tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081955273890368448.post2422292641631269587..comments2022-11-09T01:20:16.534+11:00Comments on Inkfever: Research or Lie?Amy Laurenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16782528327499574711noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081955273890368448.post-88365183043949680902012-04-04T10:58:13.503+10:002012-04-04T10:58:13.503+10:00Exactly :D Which basically translates to: know lot...Exactly :D Which basically translates to: know lots of general stuff about the topic, and then invent in accordance with your facts to the fill the blanks. <br /><br />I think I'm going to stick with having a 'vague' real world location in Jesscapades. I'll work on making the setting more alive, but yeah. There's no reason it NEEDS to be a real world locale, and really, in my head, it isn't. It's just... there. <br /><br />Thanks for the advice, everyone O:) And if anyone else has anything to chip in, please feel free!Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07703964989696491133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081955273890368448.post-71164780762293821342012-04-04T10:51:19.708+10:002012-04-04T10:51:19.708+10:00When it doubt, make that shit up. :p
Says she wit...When it doubt, make that shit up. :p<br /><br />Says she with a degree in history :DKrista D. Ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13735832053631141449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081955273890368448.post-11894735573758583302012-04-03T16:56:49.355+10:002012-04-03T16:56:49.355+10:00Beth - essentially what I think you're saying ...Beth - essentially what I think you're saying is that there's a balance, and that you should go into detail for things that are important to the story, and not worry about things that aren't. Which is really sound advice, I think! :) It's just hard to know what's important, because the perfectionist brain can ALWAYS justify something as important o.0 :P <br /><br />Getting called out on errors of ANY sort is terrifying. But I can't spend my entire life researching and never writing, either. I like your suggestions about inventing cities as mirrors, and I can't believe I forgot about Austen leaving blanks. Such a CLASSIC avoidance technique! :D hehe.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07703964989696491133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081955273890368448.post-62895651908433601592012-04-03T16:53:46.408+10:002012-04-03T16:53:46.408+10:00Pippa - Ah ha ha! That is the most elegant and awe...Pippa - Ah ha ha! That is the most elegant and awesome solution ever - just blow the earth up. LOVE. Yeah, tech freaks me out too. Future tech not so much, but I really wanted Jesscapades to have more of a spy-gadgets sort of feel to it at one point, and ended up giving up on that because the research at that time was impossible. <br /><br />There's a lot of stuff more freely available on the net, though, these days, so maybe I could add some stuff back in... Hmm. Food for thought. <br /><br />And you're right re landmarks and such - my problem is that for me it's a slippery slope; if I start mentioning landmarks, then I'll need to mention street names and suburbs; if I do THAT, I'll need to know which suburb MC actually lives and works in; if I do THAT, I might do it completely wrong and have my (hypothetical) affluent MC living in the ghetto, or some equivalent. OH THE TERROR. *hyperventilates*<br /><br />But I guess this is what beta readers are for, really. Logically, I agree that a general fee and verbal sketch is fine. I just need the betas to make sure that comes across... :)Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07703964989696491133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081955273890368448.post-52233504117616582662012-04-03T16:49:35.712+10:002012-04-03T16:49:35.712+10:00I think there's a balance. Know the basics but...I think there's a balance. Know the basics but don't exhaust every detail. What are the basics? That's where you get to decide, imo :) If it's pertinent to the story, research it to a point where you are presenting correct information, without going into exhaustive detail.<br /><br />Jane Austen wrote --shire to avoid the issues people might have. Like: "No one named so-and-so lives there!" "There's no this and that there!"<br /><br />So, you could always make up a city, country whatever, leave the field blank like Austen, or mirror/parody a place.<br /><br />As for doing no research... I like research. I know most people don't. For my WiP, I did minimal research for the 1920s. But I did make sure phrases/words/products were in use at that time. Of course, the setting was a little vague.<br /><br />Sorry, rambling. In short: I think research is important. But it sounds like you might be perfectionistic about it. Like you said (I think): You can't know everything there is to know about a setting, etc.<br /><br />I mean, I don't even know who the mayor of my village is (sad, no?) Does your character necessarily need to know theirs? Does the mayor even need to be named (as in, is she important to the story?) Just an example O:)<br /><br />As for lying, you might get called out on factual errors. You might also get called lazy/sloppy (and I in no way think you are.) If you're okay with that and can tell such a fascinating story that people don't care, go for it :)<br /><br />Okay, wow. I wrote a lot (and a lot of it was in circle...) Am ending here. Honest! :)Beth Overmyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04820441246149409581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081955273890368448.post-55115883946770704272012-04-03T16:46:10.815+10:002012-04-03T16:46:10.815+10:00Because I'm not particularly good with geograp...Because I'm not particularly good with geography or history (and I'm too lazy to research them) I blew up the Earth in my character's universe to get around it. But I do research stuff, enough that I have a 'feel' for the era/place/technology. You can argue that even the experts don't know everything. Technology scares me the most, because there are some serious scientists who don't like it when writers get it wrong, but my arguement would be that in 100 years, 1000 years, who knows what we can do? Things that we have now were probably thought impossible a century ago. <br />I would say having a general feel and a verbal sketch of a place is enough. Only a local resident is likely to pick you up on it, although if you choose somewhere that has iconic landmarks (like the Angel of the North or the Houses of Parliment) you'll need to at least mention them.Pippa Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15146591827060731958noreply@blogger.com