Research

I've been doing lots of research for my book. I've been looking up things that I plan on doing or having happen to my characters to ensure that my book has a realistic feel to it. Some of the stuff I've learned has been interesting (like how a broken bone repairs itself). Some of the stuff I've learned has been scary (like what stalking is).

Some of my research has been about learning how not to write some scenes, scenes I'm not 100% sure I'm going to write. That's been enlightening in a different way. People don't always know the proper terms to use, don't know anatomy (I don't know where everything is, but I do know enough anatomy to avoid major mistakes and can research what I don't know), or try to use odd euphemisms when they write. The end result makes you think a teenage girl is writing the story and she has no personal experience on which to base her writing.

The process of researching seems just as vital to writing to me as figuring out my characters' stories and how to best tell them. Knowing what my characters would need to do to accomplish their tasks here allows me to make their world much more concrete and realistic.

While doing my research, before starting my book, I researched names. I wanted my characters to have names that meant something about their character, even if I was the only one who ever knew that their names were meaningful. I didn't take a ton of time doing it, but I did check a couple of sources to ensure that the definitions I had were the right ones for the names.

One of my characters has already given me an idea for a sequel. She wants her own story told, so when I finish this book, I'll start researching for the next book. Since I plan on setting part of the sequel in Europe, Ace is encouraging the idea of us traveling to Europe for research purposes, something I'm all for us doing.

And that, my friends, is one of the things I've been doing for the past few months.