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Research - Seek and You Will Find
I am going to write about research and I believe that it would
be better for me to define the word before explaining it in
detail. The Webster Dictionary defines research
as,
"Careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some
field of knowledge, undertaken to discover or establish facts
or principles. P 1208" 1982.
However the definition does not state the irrefutable fact that
cognitive human beings are engaged in research every day of
their lives.
A three-week old baby is aware of the fact that when she is
hungry she will scream her little head off and someone will
feed her. The crying is an instinctive survival mechanism but
the correlation between making loud noises and achieving
positive results is a form of research known as trial and
error. How about checking your fuel gauge to see if you need
gas or your watch to see what time it is, or collecting and
checking the documents you need for that all-important meeting,
and of course checking the weather and traffic before leaving
home for your commute. I could go on and on but I think I have
made the point. The process of research is intensified in
schools, colleges, and universities across the nation and it is
therefore a logical assumption that you are well prepared to
garner the information you need before and during the process
of writing your book.
The process of research begins in your head. Your brain, mind,
and memory will combine their resources to create an image of
what you want to say and how you intend to say it. You should
extract this information and keep it in note form, and I must
pass on an important piece of advice. You should always have a
notebook and a pen or pencil to jot down your thoughts and even
your dreams and that includes your daydreaming. You will
discover that from time to time your mind will drift away from
the demands of the immediate and you will begin to think about
the anecdotal episodes in your past and your hopes and
expectations for the future. You are daydreaming and this is
good, as soon as you return to the present grab your notebook
and record what you were daydreaming about. A word of caution,
please do not daydream while you are driving or operating
machinery.
Creating characters is an essential to the write process. Every
character in your book should have a history and a personality.
He or she must be carefully developed to fit into the story
line or plot. For example, "John may be white, six feet-two,
slim and athletic with a touch of gray at the temples. He is
ruggedly handsome, polite and has a charming smile."
Research is vital in every aspect in the development in your
body of work, John and others will not appear out of thin air
you have to search for them. If your story is set in Miami,
Florida, what do you know about the geography, topography, and
demography of Dade county and Miami? What about buildings and
their architecture ancient and modern, the intercoastal, the
cruise ships and yachts, and the ethnic diversity? In order to
create a credible setting research is essential. Use your
personal knowledge, use your computer and if possible pay a
visit, get a sense and feel of the environment and take
pictures, lots of pictures, go for it.
by Bernard Steele - 1st September 2008
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Bernard Steele is a veteran law enforcement officer
(operational and administrative), now retired. He was the
former chief security officer of the National Banking System of
Guyana S.A. To learn about his new book visit http://www.deathinsmalldoses.com
.
Article Source:
http://www.creativewriter.me.uk
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