Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => Writer's Circle => Research Assistance => Topic started by: Chaos on February 17, 2007, 08:12:32 AM
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As a firm believer in researching before (and while) writing, I thought it might be really handy to have a spot on the boards where you can ask those questions you need answered for your fic.
One of the most heavily repeated quotes about writing is to "write what you know". While that's often really good advice, there are times where you want to write a bit about something you don't really know a whole lot about. If you do your research well, you should still be able to pull this off.
And here's where your fellow writers can often be your biggest help. If you don't know a lot about a subject, odds are that someone else around here does. Or they can at the very least give you some good pointers on where to find the information you need.
This board is intended for questions not about writing, but about the subjects you're writing about.
Some examples:
Questions about canon characters. (ie. How many PhDs does Dr. Spencer Reid have on Criminal Minds?)
Questions about medical afflictions. (ie. One of my characters has dislocated one of his knees. I've never had that happen, how does it actually feel?)
Also can ask questions about locations (ie. What sort of identifying landmarks are there around Bemidji, Minnesota?) or law (It's legal to drink alcohol at what age in Germany?) or pretty much anything you can come up with.
I can't guarentee that anyone here can answer your questions, but fellow writers can be a great help for researching these questions!
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Ooh, great idea! I'm a firm believer in researching too, cause the whole "write what you know" concept is way too limiting for me. Most of my life experiences aren't interesting enough to make a good story LOL, so I write mostly about stuff I haven't experienced, but with enough research, it works out pretty well. It'll be nice to have a place to ask questions. :)
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Can I also point out that even Fantasy writers do research? ;D Most of Pbox is based on the legend of the Four Gods and the Warring States era of Japan. ;D
I think this is a great board! :)
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Can I also point out that even Fantasy writers do research? ;D Most of Pbox is based on the legend of the Four Gods and the Warring States era of Japan. ;D
I think this is a great board! :)
Good point! It's so true too. I'm not extremely well-versed in fantasy, but I know for a fact that Star Wars incorporates the psychological archetypes (the hero, the old wise man, the dark villain, etc.), and Harry Potter is full of references to mythological creatures and characters, astrology, astronomy, etc. George Lucas and JK Rowling didn't just make everything in their stories up; they did a lot of research too. I'm sure it's the same way with a lot of other fantasy writers, and writers of all genres.
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aww this is a great idea for a board.
research is always a good thing, it's usually my one biggest weakness :(
i'm lazy, that's why I could never pull off a medical drama, it would come off very much like my parody chapter in 5 bsb in search of a plot! lmao
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Good point! It's so true too. I'm not extremely well-versed in fantasy, but I know for a fact that Star Wars incorporates the psychological archetypes (the hero, the old wise man, the dark villain, etc.), and Harry Potter is full of references to mythological creatures and characters, astrology, astronomy, etc. George Lucas and JK Rowling didn't just make everything in their stories up; they did a lot of research too. I'm sure it's the same way with a lot of other fantasy writers, and writers of all genres.
Star Wars is also based on Feudal Japan and samurais. :)
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i hate doing research! Maybe thats the real reason I always write romance... Not that I know a lot about it... I've been married for more than 5 years... the romance is long gone haha but it doesn't take much research either. :P
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This is a great idea! So many times I'm asking my friends for random facts that I don't know. I'll prolly find something to use this board for!
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I think we'll all end up using this board at some point! I know I will!
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I almost used it tonight! But then I just Googled LOL. Figured I'd get my answer faster that way. :P But it's nice to see so many people posting in this thread - I think it will be helpful!
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I've been googling alot for "Yes, I Will" I stepped way out of "write what you know" for this story.