People are often
surprized at how much research I do given that I predominantly write paranormal
or sci fi romance. How much research can be done when I’m making stuff up?
Well…
If my heroine has
wings I have to research different types of wings and decide which kind to base
her wings on.
Writing about a desert
dwelling alien race….how do earthlings do it? There are many different desert
dwelling people and learning about they how survive means I can use similar
ideas for my people.
For my Blood and
Silver series I researched lost civilizations, as well as reading Collapse by
Jared Diamond (which is about how societies collapse) and also the World
Without us by Alan Weisman (how long does it take nature to reclaim what is abandoned).
I research things that
interest me, which in turn feeds my work. Ideas come from everywhere, because I
feed my brain with things that I don’t usually come across in my day to day
life. I sometimes just browse a library shelf until something jumps out at me.
Which is how I started reading Atlantis by Allan J Danelek. This book raised the
idea that civilization had risen and fallen many times over the last 100,000
years and tied together a few ideas from
the other books. It also made me think of the ending of Battlestar Galactica (really need to re-watch that series)….
Between edits and
writing and reading fiction I think it’s important to keep learning. Learning
doesn’t have to be expensive or formal it just means being open to learning new things and new ideas. As an author those new things grow into many different plot bunnies.
What are some of
things you like to research for fun?
No comments:
Post a Comment