On The Topic Of Research-

Oh how I wish I could begin writing fantasy again. I've never had this problem until now- wanting things to be accurate!! Accurate! Whether something is accurate and the details legitimate has never been an issue until I began writing two realistic fiction stories. Now, though, I find myself wondering as I write, "Would this really happen? Is this the way it would play out? What if someone reads this and says it is obviously made up?" It was quite unsettling. So what did I do? I typed up lists of questions to ask professionals.

Unfortunately, I wrote that list on Saturday. Which of course, meant no one "professional" was going to be at a desk or office. So sadly, both my stories have been postponed until I can get my hands on more factual information. I now understand why there are so many "thank-you's" at the beginning of books. Authors have to pull on many resources to make their stories believable. Of course, I may be more of a perfectionist in this regard than I need to be. I mean, is anyone really going to care if my police officers pull their guns out before they enter a slightly open door? Do regular people really know protocol for answering 911 calls about houses that look broken into? I don't... but I feel like it might be just the tiniest bit silly to call the non-emergency police line to ask about it. Maybe it isn't- I will just have to decide that for myself.

On a different note, I watched a movie last night: Stranger Than Fiction, starring Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman and Maggie Gyllenhaal. I don't know the general public's response to that movie, but to me? To me it was absolutely wonderful. Having immersed myself in writing whenever possible lately, this movie about an author had a strong effect on me. I laughed at some parts, and cried like a baby in others. But after it was over, I had a new conviction. I need to feel about my characters like Karen Eiffel felt about hers. Whether they are real or not. She inspired me (though being fictional herself) to make my characters as real as possible. I want to cry when they cry, laugh when they laugh, feel pain when they are hurting, and feel joy when things look up for them.

Back to the original point, researching is proving far harder than I anticipated. I thought I could just look it up on the internet, like I do most everything else, but a dedication to having truly correct information (and several internet sites proving either fruitless or contradictory) has sent me on a journey thus far unsuccessful. I hope I will get the information I need soon, or instead be able to convince myself to continue writing without it.

"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing."
-Werner von Braun

"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose."
-Zora Neale Hurston