The Importance of Research for Writers …. And some pitfalls Part 4

 

This article is based on a presentation I gave about the importance of research for writers and is being published in four parts.  

Problems and distractions

It can be tempting, in the name of research, to get distracted or spend undue time on specific topics.

Example:
I discovered a memorial had been erected to a dingo at an animal reserve in an inland NSW town. The park had closed, and I wanted to know what happened to the memorial. I spent many fruitless hours trying to solve the mystery. It would have been a nice inclusion, but it wasn’t essential to my story and my time might have been better spent.

So, advancing the writing of my book had been hindered, or at least distracted, because of my intense interest in the secondary topic of my book; dingoes.

BTW I am still looking.

Because there was a marriage breakdown and a falling out between Berenice and the society there are some sensitive issues I need to write about in her biography. Some people, for their own reasons or agendas were not willing to talk to me. A further frustration was this led to a significant and very relevant organisation initially refusing to help me with information. After several heated emails they finally provided extremely basic information.

Filling in the gaps.

Regardless of the sources available, there will always be gaps; questions you feel need to be answered. It is hard, but we must pull ourselves back. Ask ourselves ‘how important is this information?’ or ‘can I get around it another way?’ Often there is a solution.

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