Do you enjoy doing research in the prep-writing phase of your story-writing process? If so, what part do you especially enjoy? Hate?
I love doing research, immersing myself in my story’s subject matter. For example, I wrote a script Tully’s War which was set during the Berlin Airlift. I had a personal interest in it because my father flew 200 missions during the Airlift and had some of his personal anecdotes about his experiences. But I probably read 15 books on it and watched some documentaries as well. Sourced quite a stories I evolved into the narrative of my script.
Of course, you have to watch out with research. It’s also a great excuse not to start the page-writing part of the process.
Let’s hear from you. Research: Thumbs up or thumbs down?
I like research a bit TOO MUCH, I enjoy it more than the actual writing, I think … I can get lost in it, in fact.
But thumbs up, from me.
To offer a contrary opinion here, I actually don’t enjoy research at all. Reminds me too much of high school.
I love making things up – that’s the main reason that I write – so researching is anathema to my fictional brainwaves.
Of the two previous commenters I’d have to side with Joshua James. I LIKE doing SOME research, but I like actual writing, making stuff of, and exploring human nature a lot more.
I think to be a good storyteller you HAVE to do SOME research. You just can’t make everything up, and expect your immagination to cover all plausibilty and logic. WHAT you’re writting to dictates how much research you need to do to come across as being authentic.
I’m penning a story now that is going to require A LOT of research, and even with that since it deals with matters of faith, I’m sure it’s not going to please everybody. BUT I’ll try and do my best. And when I have a draft that I’m happy with I’ll show it to my read guy, who’s like SUPER COOL!
Research is PART of the job of screenwriter, and I think if you avoid it altogether your end product will suffer.
- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA
I find it hard to call my method ‘research’ because it would overly dignify it. I am what is called (by me, at least) a serial obsessive. Something will take hold of me and I’ve got to find out everything I can about it. If, the subject goes into a low-grade obsession that keeps simmering long after the flame dies, then it sometimes becomes a story or part of a story–a character or setting or plot element.
But I hardly ever take notes. I’m of David Milch’s method in this respect; I learn all I can and then forget it when it’s time to write and see what comes out.
So, thumbs up.
John, you mention David Milch. That caused me to dig into my ‘analog’ files (i.e., Xerox copies of actual magazine / newspaper articles) and I found a series of articles about and by Milch. Great stuff. Think I’ll start a recurring feature — From The Vault or something — pulling quotes and observations on screenwriting from my ‘treasure trove’ of articles (literally hundreds) I’ve collected over the years.
So thanks, John, for that bit of unintended inspiration!
I love doing research – probably why I do it professionally. The significant difference is that professionally I seldom get to write a narrative (my bosses want to see visual presentations, preferably as a spreadsheet converted into a graph – so much for producing a short!), much less a script.
Depending on the subject, I may spend only a few hours or several weeks worth completing my research. Granted there are some subjects I find tedious, but there are others that I must force myself from.
To me, one of the great surprises comes when I find something I thought would be tedious to be fascinating.
@ E.C. Henry
Not all stories require research.
Scott,
Most of my contributions in life tend to be inadvertent. Look forward to your new feature.
Milch is something else. He can be over the top and maybe goes to the well too often with his references to Aristotle and Hawthorne. But he sure knows what he’s doing.