Round RobinThis month’s Round Robin topic is about research. All story genres take some research for establishing details in the setting. What type of research have you had to do? Does it bother you when you read something happening in a story that is inaccurate historically, socially, scientifically, etc.?

Ah… research… Such a lovely word… such a lovely thing… such a… time suck. LOL Most of my writer friends will agree with that statement. I don’t know one author who doesn’t love research. Nor do I know one author who hasn’t complained of being sucked into the fascinating world of whatever they are researching. By the time you surface, thirty minutes has turned into four hours and all of your plans to write have disappeared with those hours. You can console yourself with the fact that you know more than you ever needed to know about say… basket weaving in Roman times which led to how they used mold from bread as a primitive form of penicillin which led to the herbs they used for various illnesses which led to forms of corporeal punishment and some really disgusting drawings that you couldn’t drag your gaze away from even as your stomach turned which led to…

Go ahead, authors, tell me this hasn’t happened to you, too. I dare you. (grin)

So, yeah, research for settings, absolutely. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of familiarizing myself with the types of shops in towns I’ve visited or the name of a local landmark that I just can’t remember. Others, it’s much more in depth.

My most recent work, The Whispering House, is set in central California. This is my old stomping ground, and I still visit there often, so research for the main setting was unnecessary. However, since she does a little bit of traveling, I did have to look up a few other cities for a bit of information. All of the cities I have visited and am familiar with to some degree. However, I don’t know the names of specific neighborhoods, lesser known landmarks, etc. These are the types of details that help create the impression that you are familiar with those towns.

This story has a bit of science fiction/paranormal in it. That aspect also required research. And then I had to research one more thing. What does a man’s jizz taste like in general? (grin) If you are interested, you can find the answer here.

Did I do more research than needed? Of course, I was sucked into the fascinating information black hole. There’s no escaping it. LOL It was so… painful. 😀

So, judging from my doing research to write a contemporary, sci-fi, paranormal erotic romance, how do you think I react when something inaccurate happens in a book I’m reading.

(Grin)

Anyone who’ll listen gets an earful. LOL

So, if you are an author, do you do research? If so, how much? And are you like me? Does it bother you when you see something that’s inaccurate?

Stop by the following websites to see what other authors say about researching: