I don't really like research. That's one reason why I enjoy writing fiction; I can simply "make up" whatever I want. When I started writing my young adult novel Absolutely, Positively Not, I chose a topic I knew plenty about already (a teenage boy struggling with his sexuality) and was confident I could skip the messy, cumbersome element of research.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
As the book progressed, I realized that if I didn't want to sound like a complete idiot, I'd need to check facts that I had blissfully "made up" as I went along. This fact-checking took me down such diverse paths as:
- Calling bait shops to determine a reasonable weight for a winning fish in an ice derby contest (Six pounds. I had originally written twenty-four).
- Sending emails to coaches across the state asking about specifics of high school hockey schedules (I paid no attention to sports when I was in school).
- Attending meetings of a square dance club to verify details of my main character's hobby (Square dancers are without a doubt some of the warmest, friendliest people you'll ever meet).
It was a disaster.
The moment I walked through the door, all my high school fears came flooding back to me. I imagined every student I passed thinking "faggot" and "homo" as they saw me. I was just as clueless to their tastes as when I was in school (when I was a teenager I listened to the "elevator music" station and wore whatever my mom bought for me at J.C. Penney's).
I left the school feeling like a research failure. Discouraged, I decided I'd forgo working current language and styles into my story. Instead, I'd focus on the feelings I remembered experiencing when I was a teenager and hoped that they would still be relevant today.
And they were. The fear of not being accepted, the struggle to be authentically yourself, and the confusion of finding your place in the world are issues that young (and old) people continue to grapple with. And though I had been reluctant to do so, I had done plenty of this research when I was growing up.
8 comments:
Great to get this other perspective, David. Sounds like your trip to a high school was emotional research. Those feelings come back every time I go to a high school reunion.
High school years can be such difficult times. That's probably one of the reasons I've never wanted to go to a high school reunion. It's good to know, though, that sometimes a writer's most difficult childhood experiences can be useful later in a character's life.
When I read Absolutely, Positively Not, I wanted to go out and start Square dancing lessons. Actually, once in high school I attended this weekend youth event where square dancers came to teach us the moves. They WERE so friendly!! Your research was perfect for your book.
I, too, wanted to go square dancing after reading your book, David. And I love the story about the winning fish being one quarter the size that you thought it would be. That's exactly why we do research.
David, thank you. Going to buy your book this afternoon. We live our research bearing its scars, strength, depth. grateful for your words.
I try to repress those high school years too, although I'm living them again through my kids. but I think it's great books like yours that help kids get through it:)
Such universal themes in your return to the halls of high school...! Your original "take" on research reminds me of an interview with Jim Crace in which he talked of the joy of making up all the details in his books ("creative" writing rather than research-based) and then smiling at everyone attributing "truth" to his "facts."
Post a Comment