The Benefits of Research

"Look it up," sounds like such a given when writing a story but how many times have we all glossed past something because of a vague working knowledge of the topic?   In a hurry? Under deadline? Don't think it matters one whit to the rest of the story? You may be right.  But are you willing to risk losing readers or credibility over it?

There's a wonderful book, "Medieval Underpants and Other Blunders: A Writer's (and Editors) Guide to Keeping Historical Fiction Free of Common Anachronisms, Errors and Myths," by +Susanne Alleyn that was brought to my attention by +Boyd Lemon, Author of "Digging Deep." According to the book's reviews, it's a great resource as well as an entertaining read (available on Amazon.com).

Even if a writer doesn't plan on going back to the Middle Ages to tell the story, a plot from the 1800s (or even current times) follows the same mantra, "look it up."  When writing a western, detective, or murder mystery the writer has to ponder, what do I know about a gun. . . or is it referred to as a weapon? A revolver. . . is that what Colt invented? It may seem like a venial mea culpa to us but to the reader, if your goal is to cultivate a large following from law enforcement, those facts, the language, the procedures must all be believable or the writer risks losing reader loyalty.

One of my personal research treasures is an out-of-print biography from 1904 about "The Honorable Daniel Pratt," by Mrs. S. F. H. Tarrant. Pratt, founder of Prattville, Alabama and the Cotton Gin Factory that employed most of the men in town. He was a fascinating man and his memoir exposed threads of knowledge on several levels:

• It gave me a clear idea of living conditions in the south in the mid 1800s,
• It brought to the fore what a visionary this remarkable man was for his community and our country,
• It made it quite clear that an entrepreneurial spirit and a generous heart are the driving force behind the American Dream and,
• the cherry on top for me (blush) was to see my great-great grandfather's name in print as manager of the machine shop!

Having a great plot and the imagination to spin it into an epic novel is the underlying motivation for most writers. So I say, let your talents soar! That is writing in its rawest form. It's the rewrites: the plot line, research, character development, and edits, edits, edits that separate the newbies and wannabes from the published. 

#Mark_Twain understood how important research is. His words of wisdom, "Get your facts straight. Then, you can distort them as you please."

Not sure where to turn for research assistance?  Here are a few suggestions: attics, historical societies, Internet, libraries, museums, newspaper archives, out-of-print books, professional organizations, and universities. Enjoy your research hunt. You never know where a gem of info may be buried.

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Jo Ann V. Glim is a 40-year veteran of freelance writing and author of "BEGOTTEN: With Love" (coming out in eBook format the beginning of 2014). 
Visit www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com and 
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