The Importance of Good Research                                      

By Lesley Hershman

Let's face it. We writers can have a rough existence. There's the endless rejections, extreme isolation, and being forced to answer the dreaded "Hey, aren't you published yet?" So when there's an upside to this fickle art, you've got to use it to your advantage. The good thing about being a writer is that you can use the excuse of "research" to pretty much get anything you want in your daily existence. This works equally well with fiction or non. Trust me; I use this ploy all the time with my husband, but be assured that you can use it with any friend or family member.

For instance, my husband wants pizza, I want Chinese food. He is not graciously giving in to me. I have no choice but to sigh and say, "I only wanted Chinese because I'm writing a really difficult dinner scene and I needed to experience a few Asian dishes to make my descriptions richer, but if you want pizza, fine. I just hope this doesn't set off six months of writer's block."

Half an hour later, I'm happily digging into a plate of vegetable lo mein. Why did he give in? Because he doesn't want to be held responsible for destroying my creative vision. Who would? It's too much pressure, too much guilt to know that you could be destroying a literary masterpiece just by being obstinate over a little tomato sauce and mozzarella.

And what about that Chinese food scene in my novel? Do I have to keep it in there just because my husband was forced to eat a little moo goo gai pan when he wanted some deep dish? No. I can explain later that I had to "cut out that whole Chinese food thing…it wasn't flowing easily and I felt it compromised the entire chapter." (Always use technical writing terms like "cut," "flowing," and "compromise" to intimidate non-writers; it helps strengthen your "I need everything to be my way for research purposes" argument. They'll think that you really know what you're talking about.)

Husband wants to stay home, I want a week in Mexico? I pull out the trusty "beach research" maneuver and pack my bathing suit. It's not that he's a wimp: it's that my husband doesn't want to blow his chances of having me produce a blockbuster best-seller that's going to let him finally quit his day job. (If you're still not getting your way on where to vacation after you've brought up the research tactic, don't be afraid to murmur "Wow, I wonder what would have happened if J.K. Rowling's husband had said no to her when she wanted to drive around for a few days to soak up the atmosphere of some old British schools so she'd be able to better write her Hogwarts Academy scenes." NOTE: It doesn't matter that we all know that J.K Rowling was a single woman when she first started writing Harry Potter and didn't have to compromise with any husband about where to travel. As soon as you utter the magic name "J.K. Rowling," your companion is going to see dollar signs are going to start dancing around the room and you'll be on your way to your chosen destination in no time.)

So you can see that shopping sprees and day spa visits aren't luxurious indulgences for me. Can I help it if my main character is a spoiled wealthy woman who wears expensive shoes and has a weekly massage? I need to inhabit her world as accurately and believably as I can, or I'd being a grave disservice to my future readers.            

Okay, admittedly, I haven't done any research for a story about someone roughing it in the jungle with large bugs flying around a hut that has no air conditioning, or about a woman who's constantly scrubbing her kitchen floor. Is it my fault that my characters always seem to enjoy the good life?

Lesley Hershman is a freelance writer in the Chicago area. You can reach her at LesleyWrites@aol.com.

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