35. Research
Does
your typescript have '2 or 3 good ideas every 20 pages'? That's advice
that I was once given. It came up in last week's Advice to writers
34 - Surprising.
I suppose the first place you look is your imagination – for wacky,
original ideas that shock and inspire. On the other hand …
If you know where your story is set, how about reading a history
– fiction or non-fiction – of the place? If you've worked
out the place of work of an important character – and it isn't
an environment that you are familiar with – try and find a book
set in the same sort of place. If you want to identify one of your people
with, say, 20th century orchestral music, make sure that you become
familiar enough with Schönberg and Glass to convince.
The depth of your research will depend on the importance
of the theme in your story. Generally, it's probably enough to be capable
of sustaining an intelligent conversation on the subject. If your plot
turns on some esoteric detail which only deep knowledge could provide,
then you're in a different ball park.
In my novel Labyrinth, I have areas of knowledge –
basically things like the actual factual history of Carcassonne
and Chartres or deciphering
Egyptian hieroglyphs – which I have had to study in depth. Other
aspects I have touched on more lightly.
Whatever research you decide to do, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
