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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