Creative writing - Mike Sanders 2014

The importance of research
The realities of nonfiction and memoir
Long-form genres

Conducting research is the part of the nonfiction aspect of writing creative nonfiction, be it memoir, travel book, or whatever other work. The amount of research required for a writing project depends on a combination of the form of creative nonfiction and the topic at hand.

DEFINITION

Research is the collecting of facts to increase understanding of a person, place, event, idea, experience, or thing.

You carry out research to increase your understanding of a person, topic, or idea. You also do research to see what else has been written on the topic you’re going to write about. You don’t want to totally duplicate what’s already written, even if some of the information bears repeating. You also can do research to become a subject matter expert.

Research also enables you to verify facts. You want to be sure that what you’ve written is true and accurate.

Research has another purpose as well: to stimulate your memories. Often when you investigate an experience or event, memories associated with the event rise into your mind from the depths of your unconsciousness. In this sense, research acts as a triggering mechanism.

If you intend to write a memoir, you’ll be required to complete extensive research into your own life—to recall significant details of people, places, and events from your own past. You also can use facts from research to create metaphors or similes.

As noted, some forms of nonfiction require more research than others. For example, a personal essay about a canoe trip to a lake that resulted in an epiphany requires less research than a memoir. The canoe trip might only require you to consult your writing journal and speak with the friend(s) who accompanied you (if still living), whereas a memoir involves interviewing friends and family, visiting the library and public records offices, revisiting the places you frequented during the period of the memoir, and obtaining details about the popular culture of the time.

There are two drawbacks to doing research. First, the tsunami of facts you collect can overwhelm you, bogging down your narrative. Secondly, research can result in procrastination. In other words, the task of researching a project often prevents you from getting on with the actual writing.

WATCH OUT!

Be as sure as you can that your research sources are reliable. If you have doubts about an especially important source, consult an expert or a librarian.

Immersion is one specific method of research you might find useful. With immersion, you acquire an understanding by “living the experience.” Suppose you intend to write a narrative about baseball, for example, but you’d never played the game before. You could increase your understanding by playing a few games of rec-league baseball. You could then use what you learned from the experience to write your piece of nonfiction.

Interviewing is another popular approach when it comes to research. Interview a subject matter expert, talk to people who participated in the event or experience, interview those who were witnesses to the event, or interview people who knew the person you’re writing about. An interview always requires a list of question to ask. These questions should be open-ended, requiring the person being interviewed to respond with more than a “yes” or “no” answer.

Despite the digital resources available with the click of a button, you’ll surprised by the sheer volume of information you discover that does not yet exist on the internet. Print sources that have yet to make their way into cyberspace are available in libraries—be sure to ask a librarian for assistance. The following might especially prove relevant to your topic or area of interest:

·  Newspapers

·  Magazines

·  Books

·  Periodicals

·  Encyclopedias

·  Publications on microfilm, such as old newspapers

Most likely, the internet will be the research aid you’re most familiar with. Begin by conducting a Google search, and then read and collect useful facts from websites you can tell are reputable. Many subject matter experts have their own blogs where they post articles, commentaries, and so forth. If you read a fascinating article but still have questions, you might be able to find the expert’s blog or email the writer your queries.

Writing a personal essay often requires that you research your own life before writing. This is mandatory when writing a memoir. Research allows you to check the accuracy of memories and enables you to recall details of the popular culture, as well as the social and economic and historical conditions of the life you lived in the past.

Research also enables you to mine your own memory, helping you recall the people, places, events, experiences that might be long forgotten. Why? Because researching a timeline or time period stimulates your memory and helps trigger events that occurred in your life in those times.

IDEAS AND INSPIRATION

Make a timeline of the portion of your life you intend to write about. As you take note of the major events you remember best, you’ll be surprised at your ability to fill in the blank spaces you thought you’d forgotten.

Here are some of the ways in which to research your own life:

·  What challenges, setbacks, and obstacles have you faced? What is the biggest challenge you have faced, for example? What is the saddest moment in your life?

·  Where have you lived? Think about your major moves, leaving home, your first home, the place where you lived after a divorce, etc.

·  Consider your calendar—significant birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, marriages, deaths.

·  Think about your firsts—first kiss, first new car, first speech, first job, etc.

·  What have you achieved? What are your accomplishments?

·  What do you want your legacy to be? What do you want to be remembered for?

·  Where have you been? Revisit places from your childhood, adolescence, or adulthood.

·  Look over old photographs, read old diaries and journals and letters, and leaf through old scrapbooks.

What sort of research will be required? The type of narrative determines what information/facts you need to provide your reader. The key point to remember is that creative nonfiction writers do research to increase their understanding of themselves and the world in which they live. And yet, too much research, a mountain of facts, can blow out the flame of creativity. So only do as much research as required to understand the topic, person, or idea you’re writing about.