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Wednesday 6 February 2013

Do you get lost in research?


                                                    King George III

             National Portrait Gallery, London

*see below re use of photograph

I've been researching Book 2, The Painting this week. Guildford Library has provided me with many books over the past few months. Sometimes browsing a shelf of books on the same subject is easier than searching on the internet. On Saturday I picked up ten books on the late 1700s/early 1800s. Knowing I couldn't take them all home because they were heavy (and I forgot to take a carrier bag again), I sat at a desk and skimmed through them. This allowed me to decide which books would be the most useful and I eliminated eight, noting their titles for future reference. Most of the books I've used so far are out of print, so I wouldn't have found them in a bookshop (unless it was a secondhand one). Two of the books I've borrowed from Guildford Library are so useful, that I've ordered secondhand copies from Amazon.

There is the question of what's the best method of extracting relevant information from these books? The loose outline for the story I'm writing is in four parts: Late 1700s/early 1800s: 1. England 2. Italy and Today: 3. England and 4. Italy.

I'm currently researching and writing 1 and 2 (late 1700s/early 1800s England and Italy), looking for ways to link research to the story. I've discovered loads of interesting facts such as that men often cried in public. Sometimes ministers in the House of Commons would be in tears; men also cried to woo women. Then there was King George III, The Prince Regent, William Pitt, The French Revolutionary Wars, Nelson and The Battle of Trafalgar, The Industrial Revolution, the Luddite riots, The American War of Independence and it goes on....This period in history is fascinating, but I need to know when to STOP!

It's knowing which facts are relevant and worth zooming in on; investigating primary sources rather than secondary ones. It's easy to get caught up in the web of information, especially if it's interesting. There's the question of do you write notes as you read research or do you absorb it the first time and write notes afterwards? Writing notes the first time I read research can be compared to taking photos on a special occasion; clicking away with a camera detracts from enjoying the moment in a way that taking notes without absorbing information can be less effective.

Do you get lost in research?

* I've downloaded the photograph under the Creative Commons license (use in non-commercial, amateur projects). Thank you to the National Portrait Gallery for allowing me to use the photo of this wonderful painting. There is a photo of another portrait in the post: Paragraph Planet: 75 words on The Ditchley Portrait

10 comments:

  1. Although I've written one rom com and am writing romantic suspense for #2, my first love is history. Its so easy to get lost in research, though or to cram the research into the novel come what may! I think a writer should do the research, make notes and then put them so one side.wht they've learned should colour their novel and give it authenticity. The notes should only be brought out a second time to confirm a fact.

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    1. Hi Lizzie, thanks for visiting and for your comment. It's definitely worth putting notes away when writing and returning to them. I did that with my Book 1, The Grandson. Sometimes when writing I'd realise that I needed to research a fact in more detail so I'd do this and then return to writing. This is kind of what I'm doing at the moment too. I've done research on The Painting, written several thousand words and returned to research to add depth and to strengthen the plot.

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  2. I'd photo copy what you really need so you can just highlight as you read. It's less time consuming and won't interrupt your reading as much.

    Good luck!

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    1. Hi Kelly, I used to do that with essays etc at university and have thought about doing it recently. The only thing is it would take ages and cost a bit to photocopy everything and I don't know what I need until I've read it. I've ordered a couple of books secondhand which I borrowed from the library and I'm underlining some info in pencil which works a bit like highlighting. Thanks! Hope your writing's going well.x

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  3. Interesting question, Anita. I tend to write about a historical period I already know quite well. But I'm more interested in characters so I just do any more research as I go along, if and when needed. If I researched too much first, I'd never begin the stories!

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    1. Hi Rosemary, thanks for your comment. Yes, I can see that getting lost in research could lead to no writing getting done!

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  4. I haven't needed to use a lot of books so far for research, but I will for Bk 3. I think it's easy to get lost in internet research too because it's so easy to keep clicking and clicking and realise in the end you're miles away from where you started!

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    1. Oh yes, the internet! I worry about how the internet is increasingly used for school work research these days. Some of the info on there isn't correct and extracting info from books to answer questions is a skill which may disappear. On the other hand, it's great to have the internet there as a source of information or to use as a starting point for ideas. Hope book 3 is going well Elle.x

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  5. I love writing historical fiction and could spend most of the time researching my subject. I have files and notebooks full of snippets and details and which more of it would stay in my head.

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    1. Thanks for your comment Debs. Can't wait to read your book!x

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