 |
| Screen-capture from http://thetimetravelersguidetothegalaxy.tumblr.com originally posted to http://wittywallflower.tumblr.com |
Now, we all know
Napoleon was the strongest woman in the Ukrainian army in 1996.
Oh, he wasn't?
YOU'RE KIDDING?
Yes my friends, I know
a lot of us hate to do it, but research is a very important part of
being a writer. Now, I know what you're saying:
“But Emily! I write
fiction (or fantasy, or sci-fi, or creative non-fiction, or what have
you), I don't need to do research for that!”
Well I hate to tell
you but you're wrong (no that's a lie, I need to tell you that you're wrong). Even if your story has llama's from Uranus
beaming down and attacking a small village with purple potatoes, you
still need to make it at least somewhat believable.
I bet that most
of you didn't know that purple potatoes actually exist.
It's true, but how did
I know that? I Googled it of course. We live in a great time for
research, my friends. You can browse the internet, check out the
library, interview experts, or even get field experience. If you want
even your most outrageous of stories to be believable you need to add
an ounce of truth.
So my little situation that I described above could, quite possibly, be somewhat believable for several reasons.
- Llamas are real animals, and a few of us have even touched them at petting zoos (did you know that Llamas live to be about 20 years old?).
- Uranus is a well-known planet in our solar system, even if most people giggle at the mention of it (Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun and also a friend of sailor moon).
- Purple potatoes are an actual food (often used in a variety of Indian dishes, don't forget the spices!).
Yes, so maybe there are no Llamas on Uranus and you can't actually 'beam down' from somewhere, but I bet being pelted with purple potatoes would be a terrifying experience.
If you need more information on the importance of research for writers you can check out Helena Schrader's Blog.
-Emily
This post just made realize a funny paradox in the fantasy genre. Most people seem to think that a fantasy novel, at its core, should be cultivated inside the author's mind with little to no outside influence. That is what makes it "fantastic". Of course, your post dispels this notion and shows that research can go a long way. Love it.
ReplyDeleteIronically, most of the fairly generic works of fantasy that I've read (including several book ideas from friends)are hopelessly derivative of other greats like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. There's a line between research and plagiarism :p
I, too, get very irritated when people say that research is unnecessary for writing fiction, especially in reference to specualtive fiction genres (fantasy, sci fi, etc.). A lot of the fantastic in fantasy works are derived from folktales and superstitions, and science fiction has to have at least a plausible presentation of something scientific (otherwise, it's fantasy). That's not even getting into hard sci fi.
ReplyDeleteUranian llamas with purple potatoes attacking a village sounds like it would be a very creative and hilarious story, espeically if you wrote it.
I had no idea that purple potatoes even existed. I guess that goes to show that even if we think something may be silly or impossible, without proper research we could end up having people believe our fiction. Of course, Llamas beaming down... purple potatoes... etc etc., I don't think is believable, but to a lesser extent, sure something could be.
ReplyDeletePurple potatoes...
ReplyDeleteOr those crystally things they sell in museum gift shops?! What, exactly, are you trying to pull here, Emily?