Writing comes to life in the detail. Get those wrong and watch out. Readers will revolt. They will spam your Twitter feed, your inbox and anything other avenue they can use to reach you. People love to correct mistakes. It’s in our nature. Readers most especially. They take their facts seriously, in fiction or no.
Don’t believe me? Try giving incorrect directions in a novel about Los Angeles. Readers will tear you up. There is something that drives people in LA to obsess about their roadways in a way that I have never understood. Read any story set in LA and you will find a jumble of numbers scattered throughout–the 5, 10, 110. Get one turn wrong and let the harassment begin.
The same reaction holds true for any specific group–military, law enforcement, medical professionals, lawyers, etc. Each group knows the verbiage particular to their trade and they know when people are posing.
Write What You Know…or Not
This reality of savvy, vocal readers may be the reason for the adage, “Write what you know.”
The thing is that I don’t believe in that adage. I say write what you can research and get right.
Write what you are passionate about and that interests you. If you are bored, it will show on the page. If you are engaged, the reader will be too.
Besides, learning is half the fun of being a writer. There is nothing better to me than diving into a new subject that intrigues me. The trick is to get the research right. You can’t afford to make mistakes and keep the reader hooked. This means you have to know how to research effectively, efficiently and accurately.
Learn to Research Effectively
If it’s been a while since you used your research skills, read my 20 tips for better research. It’s a course in ferreting out those details and getting them right. Like all things, it takes more than a few tips to learn the trade. Research is an art. It pays to learn how to do it effectively, find the best resources and organize your findings.
We’ll get to each of these in turn. For now, start with the initial research tips and my links to scholarly research. Also check out my reference shelf. I also recommend my list of books for every writer’s shelf.
Have a specific question? Ask. I’m happy to help.