Stuck in the Research Mudbog: Rachael Stapleton tells us when to spin our wheels and when to get pulled out?
Final Tour Stop: Feb 23rd Fang-Tastic Books
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Well first off let’s talk
about whether or not research is really necessary for your book. In my opinion,
yes, although the amount depends on what genre you’re writing. Historical
fiction and tech-based science fiction being quite reliant on research but
really even mainstream fiction requires research at times. Getting into the
mind of cops, killers, and the opposite sex doesn’t come naturally to all of us.
My series hinges on reincarnation and time travel
of a sort which technically feels a lot like historical fiction because two of
my main characters go back to where it all began to rescue one of their own.
Here are some of the tabs open on my browser this morning Wallachian Revolution
of 1848, The Politics of Witchcraft Studies, Romanian Folklore and Haunted
Romania. Need another coffee? Me too.
I thought I knew enough about Romania to set a
fictional backdrop there, after all I watched Dracula, The Boy Who Cried
Werewolf and Transylvania 6-5000. Tee hee! Unfortunately, as I pour over
the historical facts and political strife that was the Danubian Principalities, I realize
this place has undergone a lot of war and finding the right time period is
going to be a challenge.
Why don’t I just abandon this setting? Great
idea! How much easier would it be to just pick a new setting for my book,
Prague, Austria, Hungary—oh wait I did that in Book One and it was also full of
political strife, besides
would you leave your once shiny new toy truck stuck in the mud? Me neither. I’m
a Taurus and that makes me as stubborn as a bull. I would love to take a trip to
Transylvania to visit the fifteenth century Corvinești Castle that is northwest
of the Carpathian Mountain range and situated by the river
Zlasti. Wouldn’t that shake something loose? From the pictures, it’s an
imposing building, with forty-three rooms, two balconies and two bridges
supported by four massive stone pillars. I could do some in-person research on
the torture chamber, no, it’s not the red room of Fifty Shades, it’s even
worse. Gasp! I could learn about the Hunyadi era when many people were brutally
tortured and killed within the castle walls, brutally beaten, hanged and
decapitated. The funny thing about research is a lot of the stuff I learn
doesn’t even wind up in my story. But it still informs my writing. This is part
of the job and it’s the reason you should not shy away from it. So here is my
advice for when your virtual truck gets hung up on a rock or you flood
that magnificent engine that is your brain?
Rock It Out
As soon as you get stuck, you need to come to a
complete stop, go in reverse, and get back where you started from—solid
ground—so head back to your notes. To do this you need to be organized ahead of
time. If you didn’t write an outline before then take the time and do it now.
Start with the hook. This is a one-sentence summary of your novel. Something
like this: “An architect travels back in time to save his wife.” The sentence
will serve you forever as a ten-second selling tool. This is the big picture
and can be used in online pitch contests. Some hints on what makes a good
sentence: Shorter is better. No character names. Which character has the most
to lose in this story? What does he/she want to win. Now expand that sentence
to a full paragraph describing the story setup, major disasters, and ending of
the novel. Ideally, your paragraph will have about five sentences. One sentence
for backdrop and story setup, one sentence each for your (3) disasters, then
one more sentence to tell the ending. Note: This is not the back-cover copy for
your book. This paragraph summarizes the whole story. Your back-cover copy
should summarize only about the first quarter of the story.
Add Traction
Place dry, solid objects beneath the edge of the
tire in the direction you want to go (forward or reverse). Some drivers like floor
mats or sticks, I like characters. Characters are an intricate part of any
novel. For each of your major characters, write a one-page summary sheet that
tells: name, a one-sentence summary of the character’s storyline, what he/she
wants (motivation), what does he/she want (goal), what’s preventing him/her
from reaching this goal (conflict), what will he/she learn, how will he/she
change (epiphany). Once you’ve created characters, take your four-page synopsis
and make a list of all the scenes using a spreadsheet that you’ll need to turn
the story into a novel.
Winch It
If you plan to drive through mud on a regular
basis, it is probably wise to outfit your truck with some sort of winch.
Even if you don’t have a winch, a friend’s Hi-Lift jack can be used to pull the
vehicle free. Likewise a good writers group can come in handy. Sometimes we
need a little help from our writer friends. Take your prep work with you and
talk it out. I can’t count how many times I've been rescued by Yvonne, Susan, Marissa, Lora,
Connie and Ann.
Last But Not Least—Pull It Out
Oftentimes, the best and quickest way to get your
truck unstuck is to have another truck simply pull you out. Which means get
back to writing and worry about the historical accuracy, names of places,
people and dates, during the rewrites. The truth is I love to research. I could
spend years delving into castle architecture alone just to write a thriller
that hinges on one small and obscure architectural fact. I would live in
research land forever but at a certain point, you need to just write. That is
why I’ve put a rule in place. I allow myself to research during two phases: the
idea phase and the rewriting phase. In between, research is a distraction.
Here are some of the great sites offering research
advice that I live by.
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