set novel. :-)_
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mary rosenblum
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People like to visit the cafe
you mention or walk down the street where the climax took place.
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sojourner
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That's true. I lvoe the fact you
garden mysteries are set near Hood River, because I've often driven through
the area.
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mary rosenblum
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That's how I discovered just
how major a factor that is. :-) Surprised me at the time.
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tory
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Mary--what about those exotic
locations? Can you get enough from travel books, etc? I'm not sure I'm up
for a research trip to Eastern Europe?
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mary rosenblum
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You can, Tory, if you work at
it and your location is not so remote that you can't find any information.
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mary rosenblum
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The key is 'local specifics'.
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mary rosenblum
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The small details
matter...what the streets look like, what is it like when it rains, what is
it like in midwinter...
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mary rosenblum
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who is out? What do people do
all day?
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mary rosenblum
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Where do they gather, what is
going on in the background.
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mary rosenblum
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This is where personal memoir
can really help you.
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lorib
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have you ever used the camber of
commerce to find details of an area?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh yes.
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mary rosenblum
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Chamber of commerce, childrens
services department, sheriff's office, whatever local professionals were
applicable...
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mary rosenblum
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It's easier if you can do it
in person, but you can usually establish a phone or email connection...
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mary rosenblum
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although people ARE more
suspicious in this age of phishing.
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mary rosenblum
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So you have to be a bit
persistant.
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lore alley
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phishing??
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mary rosenblum
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trying to get people to reveal
personal information that can be used in identity theft.
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mary rosenblum
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But one great source is your
local AAA outlet.
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mary rosenblum
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If you have a AAA membership,
they have great travel books...
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mary rosenblum
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that include photos, maps,
where to eat, where to stay, what to do, information.
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mary rosenblum
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And they're free to members.
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mary rosenblum
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Check blogs, too.
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mary rosenblum
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That's a HUGE new resource.
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janecj333
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I have to admit that novels in
which the author got every detail of living on Mars absolutely correct in
triplicate irk me. There's no room left for story with pages so overcrowded
with 'facts'. But reading a story set on a plausibly Earth-like world, with
well-thought-out ecology , lets me imagine and enjoy.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about Research, today. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This is a lovely example of
what you must beware of when you're doing research.
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mary rosenblum
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When you've found all those
lovely details, it is SO hard not to put them all in.
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mary rosenblum
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But too many wonderful details
will drown your story.
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mary rosenblum
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That's something you have to
pay attention to on the third pass or so...
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mary rosenblum
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the pacing of each
scene...does it flow?
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mary rosenblum
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Does it bog down in detail?
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mary rosenblum
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If so, choose the ones that
have the most impact and ruthlessly cut the rest.
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dub cooper
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Everything depends on how you
use details, the story,"The Things They Carried", is nothing more
than a list of details. But it works.
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mary rosenblum
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And that pretty much sums up
this wonderful, hard-to-define, craft of writing.
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mary rosenblum
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Everything depends on how you
do it...
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mary rosenblum
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Anything is possible.
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mary rosenblum
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That does not mean everything
you try will work. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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When you're first starting
out, it is highly unlikely that you will really know whether you have too
much or too little detail.
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mary rosenblum
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Er on the side of too much.
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mary rosenblum
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Go ahead and put everything in
that you want to put in.
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mary rosenblum
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It's generally a lot easier to
pare out information, leaving your story intact, than to add information...
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mary rosenblum
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and then need to bend the plot
structure in order to make room for it.
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mary rosenblum
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Depend a lot on feedback from
multiple readers.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember that some people love
detail and some people would prefer that all fiction..
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mary rosenblum
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contained only action and
dialogue and nothing else.
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mary rosenblum
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Most readers fall between the
two extremes...
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mary rosenblum
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If you give your story to five
readers and four of 'em tell you it seemed kind of slow...too much detail...
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mary rosenblum
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and the other says, oh this is
just right, I really could see the world so perfectly.
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mary rosenblum
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Nice as that fifth comment is,
I'd probably trim some detail.
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mary rosenblum
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That's why the more readers
you hear from, at first, the better you'll probably do.
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mary rosenblum
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Later on, when you yourself
are more clear as to what is too much and what is too little...
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mary rosenblum
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you can get by with fewer
comments.
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mary rosenblum
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But it takes a fair amount of
practice to become at all objective about your own work...
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mary rosenblum
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and a fair amount of practice
to really 'see' the mechanics of your work...
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mary rosenblum
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so that you can actually see
what is happening in each scene.
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mary rosenblum
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We all start out writing for
'feels right'. This scene 'feels right'. You can't analyze WHY it's
right...or not right.
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mary rosenblum
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Later on, you begin to
understand 'why' things work, and then you make them work more
consistently.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about Research, today. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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janecj333
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As much as I'd like to be well
thought of by editors, I seem to be drawn to develop story ideas that are
on the fringe. Thinking I was going to write a sf story for a polar science
anthology (and the current wisdom is it's all going to melt), there is a niggling
little presence out there that says warming can trigger dramatic cooling
and ice age. That intrigues me.
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mary rosenblum
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So write about that.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors don't have any agenda
about what you say...
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mary rosenblum
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not in SF...as long as you say
it plausibly.
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mary rosenblum
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And that's where you have to
do the research.
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mary rosenblum
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The fringe is often the very
best place to be in SF...as long as you have plausible science behind your
fringe location.
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mary rosenblum
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Notice I said plausible, not
real.
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lorib
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I read somewhere, all the
research you've done does not have to go into the "One" piece.
Often you can make another article (story) out of it. They called it double
dipping.
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, no kidding!
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mary rosenblum
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LOL...
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mary rosenblum
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I figure on about three
stories for every batch of research.
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mary rosenblum
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I'll probably get better than
ten from the research I"ve done for the upcoming novel and the next
one!
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mary rosenblum
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At LEAST ten.
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mary rosenblum
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And in NF, that's how you pay
the bills.
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mary rosenblum
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One batch of research...five
or more articles.
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mary rosenblum
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(I'm already up
to...lessee...I think six sold stories from my novel reasearch so
far...yeah, I'll exceed 10. LOL)
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mary rosenblum
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Often, the research itself
will suggest a new story.
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janecj333
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Editors are human, though, and
agenda is what humans are all about.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't understand, Jane.
While editors do have personal belief systems, they also serve a larger
purpose...
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mary rosenblum
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and that is selling books or
magazines. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And cool new stuff sells.
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mary rosenblum
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But it must be GOOD cool new
stuff.
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mary rosenblum
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new alone will not sell you
anywhere.
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gskearney
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So how do you organize all this
research, so that you can find a fact when you need it?? --gk
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mary rosenblum
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Oh yes, organization.
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mary rosenblum
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This is going to be a custom
system...
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mary rosenblum
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Because it needs to fit how
YOU work.
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mary rosenblum
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I tend to create a folder for
every novel
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mary rosenblum
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And folder for various
research topics that I might use in various stories...
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mary rosenblum
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In a novel folder, I will have
a character file, a universe file, a 'terms' file...
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mary rosenblum
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for all my made up words.
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mary rosenblum
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I might have a file on
'orbital platform stuff'...
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mary rosenblum
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with articles on closed system
recycling, spin-gravity effects on the inner ear...stuff like that.
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mary rosenblum
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Researching a real place...
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mary rosenblum
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I might have a 'gardening
stuff' file...
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mary rosenblum
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a 'setting' file with
pictures, details of a particular town...
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mary rosenblum
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a character file, of course...
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mary rosenblum
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maybe a file on 'sheriff's
department', with details of how they operate, the color the cars, etc.
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mary rosenblum
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Just divide your information
into a sorting system that makes sense to you.
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mary rosenblum
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So that you don't have to sort
through tons of information of all sorts...
|
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about Research, today. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
walksacross, that's a good
question.
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mary rosenblum
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Can you send it to the stage?
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mary rosenblum
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That way it'll be included in
the transcript.
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mary rosenblum
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Walksacross asked how to
balance the necessary medical information and the inner story.
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mary rosenblum
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I'd say the best way is to
start by doing the medical research so that the facts are at your
fingertips...
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mary rosenblum
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and then write that story,
focusing on the inner story.
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mary rosenblum
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While you're revising, see if
you can spot places where someone who knows nothing about that medical
condition...
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mary rosenblum
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might be confused, and slip in
some key details there.
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mary rosenblum
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If you're writing in first
person narrative -- I assume you probably are -- you, the narrator..
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mary rosenblum
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can just tell the readers what
they need to know.
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mary rosenblum
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Then run it past some readers.
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mary rosenblum
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See if it all makes sense, if
they felt you went into too much detail, or if they were confused and
needed more.
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mary rosenblum
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You can fine tune the balance
of inner story and needed detail as you do your revisions.
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janecj333
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I remember when cyberpunk was
cool and new, but it was never good. Lots of publishers published it. I
just don't think that a publisher is thinking ahead 6-12 months (magazine)
or two years (book) and thinking, "If I publish this story, my house
goes down the tubes!" I think it's more like, "This doesn't fit
my plan, my list."
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, but what they WERE doing
was realizing...Wow, a LOT of people think Gibson is REALLY cool!... and
they jumped on the bandwagon..
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mary rosenblum
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and they sold a bunch of
books.
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mary rosenblum
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What has that got to do with
anything? In reality, the pubilshing world is out to make money.
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mary rosenblum
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I wish it was all about
quality, but in the world of buy and sell, the standard is set by how many
people are willing to pay.
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mary rosenblum
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There's a new trend right
now...the New Weird, typifed by writers like Jeff VanderMeer who do
something...
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mary rosenblum
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sort of in between
experimental and genre horror.
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mary rosenblum
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Trends come and go, and you
should wish you start the next one! LOL
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janp
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I'll get many more stories from
all my doggy research. Got about 6 still on my desk top :-)
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mary rosenblum
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That's great!
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, you can often unearth
very interesting things when you start researching...
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mary rosenblum
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just be sure to give yourself
an 'off' button...
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mary rosenblum
|
and don't vanish into research
for the next twenty years!
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mary rosenblum
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Set yourself a 'draft alarm'.
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mary rosenblum
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When you get enough details
under your belt to know the dimensions of your world and how your
characters...
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mary rosenblum
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fit into it, try starting that
first draft.
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mary rosenblum
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Go ahead and leave [insert
details here] memos all over the place...
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mary rosenblum
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and keep yourself a list of
'research later' stuff.
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mary rosenblum
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If you hit a point where you
really do need to go find something before you can move on...
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mary rosenblum
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then do that, but see if you
can't combine writing with your research.
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pamla
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Is the internet the main form of
research now?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes and now, pamla.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember that much good stuff
lies between the covers of books that were written pre internet...
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mary rosenblum
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and until the current 'scan
everything onto the net' project Amazon is undertaking is completed...
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mary rosenblum
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that information is not
available on the internet.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...if you are reasearching
a volatile topic...by that i mean something where the information is
frequently updated...
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mary rosenblum
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such as most of the
sciences...
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mary rosenblum
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the internet is generally the
best place to begin.
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janecj333
|
Can you speculate on what if
anything new is going on with Lois McMaster Bujold? That was a long line at
the con.
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mary rosenblum
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That's pretty typical jane.
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mary rosenblum
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She's probably one of the top
few hard SF writers.
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mary rosenblum
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Winner of MANY top awards.
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gskearney
|
I think the Internet is a good
place to get yourself up to speed BEFORE you talk to the experts, but isn't
it also true that you get more details and a better point of view from the
experts? --gk
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mary rosenblum
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You are nearly always better
off if you can talk to someone.
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mary rosenblum
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People are willing to say
things in speculation that they will not committ to public print.
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mary rosenblum
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And they can say things that
open up new lines of thought for you.
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mary rosenblum
|
You can use internet research
to find the 'expert' you need and email that person directly...
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mary rosenblum
|
usually an option on most
websites...
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mary rosenblum
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tell 'em you're a writer and
ask for specific information.
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mary rosenblum
|
They might answer, they might
not.
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mary rosenblum
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You might as well try.
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mary rosenblum
|
Well, this has been a fun
Oregon hour.
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mary rosenblum
|
Research is good, but don't
let it become an excuse for not writing.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
Don't be afraid to start
writing when you have some of your research done and add in the stuff you
need later on.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
Organize it in a way that
makes sense to you...
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|
mary rosenblum
|
ideally not a huge cardboard
box full of 10,000 scribbled notes. :-)
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|
mary rosenblum
|
And use research to take your
story beyond 'generic' so that the reader walks around in a very real
world...
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mary rosenblum
|
you'll often be surprised at
how much that fully realized universe, whether it's real world or a fantasy
world...
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mary rosenblum
|
ultimately influences your
plot.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
I'll post the transcript in
the usual place:
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|
mary rosenblum
|
Writing Craft, Forum
Transcripts.
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