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[Sakabelle]

Depends on the story. I tended to do less research for my Nick romances, just because the stories were about him and a made up character anyway, so there wasn't much point. For Running Up That Hill I have done a TON of research, because I don't want to leave out anything that happened during the break or get something wrong. (Even though I have already gotten stuff wrong but whatever)

To me accuracy really does matter in terms of real places and events. I wrote about Sea World, and I was on their website looking up times, when they opened, what shows were playing that day so I could get it right. Same thing with appearances the boys do, if I'm writing about it I'll always watch it first. And sometimes doing that helps, because I pick up on little gestures and things that they do that can add to the story. When I was writing 'Total Request Live' I did that, and there was this one point at the beginning where Nick looks right into Kevin's video camera and says something. So I definitely added that bit into the story. I think it makes things seem more real and plausible.

I've never written a story that takes me completely out of my comfort zone (such as your College story, Tracy) where I would have to do a ton of research about the setting and that sort of thing before even beginning to write, but I imagine if I did, I would do a ton of research for that as well.

[Pengi]

Borrowed Time is the first time I've done some really heavy, detailed research. Usually, I'm really vague with dates and settings. I've messed up before too and described something and been called on inaccuracies. But BT is the first time I've actually gone back to rewrite and fix things if I'm called out on it... Typically, I'll do little bits of research, but nothing major. Like what Steph was describing with the Sea World thing. I'll do things like look up jokes for someone to tell or if I need a good hook, I'll look up like a story or a science fact or something for the characters to talk about. I usually have a vague idea in mind of what I need for them to be chatting about and just find what I need. For example, in the next chapter of Borrowed Time, I actually looked up Norse symbols for love. I knew what I needed, and I just went hunting for it. Things like that. Detailed research that includes keeping track of BSB schedules and videos and real people and events and things like that is all new to me.

[mare]

When I research, it's mainly about the topics I'm writing about more so than the boys themselves. That really is one of my biggest flaws when it comes to writing, my lack of wanting to research. I hardly if ever watch old appearances or look up facts like Steph does. I'm sure my lack of doing that probably bothers people when they read and are like "she got that all wrong!" but that's why I also try to stay away from being really specific on things when it comes to touring etc...

I did research PTSD for It Stays & Wormholes etc... For Whatever the Night. lol

[Rose]

Here is a question: how much research do you do when it comes to writing a story? Does accuracy mattert when it comes to real places and events?

I do a LOT of research. For Undead, for example, I pretty much know the layout of the MacDill base by heart now LOL. I Google Earth places, to see what they look like. In "Walked Out Of My Dreams" I wanted to be completely accurate and put Brian in a place where literally NO ONE would realize who he was, so I went and found the most isolated place on earth (which took a lot of searching lol). Then I google earth'd it, looked up all this info, so I could describe it like I've actually been there. With Remember Me This Way, I still have countless pages, case studies, videos on things like MRIs, CAT scans, so that I wrote as if I was experiencing it myself.

Even with something like Divine Intervention, I have articles bookmarked from around the time the story takes place in. I have a timeline I found with things that were going on then, the tour dates saved for when I write into the Unbreakable tour. In one of my older stories, I wrote Nick at The Grove, a place I've never been. In a review I got asked if I've been there cause I wrote it that accurately.

I'm pretty anal about research LOL.

My whole thing is that it's so easy to research now, there's no excuse not to if I plan on using real places, real events, etc. I feel like I should know exactly what you're writing about.

But I know I am one of the queens of research lol. (Julie being the other haha)

[mare]

Hey! Laziness is a good excuse for no research!  :p lol

[Rose]

LOL I actually deleted where I said it's being lazy cause I was trying to be nice .

[RokofAges75]

I do a ton of research and fact-checking!  I usually can't write more than few sentences without googling something, which is partly why I write so slowly and get so easily distracted these days LOL.  It's become like a compulsion!

Most of my research is on medical stuff, locations, or stuff with the Boys, like Steph and Hannah were saying.  I think the most research I've ever done for a story was for Curtain Call, because I was writing about a real medical condition and a real person and a real time in history, the TIU tour.  So besides all the medical stuff I wanted to write accurately, I spent a lot of time looking up stuff on cities and venues and hospitals and reading Nick's old tweets and concert reviews and watching soundcheck videos, etc. etc. etc.  I was super anal about it, but it made the story believable, and that was important to me.

I know not everyone cares about accuracy, but I do think it's important.  It takes away from the story when something is unbelievable or just blatantly wrong.  In our age of technology, it is SO EASY (and free) to look things up on the internet that there's really no excuse not to.

[Purpura Lipstick]

I tend to not research the romance stories, Fighting Fate and Of Love and TIme really did not have any research involved.  I researched some for my older story More Than That but I didn't really do a lot of researching until Chronos Project.  I researched the time periods, I researched the area of LA that Julie lived in and enjoyed it.  I have done some research for Severed Identities but it hasn't required a lot. 

[myconfession]

I do some research, but not overdoing it. I try not to write about places I don't know because I want it to feel real.... so that's why a lot of my stories are based in the south like Nashville or Charlotte or Atlanta or Tampa.

As for real life events.... I try to include a lot of those, but I don't overdo it like I know some people have done that I've read. I mean, after all, it's FICTION.

[Rose]

I find writing only in places I've actually been to be rather limiting. I like expanding, challenging myself. Even though it takes a lot of research, the fun is in seeing if I can write it as if I've convincingly been there myself. For me, it's making sure I never stay in a box, writing wise, testing how far I can go creatively.

And yeah, it's just fiction, but fiction should be believable though. Intermingling real events or doing a bunch of research can help make your story come off as something real.

[Sakabelle]

What would constitute as overdoing it? A lot of my favourite stories are the ones that are so strongly based on real-life events (particularly centred around the boys relationships) it's conceivable that they could have happened, so I'm curious as to what the line is for you.

[Rose]

What would constitute as overdoing it? A lot of my favourite stories are the ones that are so strongly based on real-life events (particularly centred around the boys relationships) it's conceivable that they could have happened, so I'm curious as to what the line is for you.

I have to agree. Look at how Julie mixed in her plot with real events in Curtain Call. Like when she had a chapter about the TIU show here in Vegas, which was at the stage at Mandalay Bay, which is in their "beach". If I didn't know better, I would think she had been there, and she wrote based off of what she asked me about it and videos she looked up.

[Carter-Orange]

For my romance stories, I don't really research much because it's just girl meets boy and blah, blah, blah.  I make it up as I go along.  But I do uses places which aren't familiar as I can hardly set them in south Wales

For Save A Prayer, I did a bit of research and got the ideas from the TV, for example Bear Grylls.

With Maybe Tomorrow I'm actually having to research events, places and just generally that time period.  It's probably not very accurate in some places, but my excuse for that is that I'm lazy, lol.  When I do start researching, I end up getting carried away and spending a whole evening looking stuff up and then I've lost the will to write.

[Rose]

For my romance stories, I don't really research much because it's just girl meets boy and blah, blah, blah.  I make it up as I go along.  But I do uses places which aren't familiar as I can hardly set them in south Wales

For Save A Prayer, I did a bit of research and got the ideas from the TV, for example Bear Grylls.

With Maybe Tomorrow I'm actually having to research events, places and just generally that time period.  It's probably not very accurate in some places, but my excuse for that is that I'm lazy, lol.  When I do start researching, I end up getting carried away and spending a whole evening looking stuff up and then I've lost the will to write.

I know EXACTLY how that can be LMAO. It's great but it's also a huge distraction too.

[Sakabelle]

Curtain Call, yes, that was good example of telling a totally fictional story with real life thrown in to make it conceivable.

But what I'm talking about is the stories that are set around fictionalizing a real life event. I love those types of stories because they're almost like watching a behind the scenes documentary. I feel like I'm learning more about the guys themselves and their personalities through reading those. Like you get an inside look at what one fan's interpretation is of what might have gone on in the boy's real lives. Those stories have always been so interesting to me because all of us perceive the boys a little differently, and yet they're still the same guys we know and love, so it's fun to read about what we think may have happened when the camera was shut off.