All in the Name of Research.

I've read some form of this comment dozens of times, from a variety of authors, expert advice givers, etc. "The best way to research a book is to go to the places you're writing about."


That's all well and good, if you are writing about your hometown, or state. But what about someone who lives in New York and is writing about Montana? Or a story set in a foreign country? I don't know many aspiring authors who have an unlimited travel budget. Do you? Exactly. So, this sage advice can feel like a slap in the face, right? Absolutely. But, all you need to do is get a bit creative. It is, after all, your forte.


As an example, I am writing a YA pirate tale set in the Caribbean during the 1730's. The story begins in Cuba and my chances of going there are pretty slim. (Pesky U.S. embargo and all.) And, unless Michio Kaku or Stephen Hawking really can figure out how to break the barrier in the time-space continuum to make time travel possible, I'm in trouble.


Or am I?


True, I can’t afford to visit the Caribbean, though I’d love the chance. And I can’t travel back to the 18th century. Well, that point is debatable. I happen to be lucky enough to live in Washington State, just a couple of hours from the home port of The Lady Washington. (Many of you may know the ship as The Interceptor from The Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl.) The ship is a replica of a tall ship that would have sailed the seas around 1790.


I was able to take a three hour sail aboard The Lady Washington on July 1st. I went with notebook and camera in hand. Watching the crew work together gave me a real taste of what life on a tall ship would have been like. The amount of rigging was mind-boggling, and I couldn’t help but imagine what it might have looked like during a storm. I felt transported back in time. I was inspired.


But, wait – you may be thinking – I don’t have *fill in the blank* near where I live. What am I supposed to do to research my novel? That’s where thinking outside the box will be your best weapon. Sure reading books on the subject/area/technology/whatever is a good place to start. But ask yourself what other resources may be available to you. If you’re setting your story in a place you’re unfamiliar with, do you know someone who has been there? Are you writing about futuristic technology? What about talking to a techie friend who is an authority on gadgets? Try a visit to a local museum/zoo/arboretum with an eye toward observation of flora and fauna. (You don’t have to be writing about tigers, but the movements of the big cats can be borrowed for a creature of your own imagining.)


As you already know, the internet is a great source of information – and videos. Never been to Rome? Don’t know anyone who has either? I went to YouTube and typed in “Rome vacation” and got 4,810 hits. Seeing the sights virtually will give you an idea of the atmosphere, which will lend your descriptions authenticity.


So, if you can’t visit the places you’re writing about in person, find other creative ways of “going” there. Be imaginative and enjoy the research process.

Inspiration Needed?

For this week I'm revisiting a previous Site fo the Week, but in a different capacity. Some of you may remember my mention of Seventh Sanctum's name generators. This site has many other types of generators and so I've used their story generator with both a fantasy theme and a science fiction theme. The results are posted below. If you're going through a spell of writer's block, maybe some of these prompts will get your brain working again. :-)

And if you want to try the generators for yourself, I've added Seventh Sanctum to my list of Websites for Writers on the left side of the page.

FANTASY

1)The story is about a guild of shiftless scribes. It takes place in a war-scarred realm in a magical dimension. The story climaxes with destruction. A lost treasure plays an important role.


2)The story is about a bloodthirsty smuggler and an elementalist who is constantly annoyed by a jailer. It starts in a universe where space travel occurs by magical means. The story begins with someone going to sleep, climaxes with a promotion, and ends with an angry outburst.

3)The story is about a seer from a good family. It starts on our world after a disaster brought about the return of magic in a magical universe. The will of the gods is a major part of the story.

4)This is a comedy-of-manners with a focus on self-sacrifice. The story is about an aloof prince who must work with a pessimistic king. It takes place in a magical alternate universe. The story begins with a dream. The effect of magical races on business is a major part of the story.

5)This is an epic about giving in to destiny. The story is about a watchful wizard who has a mysterious admirier: a fisherman. It takes place in a storehouse in a desert fiefdom. An ancient prophecy plays an important role.

6)The story is about a treasure-hunter, a wizard, a wizard, and a knight. It takes place in a city-state in a forest realm. The return of ancient powers plays an important part in the story.

7)This is a satire. The story is about an actor and an unstable bandit. It starts on our world after a disaster brought about the return of magic. Recovering magical artifacts and knowledge is a major part of the story.

8)The story is about a farmer, an outgoing gigolo, a martial artist, and a dungeon delver who is mysteriously connected to a pompous shaman. It takes place in a legendary domain on our world in a new magical age. An important bloodline plays a prime part.

9)The story is about a shaman, a plain shaman, a vicious fortune-teller, and a rat-catcher. It takes place in a village in a religious land. An important bloodline plays a prime part.

10)This is a rags-to-riches story. The story is about a graceful scribe. It takes place on our world in a magical age. A powerful magical weapon plays an important role.

SCIENCE FICTION
 
1)This is a comedy-of-errors. The story is about a fearful doctor and a shiftless physicist. It takes place on a war-torn planet. The critical element of the story is the failure at a test. An accident in space plays a major role in the story.


2)The story is about a frustrated nuclear engineer, a video game addict, and a linguistics expert. It takes place in a dimensional warp. The speed of technological advancement is a major part of this story.

3)This is a story about travel and how man can better himself. The story is about a confident gambler who has a mysterious admirier: a sailor. It starts in a galaxy-spanning commonwealth. A spatial anomoly plays a major role in the story.

4)This is a tale about rebellion. The story is about a priestess. It starts in a galaxy-spanning confederation. The story begins with a sport being played.

5)The story is about a whiny plumber. It takes place in a galaxy-spanning technocracy. The differences alien societies may have regarding economics is a major element of this story.

6)The story is about an energetic baseball player, a biologist, and a committed servant. It takes place on an ancient planet. The crux of the story involves the taking of a test.

7)The story is about an acrobat who is in debt to an unpredictable scientist. It starts in an intergalactic syndicate. The difficulty of cross-species communications is a major issue of the story.

8)The story is about a secretary haunted by flashbacks. It takes place in an intergalactic federation. The blurring of the boundaries between man and machine is a major part of this story.

9)The story is about a rabble-rouser who is in debt to a park ranger. It takes place on a toxic planet. The crux of the story involves an accident at home. A rebellion against technology plays a major role in this story.

10)This is a crime drama. The story is about a CFO. It takes place in an intergalactic commonwealth. The story begins with an advice, climaxes with a murder, and ends with the paying of a fine. The effect of alien contact on business is a major part of the story.

Why do I do these things?

Can I have a show of hands, please? How many of you have ideas in your brain that are stewing because there are only 24 hours in a day and you are limited to the puny, paltry, insignificant number of 2 hands? Do these ideas in queue chastize you at night as you lay down to sleep? Why haven't you written me down yet? How much longer do I have to wait? WTF - are those feety pajamas? You're an adult for God's sake! 

But I'm really being serious here. I have several book ideas floating in limbo. And I just added another to the  list. Darn me and my obsession with history. I was just reading a book (Badass: A relentless onslaught of the toughest warlords, vikings, samurai, pirates, gunfighters and military commanders to ever live - by Ben Thompson - hilarious & informative BTW) and rediscovered Anne Bonny. I'd seen some History Channel shows on pirates where she was mentioned, but she'd fallen out of my memory. But now I am inspired. I have to write a book about her!

So, what is waiting in your head to be given life on the computer screen, notebook page, paper bag . . . ?

My Interview on The Sharp Angle

Well, I'm a bit late in posting that my interview is now available to read on The Sharp Angle. Busy day. Here's a link if you haven't read it and feel so inclined. http://lydiasharp.blogspot.com/   And though I'm sure they're getting sick of hearing it, THANK YOU AGAIN LYDIA AND JOE!!!  I had such a great time answering your interview questions.

I just returned from viewing the comments left by other authors and I was so very touched by their kindness and well wishes. All of that support also gave me a boost of motivation. To keep plugging away at Calli, no matter how daunting some of the reasearch may be. To better manage my time.

To have it all. ;-)

P.S.  I will be out of town tomorrow - finally having Christmas with my best friend and her family. But I will be posting my "Site of the Week" on Wednesday. I'm going to be reviewing an agent site, just not sure which one yet.

Dormant Creation

Can you feel them?
Just beneath the surface, struggling.
Breathing in counterpoint to reality.

Can you hear them?
Echoing in the emptiness, beckoning.
They howl, they scream and beg release.

Can you see them?
Whispering in corners, pointing.
The words in your mind that wait for inspirtion.

(c) 09/2009 K. Looney

A Welcome Deluge

A deluge. Yes, that is what I've decided to call this latest spark of creativity. I started writing on Calliope's story on the 4th and haven't stopped. I've written a bit each day since and it's still flowing well. This is very exciting for me, seeing that I had writer's block for a couple of weeks before this.

I was having a bit of trouble posting sections from my hard drive on here a few days back. But I'm going to give it another try tonight. I'd really like to share a rough draft of a new section of Calliope's story. A work in progress without a title, but it's quickly becoming my favorite project.

Independence Day

On this day, the birthday of our nation, I wrote the most I've written on one of my novels in a long while. Very liberating. ;-) However, it was on Calliope's story again and not Artemisia's. I am nervous about having both of they related works going at the same time. I don't like the idea of neglecting one in favor of the other. But I also don't want to lose important ideas by ignoring one of them.

Have I said all of this before or what?

There could be a reason behind Calliope's story moving to the foreground. Perhaps I need to understand her better as a teen before moving on to her life as an adult. By knowing her struggles before finding a little slice of happiness (only to have it taken away again) I can make her even more real to my readers.

Writing is a roller coaster ride. The highs are exhilarating and the lows make you want to quit. Why would anyone choose this for themselves? As any writer will tell you if you ask, they don't - it chooses them. It's a need, a compulsion, to get what's inside their head out and make it reality.

Sporadic Inspiration

Well, while I was on break at work today I decided to do some reading in a new book I bought on gladiators - research for my Artemisia novel. But about halfway through the second page a scene flashed into my mind. I kept reading, not wanting to begin something I couldn't finish at that point, but this particular scene was very persistent. It actually took over my thoughts as I was reading and none of the words made sense. All I could see was Calliope and her father. That's right, my inspiration wasn't even for the novel about Artemisia but for the prequel about her mother!

Well, needless to say I started scribbling in my notebook - thank the Muses I had one there for taking notes!! :-D The scene is still unfinished, but it's coming along well. Calli isn't very pleased with her situation right now. She's being told by her father that she has to marry her boorish, disgusting and crude cousin so her father's estate will remain in the family when he dies.

I'm not sure how I'm going to handle working on these two novels simultaneously, but I'm giving it a try. Worst case scenario is that I put one on hold until finish the other. My only dilemma would be which one to finish first? The proper chronological order would dictate I finish the prequel first, but authors write series out of chronological order all the time. Well, best not to worry about it too much. I suppose if it comes to that, I'll have a good sense of which novel is flowing better for me and I'll just go with it.

Well, off to finish that scene.

The Muse

Every writer knows what I'm talking about when I say the muse is smiling on me right now. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I'm writing a book which centers around the culture of the Muses, nine ladies who brought the arts to the ancients. Could it be that they are pleased with my subject matter and have chosen to bring me more inspiration than I have hours in the day? Perhaps.

Or perhaps it is the love of this book and the characters I am creating that keeps my fingers tapping away at the keyboard hour after hour. I spent a good portion of my day working on a prequel to my Artemisia book. Although I promised myself not to divert away from the original until the rough draft is finished, Calliope's story is also demanding to be told.

She's one fiesty little Theban. I found out today that she has three sisters instead of the two I'd originally met; Melaina, Zoe and Echo. She's the third born and no brothers. Her father isn't too thrilled about that either and is now determined to marry the three oldest off as quickly as possible. She also plays the flute, despite the fact that her namesake is the muse of epic poetry. She does love to read, but isn't much of a writer herself. (She leaves that bit to me.)

So whether it be the influence of Greek goddesses, or just my own delusional obsession with writing, Artemisia is flowing from my brain and right through my fingertips. I'll ride this as long as it lasts.