Inquisitive Research

Welcome to guest blogger and historical fiction writer, Connie Stevens, who shares how she conducts research when writing a book. Leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of either Threads of Time or Sundays in Fredericksburg.

I read a Facebook post recently from an author who writes thriller/suspense stories. She had attended a class for writers taught by police officers. She stated she’d gained a great deal of valuable insight from the officers, that is until they asked if anyone in the class had ever written a scene where a character got tazed. Several raised their hands. The officers then asked if any of the writers would like to get tazed themselves so they would know what it felt like and therefore could write the experience more accurately.

She declined. [Wise decision!]

Most writers have an opinion about research—they either love it or hate it. I fall into the former category. I can get lost in research. I forget what time it is—and in some cases, what century it is, since I write historical fiction—when I’m researching for a story. It stems from first growing a relationship with my characters. I want to know them, live with them, have my finger on their pulse. In order to do that, I have to see and touch those things that surround them. I must experience--as much as possible--those circumstances that have shaped them into who they are. An author must become inquisitive—like a four-year-old asking, “Why?”  

Once I needed to know what an 1838 sawmill sounded like, and discovered the most common blade was a long, vertical blade that was propelled up and down rather than a large, spinning circular blade. After a few hours of Internet searching, I found a video of a restored 1836 sawmill. I replayed the video more than a dozen times, memorizing the sound.

But that wasn’t enough.

The restored sawmill was located in West Virginia, so on my next trip north to visit kinfolk, I detoured to West Virginia so I could listen to the sawmill in person. Not only did the sound resonate through me, I also watched the men wrestle the log into place with big, claw-like hooks. I watched the sweat glisten on their faces and darken their shirts, and got a better perspective of the intense labor required for such a job, and the danger involved as well. The pungent aroma of freshly sawn wood perfumed the air, and bone-jarring vibrations shook the ground. For the record, the sound it makes is a whumpety whumpety thwack. (Guess you had to be there.) Could I have written those scenes and simply said the sawmill made a loud racket? Of course, but I couldn’t have immersed myself into the scene, and therefore neither could the reader.

When researching for another story, my character was the developer of a hot springs resort where people came from all over to soak in the healing waters. So, I had to drive a couple of hundred miles to a hot springs and soak a while. Had to get that ahhhh factor down--all in the name of research, of course.

I’m currently working on a story set at the end of World War 1. My character was an army chaplain and suffers flashbacks from the battlefield.

 I found a wonderful resource at Fort Jackson in South Carolina where there is not only a chaplaincy school, but also a chaplaincy museum. The director allowed me to pick his brain, and didn’t even blink when I asked questions like: What would my character smell on the battlefield? (Did you know the odor of blood seeps into the senses and the smell can be remembered for a lifetime? Or, did you know one of most prevalent odors on the battlefield is charred dirt?) How did the soldiers tell the difference in gunfire and artillery to know if it was enemy or allied?

Some of these details may seem insignificant, but educating myself helps me climb into my characters’ skin and know who they are. It’s the only way I can make them come alive on the page.

If you are a writer, to what lengths have you gone to conduct inquisitive research?

BIO:

Connie Stevens lives with her husband of forty-one years in north Georgia, within sight of her beloved mountains. She and her husband are both active in a variety of ministries at their church. A lifelong reader, Connie began creating stories by the time she was ten. Her office manager and writing muse is a cat, but she’s never more than a phone call or email away from her critique partners. She enjoys gardening and quilting, but one of her favorite pastimes is browsing antique shops where story ideas often take root in her imagination. Connie has been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2000.

Drop by her website at www.conniestevenswrites.com and sign up to receive her quarterly newsletter.

Connie’s Facebook author page: www.facebook.com/ConnieStevensAuthor

Follow Connie on Twitter: @AuthorConnie

NEWS FLASH: The print edition of THREADS OF TIME is finally available. Order yours today from:https://www.createspace.com/4828468

Or:  http://amzn.to/10VwBvv