Guest Blogger: David Sakmyster on The Joys of Research

Today’s guest post is written by author David Sakmyster.

So you’ve got your character in a foreign country, in the midst of some ancient ruins, and suddenly you’re hit with what I call P-FU: Paralyzing Fear of the Unknown. What kind of bricks are these? Are those flowering shrubs or just exotic weeds? What kind of birds are those? How did my character even get here? And hey — what’s that smell?

Paralysis. Just like in war, if you’re the general you wouldn’t send your troops into unknown territory without doing the necessary recon. You’d send out spies to report on the enemy positions, the lay of the land, the strength of the defenses, what kind of weapons they have; you’d check satellite imagery and aerial maps, consult geological charts and study weather patterns. Information is key to winning any battle, and writers should approach each scene like it’s a key battle in the war. Sure, it’s possible to go kamikaze and just rush in and make it all up when you get there, and good writers can pull that off and make you believe it, but in cases where your characters are prowling about in locations you’ve never actually been to, readers may quickly catch on that you haven’t done your job.

So, research is work, and it’s often painful and boring – but it can also be very rewarding and very often leads to new directions or improvements to your story. Recently I was researching the life of Genghis Khan, as the current book I’m writing involves psychic archaeologists trying to find his lost tomb (and the treasure supposedly buried with him). Reading one of six different biographies, I discovered the existence of a cult of worshippers who for centuries took it as their sacred duty to protect his hidden grave; well, that hadn’t been part of my original outline, but now I just had to have a character be a member of that secret cult, trying to block my heroes from their quest. And just like that, I ramped up the stakes and the excitement in the plot.

As to where to research… that’s the part that’s open to your preferences. Sure, there’s Wikipedia, which you’ll often find at the top of any Google search – and I’m not afraid to admit I’ll use it. At least, at a first stop – often if I’m just looking for basic factual info (like: when was this castle built, what city is it in, are there any pictures and a map?) it’s fine for that, and saves loads of time. And even if the info seems weak or light, the authors usually list a lot of corroborating sources below, other texts and links you can follow for more info (or check out of the library).

So, definitely don’t discount Wikipedia for some light research, but for really in-depth background info, I still rely on the library and encyclopedias. Biographies are great, and for describing exotic cities or locations I’ve never visited, nothing beats travel guides. For Silver and Gold, I loaded up on travel books for Alaska, the Yukon, California and Nevada. They’re invaluable, describing everything you’ll need to know in terms of local flavor (vegetation, people, geography, some history, maps…).

And for those times when I don’t want to brave the outside world (where I might run into actual people), there are other online sources of help: flickr.com is great for viewing pictures other people have taken of just about everything in the world. It’s the next best thing to actually seeing it firsthand yourself! And now so many books and excerpts of books are online, that search engines will just find those pages you need for you. Prowl around newsgroups of interest to the topic you’re writing about and get their members’ perspectives or input. And also don’t be afraid to go straight to the source: when I needed information about dogsledding, I contacted a sled group leader with some questions. When I wanted to know about remote-viewing, I wrote to the author of a study on such psychic abilities.

When I researched my nonfiction book about the haunting of the Belhurst Castle in Geneva, NY, I prowled around dusty historical societies, digging up old photos and letters from the 1800s, reading wills and trust documents, then scanning ancient newspapers on microfilm. And finally, don’t discount the power of actual social interaction. Local taverns are a great place to run into interesting people who will gladly (for a drink) share their knowledge – and you can learn things that could never be found in books.

With all the tools available, it’s actually a great day and age to be a writer – at least in terms of researching!

David Sakmyster is the author of the newly-released epic historical fiction novel, SILVER AND GOLD, as well as TWILIGHT OF THE FIFTH SUN. He’s a winner of the Writers of the Future Contest, and has over two dozen published short stories. He lives in upstate NY with his wife, daughter, dog and a lot of snow. He’s at work writing a trilogy about psychic archaeologists and dabbling in screenwriting. You can find him on the web at www.sakmyster.com, or at his blog.