Creating a Research Plan © By Joanne Rock Writing historical romances has taught me the value of creating a research plan that's quick and succinct so you can move past the research to the real heart of your work... writing. Research for a historical is a cumulative process... a slow building of your knowledge base so that each book is easier because of your familiarity with a given time period. If you're just starting out in a new time period, or if you are sitting down to craft your first-ever historical, here's a nuts and bolts grid for what you might need to get begin: ·women's articles of clothing ·men's articles of clothing ·cadence of speech for your characters according to time/place/ social station ·vocabulary and language choices of the time period ·music ·entertainments ·food ·customs ·religion ·houses and servants ·political situation of the era ·pertinent details of main characters' career (if hero is a knight, what did a knight actually do?) ·lifestyle (how did a noblewoman fill her days?) ·manners Organizing Your Notes Next, try creating a Writer's Notebook to keep track of your information. For me, this isn't really a true notebook, but a three-ring binder system. I take some traditional notes, but much of my other research is printed from the Internet onto 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper. I punch holes in all my papers and keep them in order in a binder so that I know where everything is on a story. When I need to spend an hour procrastinating, I make a lovely medieval looking cover for my notebook with big, beautiful font advertising my title. This makes my story that much closer to published as far as I'm concerned, since the basis of my story is already between covers! Go back to the list above and organize your notes according to the list. Separate sections for clothing, food, music, weapons, etc. Include pictures. If you continue to write in the same time period, much of your notebook can be reused for many books. The only portions that change are your notes on the particular story set up (I print off my synopsis to include in my Writer's Notebook) and any research you did specific to that book (Scottish myths, Welsh folklore, the art of making stained glass, whatever). Never throw away notes from a story. Simply retire the sections of old notebooks into a big file drawer in case you need them down the road. If you don't have a desk with a big file drawer, then go purchase a dedicated Rubbermaid bin to keep your notes secure. There's nothing more frustrating than to have taken notes on a subject once and then not be able to find them again! |