Writer Interrupted…to research
Help! I need to find out what a dead body looks like after being in the water for 24 hours (a bayou to be exact). Or, I need to describe how an alligator sounds. These are just a few things I had to stop writing on my current story and dig around until I found the answers. Sometimes what I need will involve a major plot point and other times only a minor detail. But research does interrupt our writing process. You think you’ve researched what you needed before you started the book, but I always find things I need answers to as quickly as possible since I have a deadline. Thankfully I have access to a large pool of writers to help direct me to the right place. Thanks, ACFW.
What have you done for research sake? I’ve gone to several jungles so I knew what it felt like hiking through a rain forest. I’ve learned to scuba dive for a book. I’ve read book after book or talked with various people for research purposes. I’ve traveled to different places so I know what it’s like. I’ve gone on an archaelogical dig. I’ve learned to shoot a handgun and rifle. I think you get the picture. If it’s possible, I like to experience things for the sake of my writing. And what I can’t experience, I research through books, videos and interviews. Writing has enriched my life in more ways than just writing. I have learned a lot of “stuff” I would never have if it hadn’t been for a book. How many people would normally study different kinds of poisons to see which one was best to kill their next victim? I’m hoping none, but for the sake of one of my books I did.
So what are some things that have interrupted your writing that you’ve had to research?
