Research (I love it but it makes me weird) by Sydney Salter
I love research so much that the first time I started to write a novel, I ended up enrolling in classes at the University of Utah and finishing most of a second Bachelor's degree. Writing college papers is much easier than writing novels! But that idea is still on my To-Be Written List.
Now I set research deadlines.
Writing keeps me from collecting degrees. I love how I can learn about any topic for the sake of writing. Curious about jewelry-making, I gave that hobby to my main character in My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters, and enrolled in a few classes. I ended up with a couple of cute necklaces that I still love to wear.
A story about Hawaii gave me the courage I needed to take surfing lessons.
Not quite big wave surfing like my character, I earned a true appreciation for the strength required by the sport.
Research also makes me weird. I read really odd books. The kind you don't really want anyone asking you about on the soccer sidelines.
Right now I'm in the midst of another weird book phase while doing some enhancement research for my WIP (since it's past the deadline, I'm technically done with research and prioritizing writing, I swear!). Yet I'm still sneaking around, not letting anyone see the titles or book covers. Sometimes I wonder if the government tracks the weird stuff I read...?
My family is used to me by now.
But the other day I was writing in the Toyota waiting room during my car's oil change, and my husband, sitting in a boring meeting across the country, texted me: "You're Googling how to remove dead bodies. Should I be worried?" (For some reason my Googling shows up on his phone, making for many interesting conversations).
I started laughing crazy loud, drawing attention to myself.
Ah, the hazards of research!
Now I set research deadlines.
Writing keeps me from collecting degrees. I love how I can learn about any topic for the sake of writing. Curious about jewelry-making, I gave that hobby to my main character in My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters, and enrolled in a few classes. I ended up with a couple of cute necklaces that I still love to wear.
A story about Hawaii gave me the courage I needed to take surfing lessons.
 |
| Look at the size of that wave! |
Not quite big wave surfing like my character, I earned a true appreciation for the strength required by the sport.
Research also makes me weird. I read really odd books. The kind you don't really want anyone asking you about on the soccer sidelines.
 |
| Not exactly a book most soccer moms are reading! |
Right now I'm in the midst of another weird book phase while doing some enhancement research for my WIP (since it's past the deadline, I'm technically done with research and prioritizing writing, I swear!). Yet I'm still sneaking around, not letting anyone see the titles or book covers. Sometimes I wonder if the government tracks the weird stuff I read...?
My family is used to me by now.
But the other day I was writing in the Toyota waiting room during my car's oil change, and my husband, sitting in a boring meeting across the country, texted me: "You're Googling how to remove dead bodies. Should I be worried?" (For some reason my Googling shows up on his phone, making for many interesting conversations).
I started laughing crazy loud, drawing attention to myself.
Ah, the hazards of research!
Best picture captions ever! :-)
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of research deadlines!
ReplyDeleteI set research deadlines too! And I love, "Writing keeps me from collecting degrees," because that's what I'd be doing, if not writing novels.
ReplyDelete