How do you go about researching?

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I've had a story brewing in the back of my mind for a while now. I think it's the one I want to write when I've finished my current WIPs. Ambitious maybe, but it's good to not run out of ideas and stop working. Writers write, after all!

I don't know where in the book I'll put the information I gather; I just know there will be bits about divorce, police procedure, art galleries, universities, etc. As background to the characters' lives. Some of it backstory, some of it to do with their chosen careers, some of it concerning the meat of the story itself.

My question is this: How do you go about gathering information about certain professions about which you know nothing?

I'm unpublished (at the moment, although fingers crossed for my book proposal) so feel a bit silly approaching, for instance, a doctor to say, "I'm a writer. Can I ask you a few questions?" I mean, I am a writer, just...not published. Yet. :(

So do I rely on the interweb? Trouble with that is, anyone can post there and you don't know for sure if the information you are gathering is reliable. Isn't it better to 'shadow' professionals, and if so, how do you go about making contacts/networking?

I heard it said most people would be flattered if you said, "I'm writing a book and I'd like to ask you a few questions about your work."

Trouble is, I feel like a fraud, 'cause you know they're gonna ask, "When will it be published?" and all I'd have to say is, "Uh...my last book's sitting on an agent's desk at the moment but, um...strictly speaking, I'm not published..." *feels this small*
 

ChaosTitan

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Ambitious maybe, but it's good to not run out of ideas and stop working. Writers write, after all!

:ROFL: Sorry, but that just made me giggle. Run out of ideas...I could live to be a hundred and eighty and never write all the ideas I've got notes on.

Anyway....

My question is this: How do you go about gathering information about certain professions about which you know nothing?

Honestly? Don't fret about being unpublished. Back in college, I had to do interviews for various things, and it was no less intimidating to say "this is just for a term paper," than it might be to say "it's research for a novel."

I don't know how it is in Scotland, but here in the States, most people who love their job love to talk about it. As long as you aren't trying to get a doctor to give you free advice on a medical condition, I wouldn't get into a lather about asking for a brief, novel-related interview. If they ask, a simple "I'm writing this on spec, but when (never say IF) it gets picked up, I'd love to put you on the acknowledgement page," should suffice.

So do I rely on the interweb? Trouble with that is, anyone can post there and you don't know for sure if the information you are gathering is reliable.

There are dozens of reliable websites out there, you just have to know where to look. Don't rely on the info-share sites like Wikipedia. Visit hospital websites. Look at museum sites. Stop by those places and pick up free pamphlets.

The Internet is a great resource. You just have to know how to sift the good stuff from the crap. Just like any other information source. And even if you can't find some info there, the simple things are often useful. GoogleMaps is my best friend. :D

Isn't it better to 'shadow' professionals, and if so, how do you go about making contacts/networking?

Try your local university. Professors love to talk (at least the ones I had did) when they have the time. If you need info on art history, ask to audit one or two classes for research. Once you have one contact, ask them if they know anyone inside your other field of knowledge. Use one contact to make another, and so forth.

If you truly need this information and are passionate about making a truthful depiction in your novel, don't be shy about asking for what you need. If you approach someone and are hesitant, they may not take you seriously. "This is me, this is what I'm doing, can I ask you a few questions?"

The worst thing they can say is no. And then you move on to the next person (who will then end up on your acknowledgements page ;) ).
 

giftedrhonda

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Internet, books, and I do interview people sometimes...many people really, really love to talk about themselves. LOL - so it's easy to get them going!!
 
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I've been told I'm good at charming people; it's worth a shot!

(And the 'running out of ideas' thing was a joke...my point being, it's better to have so many ideas in your head that your brain overloads, than to have none and have it atrophy)! ;)
 

giftedrhonda

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LOL - definitely try!!

Gotta agree with the "ideas" thing, too...
 

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Much as people badtalk Wikipedia, it has its uses. I sometimes use it has a starting point for research, using it to gather very general (perhaps unreliable) information which I will then pursue more thoroughly.

Just don't take it as the undeniable truth.

Other than that - the advice her is plentiful and good. The single best way to learn about something is to ask somebody who experiences that subject regulalry. If you can't find someone, turn to books. They won't give you the naunces of it as well as people, but they have info.
 

wordmonkey

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My doctor is a fan. OK, I have a couple of comic books out and he is into comics, but still. I went in for a check-up and we started talking poisons and how to kill someone and he's throwing these ideas about how you could poison someone and under the right circumstances, no one would likely realize or even look into it. AND the poison is so easy to get.

BWAH HA HA HA HA HAR!

er...

anyways...

To start with, we just started chatting about my job and me saying that I was a writer was enough. That my list of published works was slim made no difference. The idea that everyone has a book in them is the key. Everyone in any job has this idea of what THEY could do to screw with someone, or take revenge, or save the universe, and do so using their trade skills. You just need to nudge them and listen.

They don;t care what your track record is, they just think it's cool that someone who does something bohemian and exotic is coming to THEM for advice.

You could also try the used book stores around universities. You'll find old textbooks that will give you insights.
 
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Thinking about it now, I probably do have a wide circle of friends, or if not friends, then at least acquaintances. If my contacts don't have the job I'm investigating, they probably know someone who does.

For instance, I know a man who lectures in applied mathematics at Dundee University; I guess I could ask him for an 'in' there, some introductions. To be honest, I think St Andrew's would work better for my purposes, but it's a start...
 

Kate Thornton

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Scarlet - you will have no trouble talking to people - people love to talk. Long before I was publushed, I used to make appointments with people to discuss research subjects, take a notebook with me and generally get lots more than I ever needed. I interviewed cops, postal workers, housewives, accountants, librarians (ended up working there!) doctors (take them to lunch, like lawyers their time is money) and the woman who kept the Presidential Suite at a local fancy hotel.

For specific research, hit the library first, then the internet, then live people (or dead - archives are wonderful)

I enjoyed the research so much, the writing was the hard part.
 

spike

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I use the Internet as a starting point. Look at web pages for their source material (or email the webmaster for them). Then go find the sources.

Even wikipedia has some references.
 

Rob B

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Scarlet, I second what others have said. Eons ago, I found that if I told
someone I was writing a book and would value his/her opinion, I generally couldn't shut the person up. The biggest problem was that often the person would exaggerate or misstate a position, so I learned to seek multiple sources.

For general resource material, I still find the library invaluable, especially if I'm writing a period piece or section and I want to try to follow a time line
as close as possible. I use a set of encyclopedias that do no exceed
the time period (I think most are published something like every 14 years).

The other incredibly valuable source of information are major magazine publications that pertain to your subject of interest. I found tht most major publications have a master alphabetized table of contents that often span a decade (I forget what these things are called, but your library science person can tell you).

The other thing I experienced with the libraries, at least in the states, is how enthusiastic the staffs are in providing assistance. I initially thought they would be disinterested in helping; but, again, once I mentioned I was a writer (not that this probably mattered) I was amazed at how helpful everyone was. Hope this gives you a couple of ideas. Good Luck.
 
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Susan Gable

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One of my favorite websites to begin research on occupations is this:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/

It's an Occupational Handbook. Loads of great information there so you can see if this is a good occupation for your character or not. (Note that it's a US govt. publication, so there is a US "slant" - like annual salary for the occupation in the US, in US dollars.) But it still might be of some help to you.

:)

Susan G.
 

KCH

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ScarletPeaches,

Once you see how easy (and fun!) it is, the question will be not where do I start, but how do I stop.

Echoing the advice to start with the internet and then personal interviews/shadowing. The internet will get you up to speed on the basics so you can best leverage the time you have with an expert. No sense spending the expert's time on elementary stuff.

And I'd also echo everyone's experience of great cooperation from anyone I've ever approached for info. They're delighted and flattered to be asked. Plus, most professionals, regardless of the field, have an interest in helping to ensure acurate portrayals of what they do and how they do it. So they'll not only answer your questions, they'll usually go out of their way to set you up for as in-depth a peek into their procedures as you want. Simple questions I've posed have variously evolved into riding along with homicide detectives, auditing police academy classes, sitting in on polygraph procedures, etc. I even had a Capitol Hill police officer and someone from the office of the Architect take me through the bowels of the Capitol building in DC showing me places people could hide, where the cameras were, etc. Granted, that was pre-9-11, and I'm sure I would NOT get the same sort of enthusiastic assistance today.

Still, the ease with which the mere words "writer" and "research" get one entre into places and access to people is itself a bit scary. I'm actually using that as a central device in a WIP.
 

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I've found that if I do a little research first, I get farther with experts, maybe because they see they don't have to reinvent the wheel. I remember having a delightful conversation with a state toxicologist about poisons. I'd spent few hours in a medical library, getting everywhere and nowhere, so I knew what to ask her that would be most useful to me and take up less of her time. As a result, she gave me more time than I'd expected.

Good luck. I suspect you'll find that once you get started, it'll be very easy for you--you won't even need your natural charm--and the real test will be knowing when to stop.
 

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My question is this: How do you go about gathering information about certain professions about which you know nothing?
I start by looking for memoirs written by people in those professions. Psychiatrists and physicians just can't seem to help writing about themselves, I notice, but I've also found books by nurses, firefighters, cops, miltary personnel, people in various religious professions, college professors, etc. Even if they aren't very well-written, I can pull a lot of detail out of them, or at least figure out the right starting point for when I approach a Real Live Human.

Other great sources, depending on what profession you're writing about, are magazines, newsletters, and other periodicals aimed at people in those fields.

I also look online for various sources. Message boards related to a particular profession, where people go to vent, swap war stories, or discuss new developments in their fields are a great place to lurk. Sometimes, people blog about their jobs. I'll also look for things posted by people who are associated with that field--for example, if I was writing about an oncology nurse, I'd go see what cancer patients were saying about their treatments. If I was writing about someone who worked with mentally ill people, I'd also look at online support groups for both the mentally ill and their friends and families.
 
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The piece I'm planning is going to be a big one! :D It's also the first work I'll have to research.

Previous to this I've written about various subjects about which I know little, but enough to sound authentic, using my own and friend's experiences.

God knows where this story idea has come from, but...there it is. A huge project. Perhaps I wasn't ready until the age of 30 to take it on?

I'm quite excited! :D
 

pdr

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I look to the library first.

Always use three sources and then your commonsense to take what you need for your fiction.

There is so much first person stuff in biographies, and general info re art and galleries, professions etc. all in the non-fiction section. Read everything you can find. Memoirs and Biogs. are great for the personal stuff behind a job.

Make friends with your librarians for they will often know local people you can talk to and you'll feel less of a 'dawk' if you have read a little bit before talking to people.

As far as people go, to get a clear view of, say, a professor's life, talk to a young and an old professor, and then find someone who is retired and can look back on the changes and the 'good old days'. It gives you a great, fully rounded picture. Retirement homes are filled with people who'd love to have someone to talk to and you will find all sorts of retired professionals there.
And it's fun talking to all these people.

Oh, and I'd suggest you use a small tape recorder, or whatever it is you call those tiny things with discs these days! Always ask first and use your nouse. In some cases it is obviously inappropriate to record what's said and even suggesting it will shut your speakers up!

Go for it and good luck!
 

Kentuk

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Pumping the professionals works best when you already know what you are talking about. Research first and your quest to find the hard to learn nuggets will run you into the people you want to question.
 
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