Real-Life Insanity and Other Tales
I wanted to write something about research. I am frequently asked how I research my books about the mob, men who throw their enemies from the roof, and the CIA. If I told you, I'd have to kill you. ;-)
Most of my research, though, comes from real life. I pay attention, I listen to conversations, and I know some extremely interesting people. If I say more than that, I'd reveal too much about myself.
I use Google for most books that take place somewhere I haven't been before, like one coming up set in Prague. I interview people. I ask a lot of questions. I read nonfiction voraciously. I've even viewed real-life autopsies on CD courtesy of a friend of mine in forensics (not to be done while eating lunch at my desk)
But most of all, I LIVE. And that, in a nutshell, is my best advice. LIVE. If you do not go to unusual places, try new experiences, it will affect your writing. Don't be too sheltered.
Case in point . . . I accompanied a friend of mine to court the other day. I won't reveal anything about her (a SAINT!) other than to say it involved a divorce. Suffice it to say that in that court, I saw a display by the other party that was the single, solitary, most vile, insane, N-U-T-S scenario I have ever seen in my entire life. Ever. EVER!! And this from someone who knows people who have thrown men off roofs.
The thing is, my friend had confided in me, and I knew some nutty stuff was going down, but until I WITNESSED it in person . . . I had no idea. Real craziness is like that. You can make it up when you write, you can try to describe it, but being near it, even if it can't touch you, sends ripples of fear through your entire body. Nothing in my existence--and I've been scared before by a crazy stalker and some personal bad mojo--prepared me for it. And now? TRUST me, I am a better writer because of it. No, that's not why I went. I went to support a woman who defines courage to me. But I WILL, indeed, be a better writer now.
I once went on a ride-along with the police in a ghetto. I "thought" I had been in some tough neighborhoods before. Heck, I lived two blocks from the projects in Jersey City when I was 22, and it was not fun. (You haven't really lived until you've had your upstairs landlord drilling HOLES in the floor to spy on you in your bedroom. Enough said.) But NO, I had NOT seen, smelled, experienced a real tough neighborhood. The kind you are lucky to walk a block and emerge alive. The kind where the cops say to you, as they step from side to side while standing in an apartment, "Keep moving your feet so the roaches don't crawl up your pant leg."
Can I write a good scene in an urban setting? Hell yeah.
No, I am not advocating getting yourself shot for the sake of research, but yes, experience life. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Then write about it.
Anyone? What was your best real-life research? How do YOU do your research?
Most of my research, though, comes from real life. I pay attention, I listen to conversations, and I know some extremely interesting people. If I say more than that, I'd reveal too much about myself.
I use Google for most books that take place somewhere I haven't been before, like one coming up set in Prague. I interview people. I ask a lot of questions. I read nonfiction voraciously. I've even viewed real-life autopsies on CD courtesy of a friend of mine in forensics (not to be done while eating lunch at my desk)
But most of all, I LIVE. And that, in a nutshell, is my best advice. LIVE. If you do not go to unusual places, try new experiences, it will affect your writing. Don't be too sheltered.
Case in point . . . I accompanied a friend of mine to court the other day. I won't reveal anything about her (a SAINT!) other than to say it involved a divorce. Suffice it to say that in that court, I saw a display by the other party that was the single, solitary, most vile, insane, N-U-T-S scenario I have ever seen in my entire life. Ever. EVER!! And this from someone who knows people who have thrown men off roofs.
The thing is, my friend had confided in me, and I knew some nutty stuff was going down, but until I WITNESSED it in person . . . I had no idea. Real craziness is like that. You can make it up when you write, you can try to describe it, but being near it, even if it can't touch you, sends ripples of fear through your entire body. Nothing in my existence--and I've been scared before by a crazy stalker and some personal bad mojo--prepared me for it. And now? TRUST me, I am a better writer because of it. No, that's not why I went. I went to support a woman who defines courage to me. But I WILL, indeed, be a better writer now.
I once went on a ride-along with the police in a ghetto. I "thought" I had been in some tough neighborhoods before. Heck, I lived two blocks from the projects in Jersey City when I was 22, and it was not fun. (You haven't really lived until you've had your upstairs landlord drilling HOLES in the floor to spy on you in your bedroom. Enough said.) But NO, I had NOT seen, smelled, experienced a real tough neighborhood. The kind you are lucky to walk a block and emerge alive. The kind where the cops say to you, as they step from side to side while standing in an apartment, "Keep moving your feet so the roaches don't crawl up your pant leg."
Can I write a good scene in an urban setting? Hell yeah.
No, I am not advocating getting yourself shot for the sake of research, but yes, experience life. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Then write about it.
Anyone? What was your best real-life research? How do YOU do your research?
posted by Erica Orloff at 5:53 PM
14 Comments:
Lawrence Block and I hate research. :) You know, the kind of research where you have to look stuff up as if you're doing a term paper or something. It works out for some writers (Tom Clancy comes to mind) but, for me, I would mostly rather draw from life's experiences. I say "mostly" because, of course, there are times when it's essential to look something up. Search engines like Google are a godsend for writers. But, if you haven't done some serious living, it's going to be hard to get anything real on the page, no matter how much research you do.
I've had many different jobs (fence installer, pizza delivery, convenience store clerk, security guard, journalist, electronics technician, bartender, musician, supervisor at a chemical plant, and RN now for the past nine years). All of these jobs have given me rich experiences to draw from as a novelist.
I've been married twice, divorced twice, I'm a father, I've been near death several times, I've lived in urban and rural settings in multiple states, I've been to Spain, I've witnessed death on multiple occasions...
The list goes on and on. Jiminy. I should have plenty to write about.
I've read that 50 is the average age for an author to hit the bestseller list. I'm not surprised. It's the experiences we gain through living that colors our fiction in a real way.
Hi Jude:
What an amazing life--lots of varied experiences. You know, I wouldn't have PICKED some of my misfortunes, but I don't regret them, which is a sign os a life well-lived, I guess.
E
You're so right Erica.
I do a lot of research on the net, but YA is my niche because I've been around YAs for years. Not just my own and their friends, but I worked with ages 16 and upwards when lecturing. I've tutored teens who were alcoholics, manic depressives, one who we had to get committed....
And I remember what it's like to hate my parents, and the emotional highs and lows of being sixteen!
Hi Sara:
I write YAs as Liza Conrad. Most of the fan mail I get from teens tells me I do pretty well at reliving the highs and lows of adoloscence.
E
Erica, a peek at insanity or true evil is a life lesson in itself.
I knew my stepson had behavioral issues when I married my husband..but I had no idea to what extent. My only regret is that I didn't get the behavior on film, because it was so bizarre that attempting to describe what happened is unbelievable in itself.
His mother, my husband's ex, has a mental disorder. She checks out during conversations. Just goes somewhere. Vacates the premises between her ears. Her eyes glaze, her gaze becomes vacant, and she's gone until she checks back in again.
I'm not sure if the meaness that seems to go hand and hand with this situation is a symptom or if it co-exists with the illness.
Either way, mean is mean, and such behavior definitely doesn't foster trust.
Will these experiences end up on the pages of one of manuscripts? You betcha--with the names and descriptions changed to protect the not so innocent.
I avoid research if possible. It is the joy of being a fantasy writer--if all else fails, make it up.
But what I've found is that if you think you're going to use it, then it's better to know it before you have to write it.
Morning! I seem to be with the majority when it comes to research. Not my thang! I can google for location details, but thats about it. I'm fortunate to have an eclectic group of friends to draw from. I've also frequently been referred to as a 'nut magnet'. For whatever reason, people tell me stuff. Weird stuff. In weird places--emotional confessions from women in line at the grocery store--I've been asked financial advice over the phone at my job (which is not in financing??)--I know way more than I should, or sometimes want to, about the home lives of my kids friends, and about the sex lives of neighbors. I suppose it comes down to being interested, naturally curious and a good listener. I never 'use' the details,but they often prompt my imagination to take the situations to the extreme and help me add quirks to characters. So its all good.
(E) lainey ;-)
OK, so I have to throw in with the minority here... I LOVE research. I take pride in knowing that I have put everything I could into making my work as accurate, or at least believable, as I can.
Probably a throwback from all those years in academia.
What can I say, I'm an info dork.
kate:
I knew a writer once who wrote about a street cop in a tough area, who had dialogue like a spinster school marm from another era--virginal, no curse words. Very much like the writer herself. It rang so false to me. In general, there is something to that "write what you know"--and if you don't "know" then at least try to learn, try to feel, try to use your imagination. I am sure there are plenty of people without your experiences who would depict a character like the ones you describe in either gentler terms or without the nuances that show the real-life experience. I have a character in an upcoming book take all the knobs off the stove when she leaves her schizophrenic brother at home--based on a friend of mine's schizophrenic mother-in-law who had an obsession with fire and lit the house ablaze twice. You wouldn't know it unless you really lived it or attempted to learn.
E
milady:
That is what a love when I write paranormals. It's very freeing to lose some of reality's rules.
E
Hey Lainey:
No longer anonymous, I see! :-)
I feel the same way. I actually think I seem standoffish sometimes--I'm over five foot ten and very often "in my head." I'm not unfriendly, just sort of thinking a lot. Yet I get confessionals all the time. My favorite was when I went for some testing last year related to M.S. symptoms. The man doing my test, which was a painful exam, asked me about my kids, making conversation. I told him I had four and he seemed sort of surprised anyone would be a glutton for that much punishment . . . and proceeded to tell me how he had a vasectomy--and then WAY too much information! LOL!
Ewoh:
You must do well at Jeopardy. :-) I actually have a lot of trivia and information stored up too, from my years as an editor--wide and shallow . . . you learn a little bit about a lot of things.
But I think you point out something very true--you usually in one camp or the other. Either you LOVE all the research or really hate it. Very rarely in the middle. I think writers of historicals, for instance, have got to love it.
E
I was in the Navy for six years, but I also lived in a few different states before that. So, I have a variety of locations to choose from that I feel comfortable describing. Oh, and I spent six months in Mexico. That's a setting I can get into as well.
Working in the Navy as a linguist gave me an interesting look into how the government works, how we gather and use our intelligence (very limited understanding, mind you), and how the military operates. Also, I now own and run a small B&B with the spouse...talk about characters! We meet them every day...
kristin:
I love asking questions of strangers or people I meet--like when did you meet your wife, or other sort of conversation starters--I like listening to people. Running a B&B must be very neat as far as that goes.
E
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