My first stories (not my better ones, I like to think I improved over time) were a lot easier, as it was Buffy and magic and, well, you can improvise a lot of that. I still researched some things like Greek mythology, but mostly it was fun because you could make things up and get creative.
That all changed when I moved on to CSI, where, it's surpisingly hard to find out what a gunshot does feel like. But it is out there. I did so much ridiculous online searching for "Happy", but it was all worth it.
I think like you do; you don't need to have lived it, but for goodness sake at least look it up a little bit if you want to write it!
My first stories were LOTR which still required a lot of research/knowledge of the books. Same goes for SW.
It was CSI (for me as well) where I really had to get down and dirty with research. I think the longest amount of research I have done was for a Robin Hood BBC story that I am working on and I spent four hours trying to find a certain goddess that would fit in the story line (also taking in factor the goddess that would be known around that area and time)
At any rate, I've read some ridiculous stuff that makes me cringe because it's so far off from the truth that it doesn't even make sense. What makes it worse is that there is *so* much information available out there just take a few minutes to look for it!
I'd like to think we've all improved with writing (I think it would be quite impossible to become worse over time, everything becomes better with practice)
The internet makes researching so ridiculously easy. And, even if you never leave the wiki site, you should be able to find something to make your story more believable.
Not that you should believe everything online. The CBS CSI website led me wrong about Greg. ;)
And yes, practice does make perfect. I need to practice some more!
I certainly wouldn't mind if you practiced some more :) I miss reading all the old sandle writers, everyone's been busy with life. Not to mention TPTB sort of killed Sandle a while back.
And true, a good researcher will scour several sites before determining what is and is not correct. My favorites list is a little scary at the moment as I have a separate section for stories and promptly ten or eleven sites covering various topics from drug/dependency clear to hospital information (I'm not excessively cruel to my characters I promise. Somehow no one tends to believe that though :P)
I disagree. You have a wonderful way with writing that most do not possess. That alone gives you a head start, but you also have a good grip on reality and understand what is and what is not plausible in most aspects. Some ppl don't even have that...
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That all changed when I moved on to CSI, where, it's surpisingly hard to find out what a gunshot does feel like. But it is out there. I did so much ridiculous online searching for "Happy", but it was all worth it.
I think like you do; you don't need to have lived it, but for goodness sake at least look it up a little bit if you want to write it!
Reply
My first stories were LOTR which still required a lot of research/knowledge of the books. Same goes for SW.
It was CSI (for me as well) where I really had to get down and dirty with research. I think the longest amount of research I have done was for a Robin Hood BBC story that I am working on and I spent four hours trying to find a certain goddess that would fit in the story line (also taking in factor the goddess that would be known around that area and time)
At any rate, I've read some ridiculous stuff that makes me cringe because it's so far off from the truth that it doesn't even make sense. What makes it worse is that there is *so* much information available out there just take a few minutes to look for it!
I'd like to think we've all improved with writing (I think it would be quite impossible to become worse over time, everything becomes better with practice)
Reply
Not that you should believe everything online. The CBS CSI website led me wrong about Greg. ;)
And yes, practice does make perfect. I need to practice some more!
Reply
And true, a good researcher will scour several sites before determining what is and is not correct. My favorites list is a little scary at the moment as I have a separate section for stories and promptly ten or eleven sites covering various topics from drug/dependency clear to hospital information (I'm not excessively cruel to my characters I promise. Somehow no one tends to believe that though :P)
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