God is in the details

One of the best and most interesting parts of my job as a writer - you know, besides the fame and fortune (insert eye roll here) is the fun of research.

It's important for me as an author that the elements of my books be believable. I don't need to come across as an expert in all things, but I hate it when an inconsistency or error in research pulls me out of a story, and I never want that to happen to any of my readers. God is in the details, after all, and over the years I've had to research handguns, the CIA, the parts of a sail boat, Mackinac Island, restaurants in Chicago, what a house on the Jersey shore would look like, Irish ruins, bondage rope, medical conditions, hotel management, musical instruments, gourmet cooking, and magic spells.

While fiction writers are, by definition of being a fiction writer, allowed to make things up, there are some things I'm not really comfortable inventing from scratch. For example, settings - unless you're creating an entirely imaginary universe such as you would in a science fiction or paranormal novel, made up places don't go over very well. There are exceptions, naturally, and I I know some authors who do it very well. Jennifer Crusie, for example, sets most of her books in Ohio, and as far as I know the towns that her stories are set in are not real.

But Jennifer is from Ohio, and she knows what a small town in that state would look like, so she does a very credible job of making everything fit together. I myself am originally from Michigan, and I've lived for long periods of time in other states, so I suppose I could do the same thing. But I think it's a better use of my creative juju to keep the setting real and concentrate on the story.

Along with places, things need to be researched, and my method of doing this is slightly unorthodox. Instead of researching handguns or sailing terms before my story is written, I do it after. Leaving holes in the story where the details will go and filling them in later keeps me from getting bogged down in the possibilities before I know exactly what information I need. I developed this method after I spent nearly a week digging up information on weapons and became so overwhelmed by all the varieties and variations available that I didn't get any writing done.

Of course, some things need to be researched very, very thoroughly. Every detail thought out, scrutinized. And sometimes, one does need first hand experience of something to properly tell the tale. This is, of course, my preferred method of research in all matters; unfortunately, my budget doesn't run to me visiting Irish castles. Fortunately, some research doesn't require travel or sailing lessons. Sometimes, all you need is a willing boyfriend, an empty house, and a Sunday afternoon.

Did I mention I love research?