Author Janalyn Voigt's introduction speaks for itself, so ...
Janalyn: If you’re
like most writers, being an introverted soul, you would rather plant yourself in front
of the computer to write than go somewhere for anything but necessities. At the
prospect of a research trip to a location you’re writing about, however, that
magically changes. Images of your jotting
notes on the fly, gazing awe-struck at scenery, or photographing an artifact
jockey in your mind.
It can be like that, except of course when it’s not.
Failing to prepare for a research trip can result in missed opportunities,
wasted time, and a lot of frustration.
How
to Prepare for a Research Trip
1. Outline your book ahead of time.
This helps you identify the research questions you need to answer for the
story.
2. Isolate the areas of research you
need to tackle on this trip. If you are writing a
series, for example, you may need to whittle down your research to that
required for your current book and save investigating for the next book until
later. You have only so much time and energy, so use it well.
3. Identify people you want to talk
with and set up an appointment in advance. Believe me when
I say this becomes a herculean task when you are living out of suitcases while
traveling about. Be sure to provide your phone number and ask for one you can
call if plans change. Doing this can mean the difference between a lost
connection and an informative meeting.
4. Create an efficient itinerary.
Lay out your stops in a logical order with little-to-no backtracking. Start
with the most important location and work from there. Then, if the unexpected
happens and you experience delays or have to curtail the trip, you will at
least have spent time at the most important site.
5. Make hotel reservations in advance.
Having an itinerary helps you determine where you’ll be spending the night.
Don’t, as my husband and I once did, leave finding a room in a partial ghost
town to chance. We discovered on our arrival, and with many miles to the
nearest town, that the town was closed for the season. Fortunately, one
proprietress let us sleep in a converted shack. Lesson learned.
6. Make sure of admission prices,
times, and special arrangements. Arriving at closing
time means you will either return or skip the site. Some historical sites are
kept locked, requiring special arrangements to be viewed. Work this out in
advance.
7. Check news for the location you
plan to visit. A ghost town I planned to visit was
shut down following a flash flood. Had I gone when I’d originally planned, I’d
have been turned away from my main research site. Fortunately, I rescheduled
the trip for a later date, and only then discovered the closure.
8. Allow for having less energy.
Accept that travel is tiring, and you will give yourself grace if you can’t
accomplish everything you planned to do.
9. Don’t rely on memory. I’ve done this more times than I care to
admit. When you are standing in a place, it seems like you will never forget
it, but that’s not the truth. Your memories will become sketchy or fade. This
is why capturing the essence of a place in writing, images, or audio is so
important. Remember especially to record the impressions you pick up with your
senses.
10. Schedule your research trip efficiently.
Being able to complete your project as soon as possible afterwards is best. If
you let too much time elapse between your trip and writing the story, it will
be harder to immerse yourself in detail. It’s not possible to record every
impression while on location, so moving right into your project when you return
home is the smart thing to do.
Having a sense of humor eases the stress of
traveling for research. Even when you’ve prepared to the best of your ability,
your plans can go astray for reasons outside your control. I once planned to
visit a historic ranch, only to find it closed due to a budget stalemate.
There’s not a lot you can do about something like that, so why not give
yourself permission to see the humor in it? Move on, and you may discover one
of the nicest things about travel to a writing research location--serendipity.
Now that’s worth leaving home for.
Any tips to add? How far have you traveled for the sake of research? What is the most inspiring/interesting/surprising place you've visited while researching a novel?
~~~
Janalyn Voigt is a writer and professional
speaker with a photography habit and a passion for travel. She blends
adventure, romance, suspense, and whimsy to create worlds of beauty and danger
for readers. Beginning with DawnSinger,
Janalyn’s epic fantasy series, Tales of Faeraven,
carries readers into a land only imagined in dreams. Novelist Linda Windsor has
described Janalyn’s unique writing style as bardic prose. In a marriage of
location, genre, and writing voice, Janalyn is developing a romantic suspense
series set in Ireland.Janalyn is represented by Sarah Joy Freese of Wordserve Literary. Her memberships include American Christian Fiction Writers and Northwest Christian Writers Association. She maintains separate websites for her Creative Worlds author brand, Literary Wayfarer travel writing identity, and for mentoring other writers at Live Write Breathe.
Visit Janalyn Voigt at her author website.
