Candee: Have you ever read a book where the simplest thing took you out of the story in two seconds flat? If you’re knowledgeable about that setting or profession, it just takes one bit of misinformation to spark an internal argument with the author and start you questioning everything else in the story. Since our aim is to keep readers fully engaged in the story, research is critical.
However, when we think about research, we usually
envision historical settings and a stream of informational nuggets like specific
names for pieces of clothing, modes of transportation, titles for government
leaders, or acceptable vocabulary for the period. Writing a compelling story is
difficult enough without adding all that extra work. That’s why I write contemporary
settings.
Skip
the mountain of research and dive into the story, right? Not so fast.
Every novelist
must do their research in order to make the setting and characters come to life
because realism is found in the little details, descriptions, and actions that
make a particular location or occupation unique. A few specific details in strategic places go a long way
towards creating the illusion of a fully developed setting or skill. So,
unless we’re writing something we already know about, we’ll need to research
until we can naturally weave the information into the story.
Take for example, a college football setting
like the one I recreated in my recent release, Catch of a Lifetime. While I fictionalized the school, I still
needed to know things like the campus layout, degree requirements, and likely
weather in town as the weeks progressed. How many games would the team play and
how many did they need to win in order to get selected for a bowl game? What
grades did a player need to have in order to meet the NCAA eligibility
standards? What would a coach be doing at two o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon and
how would an athletic trainer evaluate or treat a shoulder injury?
By
answering these types of questions, I discovered the details I needed to bring
the story to life. Once I climbed inside the virtual skin of my point-of-view
character for a scene, I could see the sideline action inside a crowded stadium,
feel the brisk November wind on my face, hear the rip of athletic tape, and
smell the rank odor of collective sweat. I could sit at the coach’s desk,
glance at the dwindling depth chart on the wall, and resolve to study the scout
film for another hour. Typical routines and procedures gave my characters
plenty to do in each scene while multi-sensory descriptions added more layers
of realism.
Despite
being married to a football coach and watching numerous college games in person,
I still wouldn’t have known what to include in the story without investing time
in the research. And the research paid off as the setting came to life for the readers.
As a reader, how important are the little details to you? How often are you drawn out of a story due to wrong facts? Do you continue with the book or put it aside?
~~~~~
Candee Fick is the wife of a high school
football coach and the mother of three children, including a daughter with a
rare genetic syndrome. When not busy with her day job or writing, she can be
found cheering on the home team at football, basketball, baseball, and Special
Olympics games. In what little free time remains, she enjoys exploring the
great Colorado outdoors, indulging in dark chocolate, and savoring
happily-ever-after endings through a good book.
He
breathes football. She shudders at the very mention of the sport. After a
tragedy involving a football player destroyed her family, athletic trainer and
graduate student Cassie moves across the country looking for a fresh start, but
a change in financial aid lands her in the middle of her worst nightmare.
Meanwhile, rookie coach Reed worries his dream career will slip away as
injuries plague his players and his star receiver teeters on the brink of
ineligibility. As the two work together to salvage the season, sparks fly, and
Reed must eventually choose between the game he cherishes and the woman he
loves.
Find Catch of a Lifetime at http://www.amazon.com/dp/
