Belt Auction

Writers: Do you prefer to do a lot of research before beginning a novel, or do you just wing it?

BQ: What's your favourite genre to write in? BQ2: Do you draw your inspiration for characters from people you know? BQ3: Would your MC rather go to an epic three-day party, or stay at home watching Antiques Roadshow?

Public Comments

1. I researched a ton for my current story, so I could mix fashion, architecture, and culture with some of my own ideas. I really wanted to make it seem like something that is real so the reader can feel grounded yet intrigued; the flavor I ended out with was exotic yet homely. BQ. I love writing fantasy and sci-fi, but I've dabbled in romance to my enjoyment. BQ2. I never do. I try to imitate parts of myself and band those to whatever is useful to my tale. BQ3. My main character would prefer to stay at home and watch Antiques Roadshow, as long as his lover joined him. Parties are startling for him, so definitely not that.
2. I just wing it. Of course, later I do research and all that jazz at editing. BQ: Fantasy BQ2: Um... yeah. Sometimes. BQ3: Stay home. What a boring MC.
3. That depends on what I'm writing about. My favorite genre is contemporary fantasy and when writing of life in the middle ages or dark ages I need little research because of my life-long studies of those eras. If I was writing about sailing or brain surgery, I'd need to do a lot of reseach because I know little about those subjects. It's important to be accurate whenever possible, particularly in fiction. I absolutely draw inspiration for my characters from real life. Characters need to be realistic or they'll turn out to be wooden and unbelievable. Do I copy them exactly? No, but I'll often combine characteristics from multiple people when I develop the personality of a character. As for your third question; I'll just have to say neither.
4. I just write first then when it comes to my second draft I do the research. It's easier to get into 'the zone' that way. BQ: Psychological BQ2: Yes sometimes, but it never really works out. BQ3: Stay at home watching Antiques Roadshow. My MC actually watches nothing but 24 hour news, But hey.
5. I think research is an important part of any believable book. As a reader I hate nothing more than that suspicion in the back of my mind that the author horribly underestimated my intelligence. As a writer I'll try to write my book in such a way that if I were to write about black holes and wormholes in space Stephen Hawking would find it believable at first. I'd like to say something here about Douglas Adams - In The Restaurant at the end of the universe I actually found his explanation of an expanding universe much easier to grasp than I did the explanations in my Astronomy text books. The facts all agreed, he just dumbed it down a bit for the average Joe to grasp - as I was reading it, I thought "Oh so that's what Chapter 23 was all about" He's a fantastic example of incorporating research into fiction!!
6. I do the research. I can't get into a character's head if I know nothing about the world she's living in, and, to be honest, it's far more difficult to wing it consistently than it is to be consistent because your facts are right. I've written plenty of "wing it" stories when I was younger. I still own them. The "science" in them is just hilariously awful. Along with such howlers as New York being the capital of the USA (I was 10 or so and am not American. It simply hadn't occurred to me that the financial centre _wouldn't_ be the capital). I would be devastatingly embarrassed if anyone else read something I'd written with an error of that magnitude in it. BQ: I write YA action/adventure. BQ2: No. I make my characters up. BQ3: Neither exists in the world I write in. Well, the three day parties might, but a 14 year old wouldn't be invited anyway.
7. I don't really do a lot of research. I have the basic plot and the characters in my head, but a lot of times even I don't know how my story's going to end. I guess that makes it that much more fun for me. Of course, if I'm writing about a place I've never been to, then I do a fair bit of research, but not half as much as a lot of people do. BQ:Murder mysteries. BQ2:I take certain traits from different people and create a hybrid of those people. I never really base a character entirely on one person, because it becomes too predictable to me. BQ3:Antiques Roadshow :D
8. Writers: Do you prefer to do a lot of research before beginning a novel, or do you just wing it? I admit I'm a bit lazy. I tend to avoid genres or stories in which it's obvious the research is going to be the hard part. I usually make a complete plan, then start writing, with notes to myself like [****Put in hospital detail, whole scene****] or [****Check police procedure****] Eventually I'll have enough writing done that I'm sure I'm going to keep the scenes that need those details, and that's when I do my research. BQ: What's your favourite genre to write in? Erotica, but not erotic romance (shudder--just not for me) BQ2: Do you draw your inspiration for characters from people you know? Never, but I do make up stories about people I see. BQ3: Would your MC rather go to an epic three-day party, or stay at home watching Antiques Roadshow? He'd pick Antiques Roadshow, but lie about it. He's got no problem bending the truth to suit him.
9. I use research as an excuse for procrastination. BA: I write about people. I don't really think in genres. (That sounds very pretentious, but you know what I mean) BA2: Yes. Doesn't everyone? BA3: Probably go to the party then stay in the next day with a hangover, watching Antiques Roadshow and perving over Fiona Bruce.
10. Yeah, I'll research other countries' cultures so I can blend some of the ideas together and make it seem intriguing yet 'familiar', in a way. But unless I really NEED to research something else, that's about all I research. BQ: Fantasy. Get to make up my own rules!! :D I love being in charge of a world....haha :) BQ2: I draw personality traits from people I know... Or names. But I don't make a character exactly like that person, in case they find out that i made them into a totally hateable character. I don't think I'd have many friends XD BQ3: It's a fantasy world so they don't have TVs. So an epic three-day party. :)