By Jennifer Hudson Taylor

A novel becomes art when

Authenticity sets a reader in a particular place and time. Accurate details makes history come alive. Great characterization helps a reader experience a character’s adventure. A plot with unexpected twists and turns encourages anticipation and suspense.

A novel becomes art when

The heartbeat of a story becomes one with the reader. The dialogue becomes the reader’s voice.

Is research necessary for contemporary novels?

There are two types of sources for research.

Examples of Primary Sources

Examples of Primary Sources

Examples of Primary Sources

Examples of Primary Sources

Examples of Primary Sources

Examples of Secondary Sources

Public Library Research

Most public libraries now have their catalogs on computer database files.

Many libraries now put their catalogs online, allowing you to search from the comfort of your home.

Public Library Research

Without leaving your house, you can request a reference be shipped from an out of town library to your local library on inter-library loan.

You may be required to register online and to possess a library ID card and password.

University Library Research

You do not necessarily need to be a student, professor, or faculty member to access some references in university libraries.

Some college libraries specialize in specific medical research, scientific studies, archaeology, law, and concentrated histories.

University Library Research

Professors are life-long students in their subject area and can be a great resource. Contact them by email or phone and offer to give them credit in your acknowledgements.

Be sure to browse their credentials and course descriptions in the areas you are researching to determine who to contact.

Local Research for Settings

The genealogy section in the area you are researching will give you an understanding of the local people. (Names, jobs, income, race, etc)

Browse through family history books and local census records to learn of local surnames, community leaders, how townships are set up.

Local Research for Settings

Court records will give you an idea of the laws and how they were /are enforced.

Genealogy rooms are full of historical maps that show how land transferred through generations for family sagas.

Census, marriage bonds, death certificates of old newspaper articles are on microfilm.

Local Research for Settings

Old family letters will give you an idea of the language spoken in the area you’re researching and in the time period, such as slang, word spellings, clichéd phrases.

Search engines and web crawlers such as Google, Yahoo, AltaVista, Lycos, and Bing.

Use a thesaurus to make a list of all the possible keywords and phrases to find the websites, blogs online newspapers and e-zines containing the information you’re seeking.

Keyword Searches

Find at least three sources that verify the same information. Check sources if they’re given.

Be patient enough to search through at least ten pages of search returns. Sometimes the individuals with the most detailed information concentrate more on their content than search engine optimization.

Keyword Searches

Researching airline tickets for a trip.

A hotel in a city you’ll be traveling to.

Places for dinner and events to attend while on vacation.

Using Map Quest for distances and calculate travel time.

Researching a novel is no different than:

Several websites now offer virtual tours. You can tour the inside of castles, the grounds, medical centers, weather, museums, etc. Virtual tours allow you to see things as they are without being there in person yourself. It’s much cheaper than a plane ticket and the cost of a hotel room and other additional travel expenses.

Virtual Tours

Warwick Castle -http://www.sphericalimages.com/warwickcastle . Ronald McDonald House in Nashville, TN -http://c.vrguild.net/c/stnd.pl?U=0606291957116179. NCSU Library - http://library.ncsu.edu/vtour.

Examples of Virtual Tours

Join online groups with experts who focus in areas of research that would be valuable to you. For example, if you write Celtic stories, join Scottish Clans and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. If you write Regency, join a group like The Beau Monde. They have experts on the e-mail loops that could be valuable sources of information.

Online Clubs, Forums and E-mail Loops

Museums and historical Societies transcribe documents and sell them through their websites to raise funds for their organization. They have historical photos and images of what the local area looked like in the past, as well as people and things that may have changed over the years. Photograph info cards with images.

Museums and Historical Societies

This is a paid online resource that has tons of historical detail about real people, events and places. They mostly focus on helping people find their ancestors, but they also uncover some significant details about family lines, stories, and descendants reconnecting. You could learn a lot about DNA projects all over the world.

Ancestry.com

Rootsweb.com Cyndislist.comGenealogy.com

Other Historical Sites

If you enjoy writing about a particular time period or subject, then it would be worth the investment to buy resource books on those topics. If you enjoy writing about a particular location, then invest in resources in that location.Keep your library organized in a way you can find the resources you want when you need them.

Build a Home Library

Save brochures, programs, bulletins, etc in a file for later use. Save magazines, newsletters, and other publications.

Build a Home Library

My blogs have become a resource center for historical novelists and for me when I’m away from home.

http://www.jenniferhudsontaylor.com

Build an Online Resource Center

Vacations and tourism Jobs Church College Family Friends

Every Opportunity is Research