Message Board Topic 9/7‏

[Comsie]

It's always a slightly easier task to write about something that you know and are familiar with when putting a story together. We all remember love, heartache, rejection, infatuation, fear, and hope. Those are pretty much universal, and they feel like 'home' somehow. And, likewise, it's easier to write about the present time, a familiar setting, or an age and era that we grew up in. But what if you want to write something outside of the norm?

 

In sci-fi/fantasy, you can pretty much write your own rules and make them up as you go along. But suppose you're writing a story that takes place in New York in the 50's? Or about Paris during the war? What if you want to write about the age of knights and swordsmen? Or Ancient Egypt? Or the Civil War? How should one go about researching that particular subject? (And DON'T just say 'use the internet'! Hehehe! WHERE on the internet is a good place to start?) How does the story change? How would people 'speak' to each other? What is the feel of that particular environment, at that particular time? There are a lot of things that are different now than they were just ten or twenty years ago. 14 year old boys didn't have cell phones in the early 80's. There was no FaceBook in the mid 90's. And nobody says, 'closet queen' during the first World War (I don't think). So how does a writer prepare himself for creating a period piece? And have you readers ever seen a story that made a lot of mistakes on it? Let us know!

[Nephylim]

I am a fanatical researcher. But then again I have a boundless thirst for knowledge generally. It is amazing how much useless information one brain can hold... and equally surprising how useful the information can sometimes be.

 

Wikipedia is a good place to start for any general research as it provides basic information and often links. I use it as a springboard if I am researching something completely new.

 

I have my own favourite sites for particular things... for example 'wonderhowto.com' has shown me many things... from the correct location and method for inserting in IV line... peripheral and central... to how the old rotary telephone systems with switchboards worked.

 

If I am thinking of writing a period peice...and I have never done a complete story, although there is a character in one who is out of his time...I read whatever I can find.. literature wise which is set in that period to get a 'feel' for it. For example if I were setting my vampire stories in Victorian times I would read the Brotes, if I were setting something in Edwardian times I would read Thomas Hardy etc. OR read other books which are set in these periods. By getting a feel for the way other authors write a period and seeing what does and doesn't work for them then you can get a flavour for your own work.

 

And then of course there is good old Google for general or specific searches around a topic. As long as you know what you don't know so to speak, it is always possible to find it.

[Graeme]

I've thought of doing a period piece, but the amount of research I would have to do doesn't warrant the investment (it's for a short story) so it'll probably never get written. I don't mind doing the research, but it's not something I want to spend a lot of effort on. As an example, in my novel Falls Creek Lessons, set back in the 80s, I checked snowfall records, music top 100 and sporting results. The rest I left to my memory of what Falls Creek was like around that time (and afterwards realised that I had misremembered a couple of things), but I wasn't going to go into too much effort because the actual time period wasn't that important to the story. The only reason I set it there because I knew that the Nursery Poma (a key part in the early parts of the story) was pulled down by the 90s and I wanted the story to be reasonably factual for all the Australian's who have or will visit Falls Creek.

 

No research is bad because it will alienate anyone who knows better. Too much research can be a chore unless you enjoy the study. I think the key is to do enough to make it reasonable and then just accept that you'll make a few mistakes along the way... but if the story is well written, most readers who spot those mistakes will be forgiving. Just make sure your key items are accurate

Edited September 11, 2009 by Graeme

[JamesSavik]

Even with sci-fi and fantasy, you've got to be consistent with the rules or have a good reason why they are not.

 

Research is key to any period pieces. I proof read a manuscript for a young writer that was set in Europe during the Dark Ages which didn't have a word about the Church, Priests or Inquisitors nor a mention of anything resembling feudalism. Oops.

[Mark Arbour]

Since I write historical stories, they usually require a decent bit of research. (The latest have me reviewing Bill Clinton's "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" speech and studying currents in the South Atlantic and Indian ocean.) For that type of story, though, I think it's vital that you have at least a feel for what life was like back then. I get that kind of feel best from novels, either from the era or even those written by contemporaries who have done the research before me, or from memoirs. The best memoirs ever, IMHO, were those of the Duc de St. Simon. He was a peer of France during the reign of Louis XIV and Louis XV. He's such a bitchy thing, with an amazing way of laying things out that makes you feel like your gossiping with your friends. But I digress.

 

I've got to second Wiki as a great source. For all of it's flaws, it's a great starting place. When I do a period piece, I usually look up the year in Wiki (If you want a freaky year to read about, I highly recommend 1968. Wow) and use that as an outline. It gives you the events in chronological format, with links for the events where they exist (of course). Is it 100% correct? No, but then again, most of the stuff you'll need isn't that detailed where a small error here or there would make a big difference.

 

For "The Wardroom" I had my character involved in the Siege of Toulon (where Bonaparte first cut his teeth). From a Royal Navy perspective, there simply wasn't enough information on it so I had to resort to.....buying yet another book.

[Dolores Esteban]

I usually start with Wiki also. Then I do further online research, I sometimes read novels from the era or I read biographies. I love to read letters written in previous times - many letters are published or can be found online. Sometimes I watch movies. I do love to research.

 

 

[Nephylim]

I have an enormous thirst for learning and so research is never a chore.

[Rilbur]

I generally don't do period pieces, but there are plenty of 'modern' things that you need to do plenty of research for, too. For example, I spent hours researching rape trauma on the internet, and when I ran into a few rape survivors I talked to them and got more useful information. Guardians has been shaped and molded by that... not that the biggest shapes and molds have been shown, yet.

 

Similarily, I'm going to have a hell of a lot of research to do on modern weapons fairly soon to equip some squads of marines who are going to become involved in a story. While I'm familiar, in general, with the military, military mindset, and how such things work, I don't have enough specific information on modern equipment. I'm really not looking forward to trying to do that research, at all.

[Rilbur]

OK, having just gotten a PM (that has me beyond angry!), let me clarify my statement on being familiar with the military mindset. I have an extensive family history of service going back two generations (grandfather was a Master Chief in the navy), which includes me having lived on base for years both domestically and in a foreign nation. I read, a lot, including a not inconsiderable amount of what could is called 'military' fiction, both contemporary and sci-fi/fantasy. I spent 4 years in NJROTC.

 

I am not by any stretch of the imagination, using the phrase 'military mindset' to refer to the psycho-killer type mentalities some people might. The military is an honorable service, and while some of the 'psycho-killers' make it in despite (rigorous!) screening to prevent it, the majority are men and women of honor and integrity, looking to serve their nation as best they can. Some of them fail in this, either by degrading into the pyscho-killers due to combat fatigue or by loosing site of the rules which make their service to the nation honorable. You will note in my writing that while there are 'bad' military officers, the majority of them are 'good'. Sometimes a bad apple rises to the top. This happens more often in fiction than in real life, simply because it makes for good stories, but it does happen. But it is rare, and usually corrected fairly quickly.

[Nephylim]

OK, having just gotten a PM (that has me beyond angry!), let me clarify my statement on being familiar with the military mindset. I have an extensive family history of service going back two generations (grandfather was a Master Chief in the navy), which includes me having lived on base for years both domestically and in a foreign nation. I read, a lot, including a not inconsiderable amount of what could is called 'military' fiction, both contemporary and sci-fi/fantasy. I spent 4 years in NJROTC.

 

I am not by any stretch of the imagination, using the phrase 'military mindset' to refer to the psycho-killer type mentalities some people might. The military is an honorable service, and while some of the 'psycho-killers' make it in despite (rigorous!) screening to prevent it, the majority are men and women of honor and integrity, looking to serve their nation as best they can. Some of them fail in this, either by degrading into the pyscho-killers due to combat fatigue or by loosing site of the rules which make their service to the nation honorable. You will note in my writing that while there are 'bad' military officers, the majority of them are 'good'. Sometimes a bad apple rises to the top. This happens more often in fiction than in real life, simply because it makes for good stories, but it does happen. But it is rare, and usually corrected fairly quickly.

 

Sounds like you're stressed hun. Relax. we get the message and, if there are those who don't who cares? They say that you can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time. In my experience you can't please many of the people any of the time so just do what you do and let those who like it in and keep those who don't out

[Mark Arbour]

OK, having just gotten a PM (that has me beyond angry!), let me clarify my statement on being familiar with the military mindset. I have an extensive family history of service going back two generations (grandfather was a Master Chief in the navy), which includes me having lived on base for years both domestically and in a foreign nation. I read, a lot, including a not inconsiderable amount of what could is called 'military' fiction, both contemporary and sci-fi/fantasy. I spent 4 years in NJROTC.

 

I am not by any stretch of the imagination, using the phrase 'military mindset' to refer to the psycho-killer type mentalities some people might. The military is an honorable service, and while some of the 'psycho-killers' make it in despite (rigorous!) screening to prevent it, the majority are men and women of honor and integrity, looking to serve their nation as best they can. Some of them fail in this, either by degrading into the pyscho-killers due to combat fatigue or by loosing site of the rules which make their service to the nation honorable. You will note in my writing that while there are 'bad' military officers, the majority of them are 'good'. Sometimes a bad apple rises to the top. This happens more often in fiction than in real life, simply because it makes for good stories, but it does happen. But it is rare, and usually corrected fairly quickly.

 

A suggestion:

 

If you get a PM like that that pisses you off, do one of two things:

 

1. Post the offending PM with your response.

 

OR

 

2. Respond to the PM privately.

 

Personally, I think that it is impossible to accurately define "the military mindset" because the mind is an individual thing, and the military is composed of individuals. If you mean combat experience, I'm not sure any of us can accurately imagine it without really being there. Fortunately, this is fiction, so we get some leeway.