Robin Gianna & Research to Enrich Your Story

Please welcome Robin Gianna to the blog today!

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RESEARCH TO ENRICH YOUR STORY

I hear some of you saying, “Oh, yes, I loove to research,” as you gleefully rub your hands together.  Also hear others saying, “Research. Bah. Hate it,” as you drop your heads to your desk.

There are potential problems with both attitudes. Research lovers sometimes spend so much time at it, the book takes forever to get written. Or never gets written at all. Haters do the bare minimum, and miss out on ways just a little extra research can not only strengthen a story, but sometimes send it in a new direction.

Every time I get on the internet to look things up, I’m amazed all over again at the resources literally at our fingertips. What’s the average temperature in Cambridge, England in November?   Where are the trendy places to live in Paris? Images of the people and landscape of West Africa?  All found in remarkably little time (double-checked for accuracy, of course). But don’t stop there.  

Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I also go to the library to grab books that might help. I got lucky to find an amazing memoir (The House

at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper) when I was writing a book set in Liberia that educated me about life there before and after the recent, devastating civil wars. That memoir helped me greatly with small details that I believe made the story stronger.

And there’s nothing like talking to people who are experts on a subject, which I do all the time to learn a about various medical details and different medical specialties.  Most everyone is happy to share his or her expertise.

An important thing to keep in mind? Whatever research camp you fall into, don’t let it bog you down. I recommend that you get the story started so you have the characters and basics firmly in your mind first. When you’re getting words on the page and realize there’s a detail you need to find out about, just make a note to yourself in that spot and keep going forward.  

But don’t let too many chapters pass before setting aside the time to research. You may discover things that lend themselves to entire scenes, a recurring theme, or even a whole new direction that you never would have written at all if you hadn’t learned whatever inspired it.

Here are a few examples of ways research helped me as a writer and enriched my stories:  

1. My debut book was set in Benin, West Africa. I chose that setting because my husband had worked in a mission hospital there, and had great stories and photos which I used as the foundation.  But in doing additional research, one of the things I learned is that Benin is the birthplace of Voodoo, or Vodun as they call it.  I integrated that into the story, and it played a minor, but significant, recurring role in the story.
2. I wrote a Valentine’s themed book set in Paris, which meant February, which meant no romantic moments in a warm park amid blooming roses!  So I had to look for other things to do in Paris, and in studying the weather, found it rains and snows quite a bit which lent itself to a recurring theme with an umbrella and some kissing beneath it!  Also ended up sending them to the Alsace region to do some snow-shoeing and visit a medieval town and vineyard, all of which were important scenes.
3. My upcoming November release is part of a continuity with other authors, where all the stories are set in Cambridge, England. As I researched, I learned there’s a river that meanders throughout the city. Punting (pushing a boat with a pole, a bit like in Venice but the boats are flat) is popular there, both as a sport and a leisure activity. That became a big part of my story, with what I hope are some fun scenes on the River Cam. :-)
4. My current release takes place in and near Delphi, Greece. While I was inspired to set it there after a fabulous trip last summer, and had many first-hand memories and details, there were lots of things I learned later.  One important bit of information was that the area is prone to earthquakes, and that they had a huge one in 2009 that damaged much of the area. That was such an ah-ha moment for me, it changed several important parts of my story, one of which is that the heroine’s parents’ died during the earthquake (I originally had it happen in a plane crash, but the earthquake worked much better). I won’t tell you the other way the earthquake factors into the medical mystery in the story - you’ll just have to read it to find out for yourself! ;-)

So remember - research isn’t just about those little details like average temperatures and trendy places to live and what people wear. It truly will inspire new ideas and directions that will make your story stronger and maybe even easier to write.  And isn’t that always a great thing? 

How about you?  Research lover or hater?  Have any stories to share about ways it enriched one of your stories?

About Robin

After completing a degree in journalism, working in the advertising industry, then becoming a stay-at-home mom, Robin Gianna had what she likes to call her ‘awakening’. She decided she wanted to write the romance novels she’d loved since her teens.  Robin embarked on that quest by joining RWA and a local chapter, and working hard at learning the craft of fiction writing.

Robin loves pushing her characters toward their own happily-ever-afters! When she’s not writing, Robin’s life is filled with a happily messy kitchen, a needy garden, a wonderful husband, three great kids, a drooling bulldog and one grouchy Siamese cat.

Robin Gianna on the web:

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Robin Gianna’s new release. Her Greek Doctor’s Proposal, HM&B Medical Romance. 

The question he thought he'd never ask… 

Archaeologist Laurel Evans put her career on hold to care for her younger sisters. Now, close to achieving her goals, she won't let anything distract her. Laurel has come to Delphi to dig up ancient treasures, but she finds a modern-day Greek god instead—local doctor Andros Drakoulias!

A devoted single dad, Andros is determined to give his little girl stability. He knows his fling with Laurel can't last, so why is it so hard to imagine a future without her by his side?

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Buy Links:

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Harlequin US

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Thanks Robin! I fall into the "Love Research" camp - and it can definitely lead to way too much time disappearing!

How about you? Which Research Camp do you fall into?