By Popular Demand - Mac's Pearls (Research)

Some are probably scratching their heads trying to make the connection between DC and Mac. I’m sure there’s more questions in there, but the history behind Mac’s Pearls deals with the earlier days of me writing and trying to come up with a pen name. Mac was short for Mackenzie, yet everyone I met online called me Mac. I used to try to help other writers understand different techniques in writing, as there are many, and while I may not be an expert in writing, I have a good understanding of the “rules.” We’ll get back to why that’s in quotation marks later.

I do need to give a full disclosure before I go any further… I do not have a degree in English or any sort of certificate in creative writing. I’ve learned the art of creative writing by asking questions, doing research, through dedication, and trials and errors. There may be some things I get wrong, and there is plenty I’m still learning, but I hope to help those who may have questions, and Mac’s Pearls is being brought to this blog by popular demand.

I’m going to kick this new series of posts off with the topic of research.

What is research and how does it apply to a writer?

Well, unless you are creating a world that is fantasy or paranormal, or work in a field surrounding something specific you want one of your characters to do—research is a must.

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Research involves many things:

• Calling an expert to ask questions. This can be a local FBI office to understand serial killers. A local doctor’s office to understand illnesses. An attorney (make sure you call one that practices the type of law you’re looking into) for divorces or business law. A coroner to understand what happens after a body is deceased. Hell, even a stripper to understand exactly what they go through, and the driving factor behind why they do it. (You see I put the driving factor in there, which leads into motivation and what drives your characters. That’s a whole other post we’ll get to later.)
  

• Google searches. This can be hit or miss when it comes to research. My rule on Google searches is this: if you’re researching something specific—not a conspiracy or opinion—then once you get your Google results, make sure there is more than one site that supports the answer. What in the hell does that mean, you ask? Say you Google, “Does a SIG handgun have a traditional safety?” Now, for the purpose of understanding research, I’m going to ask that you do this exercise with me. Go ahead, Google it. I’ll wait ………………okay, the majority says that no, SIG handguns do not have traditional safeties. The safety is in the trigger. Don’t pull it and it won’t fire. There are other things we could detail with a SIG, but again, that’s another post. The main thing to remember is that the knowledge you find in your results should be supported in multiple site readings.
  

• Library and books. People, just like you, write books on what they know. These are known as nonfiction or career books. Interesting, isn’t it? That people write things other than fiction. (winks) Read, learn, discover, repeat. This can be your biggest source of knowledge when it comes to research.
  

I’m not going to go on and on with all the different options out there with research, as there are many, and I could take your entire afternoon up with different ways. What I will say is research is a part of my day job. It’s something I’ve done for over fifteen years, and it’ll be something I do until I retire from said day job. I’m good at what I do, and I can find anything I want. In case you missed it, or it’s gone over your head, my day job is in investigations. I’ve learned tricks when it comes to Google searches, and I’ve built a source of walking knowledge by building rapport with different members in different career fields. You can do this too. 

It’s important to get what you put in your books right. Here’s why…about a year ago I read a book by one of my favorite authors who is a NY Times Bestseller. This author was one I didn’t scoff at paying $8-10 for an e-book right when it came out, because I wanted to read it right away.

In this book I found a serious error, one that I know by heart due to my background, and one that unfortunately turned me completely off to this author. I am sad to say I will never buy or read another book by this author again.

Don’t do this to your readers. Be true to your characters and respect the knowledge of those who want to get lost in your world.

Happy researching!

Mac