Research

I was listening to the Misfits Guide to Writing Indie Romance podcast the other day, and they were answering a listener question: where do you go to do your research for your books? My answers are a little different from theirs, and I thought I’d share them here.

I’m a librarian by training, so when I need to find general facts I head to Google, and I feel pretty confident I will find a reliable source. But general facts aren’t what make a story feel real and specific, are they? It’s the little details, the things only insiders know, that make the story come to life. For example, when I was researching for my novel Control Freak, I wanted to know what kind of weird cases the doctors and nurses saw in the E.R. I wondered what it was like to be an E.R. doctor—what hours do they work, what stresses them out and why do they do it anyway? Some of those details actually made it into my book, but a lot of the research I did just helped me develop the characters and plot. Either way, they added to the story as a whole. Here’s where I went digging:

Memoirs: When you want to know what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes, a great place to look is a memoir. Not only will get some of the facts that you need (i.e. what tools a chef might use in a kitchen), but you’ll also learn the specific challenges and rewards of someone in their position. When I read the memoir of an emergency room doctor from North Carolina, I better understood the pressures and strains of the job. I also learned which patients frustrated him and how he dealt with those feelings. His personal life was very different from my main character’s, but I used the details of his career experiences to help me understand what she would experience at work and how it would shape her. I’ll definitely turn to memoirs again, as I write new characters who have jobs or life experiences that are outside of my own.

Reddit: I have never gone on Reddit to ask or answer questions, and I never will (because it kind of freaks me out), but it’s a great place to eavesdrop on conversations and get inspiration. Need to know the grossest thing a nurse has ever seen in an E.R.? The people on Reddit have answers for you, some of which will make you wish you never asked. Want to know the details of the worst date someone has ever had? You’ll find lots of examples on Reddit. It’s a great resource, but can also be a huge black hole as far as time wasted, so enter with caution. Speaking of black holes, I’ve heard there are Star Wars Episode IX spoilers on Reddit, but I’m not looking for them. You look for me, and if Bendemption is happening, just tell me that and nothing else. Thanks.

Experts: The other place I turn when I need to do research is my friends. Even though I did my own research on medical conditions and E.R. experiences, I wasn’t entirely sure I had my facts right. That’s why I called in two of my lifelong besties, Dr. Allie and Nurse Cindy, to read my manuscript and tell me what I got right and wrong. I wanted to make sure that if anyone who worked in the medical field read my book, they’d be able to focus on the story and not get pulled out every time they read something that seemed illogical or incorrect. They did an amazing job and gave me super helpful feedback. Because I knew these ladies wouldn’t let me pay them, I sent gifts and thanked them in my acknowledgments.

Asking favors is tricky because I do believe people should be compensated for their time, especially women who too often work for free. Now I’m not talking about a quick “did I get this right?” If the person can answer your question in an email or phone call, that seems fine. What I’m talking about is having someone (who is not a close friend or family member) do a full, intensive reading of your book to check your facts. In my case, I’m still unpublished and two of my closest friends I’ve known since 7th grade wanted to support my dream of becoming an author. They weren’t going to let me pay them. But honestly, if I ask Nurse Cindy or Dr. Allie to read through another book and check my medical facts, I’m going to push hard to compensate them monetarily. At that point, I will (I hope) be making money as an author, and I don’t want to keep asking favors, even of good friends. We’ve known each other (yikes) thirty-five years or so, but they still have other things to do with their time than read my books and tell me what mistakes I’ve made. I want to value their time and expertise, and I can do that by treating them like consultants.

I guess what I’m saying is that it’s a gray area when you’re asking friends to consult on your work. They might want to help without payment, but at what point is that exploitative? Do we perpetuate women doing unpaid labor when we ask others to do work on our books without payment? I’m sure most people have beta readers, proofreaders, subject experts that they utilize — please tell me about yours. I’d love to hear how you navigate this issue.

I do think it’s fine to invite someone for coffee to talk about their job or ask to shadow them at work if you just want to pick up a few tips or watch how things go down in the real world. This is a great way to do research and can be followed up with a gift to say thank you. For example, if you want to know more about being a doula, you could ask if you could attend a stranger’s childbirth experience…okay, maybe not that one, but you get the idea.

If you’re a writer, let me know where you go to do your research. I’d love to hear from you. And if you think I’m way off about the compensation thing, you can let me know that, too. Go forth and research, you badass writers! xo