Question for Writers...

[bookofdust.livejournal.com]

I have notcied that some writers tend to research a lot before they actually sit down and write - and they don't write until they feel completely comfortable with all the material they have gathered/read beforehand.

Some people just sit down and write and research as they go.

I am curious to see what the opinion is from the writers in this comm. so...What do you guys do? Research first then write? Write first and research later?

Comments

[orchard-mnt.livejournal.com]

I was a history major long before I began thinking of myself as a novelist. I've been studying local history, old tax records, old maps, first settlers accounts for years. But I continue to research, forever dipping back into VMI's archives and other on-line resources, to make sure that when my fictional people touch the real ones in the story, that I got every straight!

Also, if I find a good on-line resource for my pre-civil war era novel, I love sharing it. I dread having to rebuilt my bibliography, as I lost a huge notebook of photocopies and printoffs when I got fired from a stupid job as a desk jocky for a small and failing ISP. oh well...

[bookofdust.livejournal.com]

Sooo, you research before you write?

[orchard-mnt.livejournal.com]

oh yeah...all i had was a rough plot outline and a vague idea of what the story would be and what it would deal with...the research lead me there.

[bookofdust.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, sometimes that happens to me to...

[plum-newtype.livejournal.com]

I like to do a bit of background research before I write, then do more research later, as I write, on a more massive level until I find the right piece of information I need to continue. It takes a while, but I get thurough enough information.

[micamommy.livejournal.com]

It depends on what I'm writing. If its historical fiction, then I research like crazy. If its fantasy, not usually unless some aspect of the work needs it. Science fiction? I have a husband who teaches science, and since we write together, that's his job.

[bookofdust.livejournal.com]

Lol - that must be interesting...that kind of partnership in writing.

[micamommy.livejournal.com]

It is LOL, especially when I edited all the science out of his science fiction novel. That got a bit hairy. But it can be fun.

[bookofdust.livejournal.com]

Oh I know it can - I used to write with a partner...but after a year I realized it really wasn't for me...

[micamommy.livejournal.com]

It really isn't for a lot of people. Jeff and I got started when he got home from an unaccompanied two year tour. He was in the Navy. When he returned, I was unpacking for him, found a disk and slid it into the computer to read. The more I read, the more indignant I got. When he got home I told him he was writing John Wayne in skirts and that his characters would never act like that. He told me to fix it and we've been writing together ever since.

Basically we do our own projects (he prefers science fiction and I like historical fiction, but we both do fantasy) and each adds what they do best to the bare bones book. He's great at scenes and description and I do better with characterization and dialog. I swear I could write a whole book without a single description in it. LOL

[dunmurderin.livejournal.com]

I research as I go, since I tend to come up with things I need to know as I go along.

[iyanaari.livejournal.com]

I always research. Although, the degree of research depends on what piece of work I'm writing.

Right now, I'm about to begin a contemporary romance with my hero in the espionage occupation. In order to have my guy true to character, and be able to give real facts, I have to research like crazy. I have also researched the city for the setting of my book.

While working on a fantasy, since I'm building my own world there, I have been known to look up different types of fabrics that would be worn in the climate in which my story is set. And the weaponry my characters would use based on resources available to them.

[ruisswolf.livejournal.com]

I like to do a little research to get a feel for the time period, or the place, or the people before I write. However, once I start writing I don't stop for nothing, so I started keeping a research log. I write down what I need to research and where it will be needed. That way, if a scene or, Calliope forbid, a few chapters are cut, I don't have to waste time researching something I don't need at that time. I then rewrite, using the information I collected to enhance the work.

Once done, I file away my notes on the off chance that I might need them again. It's also fun to compare old information with the newer stuff that they write. Nothing stays the same.

[pirate-mousie.livejournal.com]

As stated a few posts above me, it really depends on what I'm writing. For example, I've been giving serious thought to a new story revolving around Mordred (I find him strangely fascinating) so every once in a while, I'll put in a few hours researching the different Aurthurian legends that center around him (there are very few. This gives me all the wiggle room I think I'll need if I'm going to make him bff with a surprisingly youthful Merlin and Guinevere's handmaiden).

I also have a little mini-series going surrounding the Greek gods and I'll research information on them for ideas as well as help keeping the story at least somewhat accurate (my friends are just as big mythology buffs as me: they'd kill me if I made a silly mistake.)

However, at least half the time I'll do a bunch of research, realize that the information I've gathered goes completely against what I have in mind, so I'll scrap the research and make it all up as I go (a male gorgon, a female faun... who knew?). This is the freedom granted to me as a primarily fantasy writer.