S.A. Snow on How to Research Your Story #WriteTip #SciFi #AmWriting @BooksBySnow
Posted on Wednesday, September 3, 2014
How to Research Your Story Before Writing Your Book
I’m
not generally known for doing a lot of research before writing a piece.
I tend to do research as I go along. That said, there are few things I
researched for this particular novel before I even set pen to paper, or
rather fingers to keyboard.
Once
I had decided on a location for the start of the novel, I researched
Washington D.C. and found a good place for my spaceship to land. It was
incredibly important for it to land in seclusion as well as in the metro
area.
Likewise,
did you know the United Nations had an Office of Outer Space Affairs? I
didn’t! But they do, and I can’t tell you the number of beta readers
who thought I had just made that up off the top of my head.
There
are reasons for doing research. It sets up the basis for the characters
and the plot. And generally, it makes writing easier and faster. There
are less bumps in the writing and editing path and the information
you’re putting out there is correct and up-to-date. It means that we, as
authors, are not just spewing out ignorant information to a less
informed world, but are also educating readers. Three other people now
know that there is United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs.
It’s
important to go to more than one source for your information as well
and not just use wikipedia. In college, all my professors told me to
never use wikipedia for anything, but it is actually a very good
starting point.
For
example in using multiple sites, I needed to research a certain thing
about Usnavi. You see, Usnavi is a sex-shifting alien, which means
Usnavi does not have a sex or gender identity (and yes, there is a
difference between a sex identity and a gender identity). In order to
make my story reason, to make it believable for those in the community, I
had to figure out the pronouns.
I
know people who are genderqueer, and I know the pronouns they use.
However, they vary. There isn’t set pronouns! Meaning, I had some
freedom in my choices for Usnavi. I researched diligently, on multiple
sites because they all gave me different answers, and settled on
zhe/zher/zhim (it’s because I like that one can see both masculine and
feminine in the words). But without research BEFORE writing the
character, the character would not be the same. Some of the
conversations Jane and Usnavi have would not be the same, and certainly
some of the corrections Jane makes for others would not have happened.
Research informs writing. And writing informs research. It’s a give and take in this game of creation.
Jane expected six months undercover to be hard; she expected it to be lonely and bleak. She didn’t expect to find love.
Jane Butler, a CIA operative, is assigned the task of infiltrating the Xanthians and determining if they’re a threat to humanity. Going undercover as a Xanthian mate, she boards the transport ship and meets Usnavi—her new mate. After spending six days traveling through space, Jane is ecstatic to explore the Xanthian station and soon sets out to complete her mission. The only problem? Usnavi—and the feelings she is quickly developing.
Fumbling their way through varying sexual expectations, cooking catastrophes, and cultural differences, they soon discover life together is never boring. As Jane and Usnavi careen into a relationship neither of them expected, Jane uncovers dark secrets about the Xanthians and realizes she may no longer be safe. When it becomes clear she’s on her own, Jane is forced to trust and rely on Usnavi. Simultaneously struggling with her mission, her feelings for Usnavi, and homesickness, Jane faces questions she never imagined she would have to answer.
Jane Butler, a CIA operative, is assigned the task of infiltrating the Xanthians and determining if they’re a threat to humanity. Going undercover as a Xanthian mate, she boards the transport ship and meets Usnavi—her new mate. After spending six days traveling through space, Jane is ecstatic to explore the Xanthian station and soon sets out to complete her mission. The only problem? Usnavi—and the feelings she is quickly developing.
Fumbling their way through varying sexual expectations, cooking catastrophes, and cultural differences, they soon discover life together is never boring. As Jane and Usnavi careen into a relationship neither of them expected, Jane uncovers dark secrets about the Xanthians and realizes she may no longer be safe. When it becomes clear she’s on her own, Jane is forced to trust and rely on Usnavi. Simultaneously struggling with her mission, her feelings for Usnavi, and homesickness, Jane faces questions she never imagined she would have to answer.
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Genre – Blended Science Fiction, Erotica
Rating – NC17
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