What’s up, readers!

Today we’re talking all about research! Now don’t get all disappointed here. This isn’t a school assignment, some science report, and anything like that. I’m talking about research for books! This is your writing research, because YES, writing involves some research! In fact, research for my books is my favorite type of research! And there is a LOT of it when it comes to creating a perfectly believable story. So, grab your pencils, your library card, or your computer, and let’s dive right into the fascinating world of writing research!

Now, what exactly do I mean by writing research? Well, it’s probably as simple as it sounds. Maybe while you were scrolling through your Pinterest feed, looking at writing memes, you saw that one meme that says “When your mom looks at your search history: Don’t worry, I’m not a serial killer. I’m just a writer”? That’s what we’re talking about here.

When you’re writing a story, you probably aren’t an expert on every single aspect of every tiny detail that goes into it. This is where your research comes in. Think of that one story you’ve read that captivated you so much you couldn’t sleep without finishing it. Chances are, there was something in that story where the author had to dig a little deeper into something in order to paint that scene in your head. A good story, no matter how other worldly the setting is, still has to rely on some basic facts. These are the facts that make your story believable, make the reader believe they are actually in it, and even feel like it’s happening to them, especially if your reader actually knows a little something about the topic. Now, research can consist of anything. And you find your sources just about anywhere. Before we get any further, I’ll give you some example of research I’ve done for my own books so you can see what I’m talking about.

I did a lot of research for The Bayshire. There are a lot of fight scenes in this book, and seeing how I don’t know any combat, I needed to do some research. I watched a lot of YouTube videos with people fighting and some basic self-defense techniques in order to have a better picture in my head about what I was describing. Something else I researched was traveling. The main character, Alexis, does a lot of traveling, so I made sure it took her the proper amount of time to travel based on whether she was flying or taking a train from one place to another. For Finding Doom, where a couple scenes take place in a prison, I was able to get some first-person insight from someone who could explain the proper setup and procedures to me in order to paint a more believable picture.

Research can be done in many ways. The internet will probably be your best friend these days, where you can research just about whatever you need to. But keep in mind that you can also reach out to people who might know more about something than you and be able to provide you with the information you’re looking for. This is also where your library card comes in, for those of us who still like paper books. Maybe you could find a book at your local library to help you out with your topic.

Research like this should be something you enjoy. Maybe you’ll end up like me and find yourself learning about things you never planned to, like studying dangerous chemicals and getting caught up in sun mutations of all things. And yes, that actually happened.

So, what are you waiting for? If you have something to research to make your story that much more amazing, start learning! You won’t regret it!

-R.E. Klinzing

T.S.O. Bk# 1 Finding Doom

Amelia Zegro wakes up in the hospital with no memory of her tragic accident. She knows it has something to do with her secret life as a teen spy. Known as Agent Z, Amelia works for the Teen Spy Organization (T. S. O). As she tries to work out the sorted details of her lost memory, she is assigned a new and dangerous case, a case that brings her on a collision course with Doom, a notorious criminal with whom she has an ominous connection. As Agent Z uncovers clues about her past, she realizes she has been looking in the wrong direction. She must decide who she can trust and uncover the truth before it’s too late. Can Amelia piece together the details in time to rewrite a wrong and stop Doom from succeeding in his plan?

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