Wednesday, November 17, 2010

the research lull

It never fails that a crucial moment in my writing where the story is flowing, the dialogue is working well, the pieces are finally coming together, I hit a research lull

What I mean by that is, I come to a paragraph where I want to use imagery and show a deeper meaning but I want to do it subtly. The result: a research lull. It's the name I've given to the time that I spend NOT writing my story, but instead, trying to find out everything I can about a flower, or a historical event, or even a surname. Then, after the lull, I have the daunting task of using what I've learned in my novel without it looking forced or unrealistic or even worse, RESEARCHED!

So far, I've enjoyed the lulls, if for no other reason than the fact that I get to discover new things, things that but for my writing, I might have never known. Plus, these lulls keep me sane while I'm writing as they offer a little break, some time to breathe and think away from the words themselves.

Research never felt so good!

No comments: