WHAT IS RESEARCH LIKE FOR JANIE PANAGOPOULOS
Before we answer that question... We should first find out what the word research means.
According to the dictionary, research or re-search means: 1.) Scholarly or scientific investigation or inquiry. 2.) Close, careful study. 3.) To study something thoroughly so as to present it in a detailed, accurate manner.
I like those descriptions as it is what I spend most of my time doing, to gather information to write my books. For me, research is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my work. I am a very curious person and I always want to know the inner workings of everything, including the history I write about. So, for me, that means reading, reading, reading and digging, digging, digging.
What am I reading? What am I digging for? Well, I first want to learn everything I can about the period of time, locations and events I am going to write about. The time period and locations that I study will eventually become part of the setting for my books and the historical events during that period of time often become part of the plot of my story. And as you all know, the setting and plot are two of the basic elements in writing a story.
When I learn about a time period I also must learn all about the people and the way they thought and how they lived in the past. What were their needs? How were those needs met? And to know that the people from the past had nearly the same needs as we have today, only today we meet those needs with technology.
Through research and by reading primary sources like diaries and journals, I have discovered that the people from the past display nearly the same needs we have today such as: 1.) The need to take care of our bodies for survival 2.) The need to contribute and participate in life 3.) The need to set goals and achieve them 4.) The need for personal companionship and community 5.) The need to have worth by caring for others and being cared for 6.) The need for personal self-control, outside control and recognition of status 7.) The need for safety for one-self and for the safety of our family, community
To recognizing the "common" needs of a people from different periods of time, it helps me to development the characters and their personalities that go into my stories. And as you all know, characters are another of the basic elements in writing a story.
Remember:
1.That your research should always begin with a question... What was it like for...?
2. When you do research you should always know... What do I need to know? What am I learning? What do I want to share? What information is important to write about? Why? Never do research unless you ask yourself why you need to know this information and how will it be of value or you will be wasting your research time.
3. While researching, you should always have a specific way you gather information for a specific goal. You should already know how to take notes in an efficient manner that will keep you organized as you collect your research. Never do research without recording where you found the information... What library? What web site? What museum? Be very detailed in recording your information for future use.
4. When you start doing research you might have a large general question to start with such as... What was it like during the time of slavery? As you start the learning process of research you will discover that there were many different ways to live during the time of slavery and you will have to begin to divide your question into smaller sub-categories, such as... What was the northern states like during the time of slavery and What were the southern states like during the time of slavery? From there you will divide again and perhaps ask the question... What was it like to be African or African-American in the south during the time of slavery? What was it like to be Caucasian in the south during the time of slavery? And under each of these sub-categories there will be many, many more sub-categories as you dig deeper and deeper into your research to discover more and more facts about your subject.
5. When doing research, there are many people that "assume" that most history is made up of assumptions and theories about how the world works today and in the past. For me, on the other hand, I find that idea of history very wrong. I personally believe that things were done in the past in a similar way as we do them today, both guided by education (or lack of) and personal choice. We should "Never" assume something in history will be done the same way it has always been done before, you should always leave room in your search for knowledge to realize that people from the past and today are/were individuals and sometimes the reason they do things the way they did was is based on personal choice and individuals knowledge.
To me, that means, I must spend lots and lots of time digging in libraries, museums, and archival collections to discover the "true" facts of the lives of the individuals that I write about. Writing "documentary historical fiction" is a difficult process.