Going on a Field Trip
I've mentioned here before that the hero of my WIP is a chef. He's recently purchased a restaurant and put everything he has into making it a success. The irony of me writing a book about a chef is that I don't really cook. I mean, I make things like baked chicken, spaghetti, and several things that come out of a box, but I don't think that really counts as cooking. Spices are a mystery to me and though I know I like flavor, I don't know how to incorporate it into my meals.
So why would I be stupid enough to write about a chef? Well, first off, he showed up in my head that way. My characters show up pretty much with names and occupations intact and I don't have much say in the matter. Secondly, I think chefs are hot. Who needs a third reason when you have reason two?
I've read books and watched movies set in restaurants and I'm an avid Top Chef watcher. But I know that isn't going to be enough to really write a busy restaurant kitchen scene and make it come to life. My goal was to find some restaurant that would allow me to hover in a back corner out of the way and just observe. And by some miracle, I'm actually going to meet that goal and then some.
Turns out, a friend of mine who also happens to be a writer (I know, big shocker!) has a nephew that owns a restaurant in Richmond. She's willing to take me up there, introduce me to her nephew (who is about my age, single, and supposedly looks like Tom Cruise), and get me a seat in the corner of the kitchen. Also by some miracle, this restaurant serves the exact kind of food I've already written into the story. I mean, come on, this is too good to be true!
Have you ever created a situation in a book then realized you didn't know a thing about it? How far have you gone for research? How far would you go? If you're a reader, what book took you to a place or taught you about an occupation or hobby and made you feel like you were right there doing everything with the characters?
Books by the Crew
43 comments:
Have you ever created a situation in a book then realized you didn’t know a thing about it?
Almost constantly. Since I write historicals, and research as I go, I tend to bump up against MANY things I have no clue about.
I have to say that I now know more about tin buttons than I ever expected.*g*
Terri,Does the chef in your book provide the HEA for Celi?
Sometimes dreams and story plots can lay pointers for the future. According to some mystics, our conscious and subconscious minds are connected through a field of energy (the life force). If this chef has been having dreams which match your plot then you could be in resonance.
Have you thought of investing in a crystal ball?
I predict very interesting times ahead but beware of potted shrimps! :wink:
Gotta love a man who can cook.
I venture off into unknown territory all the time (sheep, for example). In my current WIP, my hero thinks he's going somewhere I really don't want him to go because I'm just too damn lazy to do the research. I have no idea how I'm going to keep him home, LOL.
Oh, and the answer to your last question---everything Nora Roberts writes is so absolutely true to life in terms of people's employment. She must know how to do everything by now, LOL.
Oh, and Q and his assessment of conscious/sub-conscious makes me breathless to hear about you meeting this guy.
I'm with Kelly. I wrote a historical; I write about stuff I don't know all the time. :) And all my stories are paranormal. That's it's own "something I don't know."
And I love a man who cooks, though DH can't hardly boil water. He cleans mean dishes though. Since I can cook, that fits me fine.
Oh, and you have to report back about Tom Cruise guy. I figure as long as he doesn't act crazy like Tom he could be a viable option.lol. Guys that can cook are sexy-especially since I can't.
Kelly - I give all the kudos in the world to you ladies who write historicals. You and Marn and Maggie and so many others. I have a research paper due for school in a couple of weeks and I even hate that. I could never do it! LOL!
Q - leave it to you to bring all this up now, when I've finally had a date with someone else. LOL! Are you trying to curse me?! Lets put it this way, the dude is pushing 40 and NEVER been married. Red flags fly when I hear that. I'm going for restaurant research, not romance research. LOL!
Maggie - But look how much you know about sheep now? LOL! And I'm curious, where does your hero want to go? Nora was exactly who I thought of when I asked that question. Through her I've learned about scuba diving, treasure hunting, gem stealing, photography, reporting, police work, glass blowing, inn running, pub running, boat building, horse racing, and countless other areas.
Marn - when I wrote that tiny paranormal piece for a retreat earlier this summer, I liked the idea that I could make anything up and if anyone asked why things were that way, I could answer, "Because I said so." I loved that!
Geez, where do I even start?
JK - how about starting with the pictures you find to base your heroes on. We're willing to trudge through the eye cand...err...specimens with you. ;)
There are so many things I've researched for my books. I've enjoyed it all, too! I didn't know a thing about harems other then there were lots of kept women, before I wrote Hidden Beauty. I did a lot of research on harems/the politics/the princes/slave markets/exotic locations (I go from Constantinople to Korfu (area) to Brindisi to Florence)
I love research so I don't mind.
Tiff - do you find pictures of all those places and then use those to write your descriptions? And that is one good thing about this kind of research, it's a way to travel the world without needing that pesky passport. LOL!
I had to do some research on securities, embezzling money and extradition policies. Thankfully, I know a securities trader and one of my dearest friends is a lawyer. So all I had to do was pick up a phone.
Have fun at the restaurant. It's such an incredible energy level when you've got a full house of covers to get out. And by someone who's single and looks like Tom Cruise.
Come on, you didn't think I'd let that go did you?
Santa said:
"...when you've got a full house of covers to get out."
Right there is the lingo I need to learn. That's why I will likely be calling you for foodie research as well. LOL!
Gah! I thought the Tom Cruise thing would be funny. I should have known y'all would latch on. LOL! Remember, this is based on his aunt's opinion. I'm guessing she might be biased.
YES! I don't know if I would have been able to layer some of the descriptives so heavily if I hadn't looked at pictures. There is a lot of orientalist art that is dedicated to what the fashionable 'thought' harems looked like... and there are some women of the upper-crust who were lucky enough to explain how their time was spent inside the famous seraglios. I can't remember names, but ms nightingale (the nurse) was one, and there are accountings from mid/late 18thcentury. I'm babbling.
Here, easier to give you a hundred words or so:
~~~
Chairs and divans stretched out before her, filled with the evening’s pleasure seekers. Bold colors were brazenly displayed in the bolsters and throws. Animal furs cushioned the floor near the furniture; rich Turkish carpets covered the rest of the floor in various shades of reds, oranges and browns in the center. The lively colors inciting the lustiness of the patrons currently in coitus. Her first time in this room she’d thought the welcome ironic—a showy, gilt prison for the harem girls.
Now the flashiness was just another facet of the place she considered her home.
The room boasted a great domed ceiling with holes pierced in the ancient design to let daylight shine through. Three eunuchs blocked the only door that led to the outer palace, scimitars flashed at their waists in warning to any man who thought to take more liberties than tolerable.
~~~
I have files and files of pictures!
Oh my. Tiff, that description is incredible. You put us right in that room. And you make us want to read the book even more. LOL!
I've been collecting pictures of rooms to describe my characters' apartments and then pictures like the first one above so I can describe the inside of the restaurant and the kitchen. Which is another reason I'm excited to get into the real thing. I'm hoping they will let me take pictures.
Beg, borrow and steal if you have to! I don't know what I'd do without all the art I found and used as a guide. :)
Well besides finding pictures of my heroes (the fun research), I did a lot of reading up on demonology and old testament sort of stuff about Judgment day and the end of the world, and angels and devils, etc. (the creepy research), and then I also did a lot of research about little things here and there, like motorcycles (more fun research) and weapons, like the kinds of guns, bullets, swords and daggers (ok, that was fun research too).
This place is HOPPING this morning! Everyone have their Hangover Coffee then?
YES, in answer to the Bo'sun's question. I have my couple in Las Vegas--and I've never been. Neither do I like gambling...or the desert...and all my knowledge about Vegas comes from: Frank Sinatra, Bugsy, and the movies: Honeymoon in Vegas and Fools Rush In. That's it. Hardly anything that could lend any sort of authencity.
But there is always room for a road trip. Anyone else game?
And I'd say I'd go pretty far for the sake of research. *wicked grin* Why do you think I'd pick romance as my genre? For the research opportunities, of course. Plus, this would be a great opportunity to hit up all those beach/coastal areas on the East side to enjoy the pirate stuff. I could surely write a pirate novel then, right? Sure.
I've been to Vegas a million times. And I don't even like to gamble. But I've not been to the places you need me to describe. Like stripper joints. LOL
JK - You had me at motorcycles. Can't resist a buy on a bike. Yum! Throw in the muscles and the weapons AND that he's immortal? Double Yum!
Hellion - I think you could get a lot about Vegas out of movies. Fools Rush In had more of Vegas life away from the Strip and casinos and then you have the Oceans movies if you want the inside scoop on the gambling end. And could you just imagine if the ship invaded Vegas? I say we chart that course ASAP! LOL!
Oh, and I admit I might have used the bit about doing *research* prior to my date last week. What good is writing this stuff if you can't use if for you own benefit? LOL!
I don't usually do much research. I do on distances between cities, and city information but other than that, I just wing it. I use cities I know. My para/UF is in Phoenix and my RS is in MO. I did do some research on ancient languages the other day... just for the helluva it. I love that sort of thing.
I know, I'm so classy with my novels, aren't I, Sin?
Terri, charting the ship to the desert might work. Look how well it worked for Jack in the last movie! And of course, we should always use it to our benefit. *LOL* Hope it was a good date.
Hellion - You know The Revenge can travel over anything, no water needed. LOL! But I'm not licking those rock crab things like Jack did. That part totally threw me off.
Sin - Ancient languages for the hell of it? Come on, there had to a reason. Did it have to do with the para or the RS? And you're lucky that you know so many places well enough to write about them. I admit I put my current WIP where I live (sort of), my romantic comedy back in Pittsburgh and my other story on Ocracoke where I've been and can easily go back for research. I'm afraid I wouldn't have the nerve to write one of those globetrotting stories that hop all over Europe.
I love Ancient history. I have a minor in it. I'd love to teach Ancient history, but then I'd have to get a teaching degree and I hate school.
Nothing wrong with stripper joints. I mean, Sadie will be working in one in the third book to find her sister. She makes one helluva stripper and Ash finds out he's not as immune to her charm as he'd like to think. He needed to learn he couldn't use her eventually. This was a fun scene in my head.
Yes, well my CPs know how much I bitched about my South African setting. And oh god, I had to research that forever and ever and ever. But I learned a lot and it sets the tone for the book. I wouldn't change it, even when I was pulling my hair out at the very beginning. LOL.
That's exactly what I'm talking about, Ely. That setting took guts. Maybe someday if I ever have lots more time to devote to this stuff, and the money to travel :), then I'll get a bit more ambitious. For now, I think I'll stick to the stuff I know.
Did you also do research on photojournalism? My heroine does photography for a hobby so that's another thing I need to research. Luckily, I've found a fellow author who is a professional and is willing to answer my questions.
Noah (the hero/photojournalist) was much easier to get a handle on in all aspects of character. He was so sexy and so dark that he just jumped off the page and just told me how things were. I loved writing him. *g*
And lucky for me, Tiff's husband is a photographer and she asked questions for me about cameras and how much they weighed and little details.
That reminds me I think I still have a photography magazine I bought for Tiff's DH and never sent up there. Hmmm....I need to dig that out. Guess it's going to stay here for good. LOL!
Terri said: Q - leave it to you to bring all this up now, when I’ve finally had a date with someone else. LOL! Are you trying to curse me?! Lets put it this way, the dude is pushing 40 and NEVER been married. Red flags fly when I hear that. I’m going for restaurant research, not romance research. LOL!
Ouch! Sorry that you didn't like my Mystic Meg act Terri.
I had no idea that this was a no-go area....I'm only a man after all....and you know I'm really on your side!
Perhaps I'll stick to science...its a lot safer. *g*
I can see that you authors take the research side VERY seriously indeed.
I can only commend such diligence Terri.
I wonder if the others have shown the same level of commitment in the search for authenticity.For example, did Tiff manage to infiltrate a harem, Kelly a button factory or Marnee and JK a witches coven, all for the sake of research?
I'm a theorist and and don't indulge in such 'practical' approaches...I have a tame experimentalist for that! *g*
Ah, Q, your theory was sound and made sense based on the circumstance and facts given. It just would have been move welcome a few weeks ago. It's just my cynicism that prevents me from jumping on your bandwagon. No fault of yours. LOL!
As for the rest of the ladies, they'll have to take up your questions on their own. :)
Q -- speaking for myself, I know I didn't have to go to hell to meet my demons, but sometimes it did feel that way. And I'm certain that I channeled Rhys and Baron for a while. My husband could always tell because I'd be swearing a lot more (which I never do) and ogling the motorcycles. Thank goodness I didn't start ogling women. Ick.
I find myself wishing I'd received a degree in college that required huge amounts of research. Then maybe I wouldn't be such a wuss about it and I'd know the tricks! I basically knew very little about the Victorian Era when I started my novel but based on the events I envisioned it was the only time that would work. It's been a trip. And I'm still going...
Um, Vegas trip? Yes, please! :) I'm not much of a gambler but I like trying my hand at the slots and shopping!
Terri, I expect a full report on the restaurant experience!
Steph - we'll make sure there's a seat for you at the $1 slots. It's really not worth it to play anything cheaper (says she who lost lots of money at the slots in Tupelo).
If I did decided to write Historical, and that's a huge IF, I'd choose the Victorian Era. I love that time and there are just so many amazing possibilities for stories.
The Victorian Era intrigues me too. I have an idea for a trilogy that takes place in that era. Great minds think alike!:) Steph, I'd have to let you guide me in the research department for that one. And, Terri, I would love to read a Victorian novel in your voice. That would be too cool.
Also,I want to play the dollar slots too! And, Steph, I'm so down for the shopping!
The encouraging thing about Nora Roberts's use of all those settings and professions is that most of her research is via the Internet, as she has stated several times. Knowing that detail makes me a little more confident that I can write about country music entertainers, a fiber artist, and a philanthropist. :)
I also think one of the advantages of our widespread virtual community is that there are lots of experts available to us. I know I found Terri's help invaluable when I was writing TLWH.
Janga - Nora said that same thing yet again when she held a chat during Nationals. The internet never had a better advocate than that woman. LOL!
And you're making me blush! I love that I could help at all. It's nice to know the little bit of useless information in my head is useful to someone. :)
BTW - I love that Keith released "You Look Good In My Shirt" and think of you everytime I hear it. LOL! Well, when I'm not drooling over him in the video I think of you. ;)
JK.... I think it was a character from Shakespeare who said 'I can call spirits from the vastly deep'. Needs a special imagination to conjure up demons I think.
Did you use dreams to channel with Rhys and Baron? If so I can sympathise with your poor husband if the dreams took on a verbal form and you started wrestling with those demons! *g*
I must try one of your 'immortal' books...I see that they gained excellent reader ratings on fictionwise.
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