RESEARCH AND WRITING

Irrespective of the genre in which an author chooses to write, research as an intimate companion. It is what brings any writing to life.

As a writer who has focused most of my writing in an academic environment, research is the life blood of all journal articles and textbooks. You are expected to be able to defend your position against what has gone before.

During my writing activities it was interesting for me to discover the many different approaches to writing by other authors, especially as it applies to research. Some prefer to carry out most of their research before putting fingers to keyboard or pen to paper, if the author still favours this tradition. Others will do their research as they go along.

I tend to belong to the latter camp as I’m not always sure where my thoughts will lead me and therefore the research that will be required to support the direction I eventually pursue. Putting on an academic hat, I could argue that the research will of course guide the direction and therefore the writing.

In writing my tribute to my brother and his partner in Goodnight Doll, I realised that once again research was also an important part of this particular style of writing. Although I knew my brother and his partner as well as I knew myself, there remained a lot for me to research.

I needed to carry background research on the society and community in which Eugene and Pieter lived their lives. In order for the reader to understand the life my brother and his partner lived and the decisions they made, it was necessary to understand the society in which they grew up and the role it played in shaping who they were. Eugene and Pieter lived in South Africa and although it has changed significantly after the end of apartheid, many of the prejudices remained.

Despite having spent my formative years in South Africa, I left many years ago and the country was less familiar to me than the many other countries in which I have worked and lived. I therefore had to conduct research into South Africa, both current and past. It was also a journey of rediscovery for me.

Not only was it important to share with the reader the social environment in which their lives played out, but also to educate them about the nature of prostate cancer. My research was therefore not only increasing my knowledge and understanding of the many facets of prostate cancer, but it enabled me to share this with the reader.

Although not a fiction writer, I also know that research is vital to create the characters and their environment and bring it to life for the reader. There is therefore much more to writing than merely responding to inspiration. There is also a significant amount of discipline and the more mundane task of conduction research.

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