Michèle Laframboise's Blog - Posts Tagged "research"
As a SF writer, research is an essential part of my works. I sometimes do too much research!
But if the finished product is burdened with heavy expositions, the ship would sink!
Even for fantasy world-builders, the internal logic of the magic-or-supernatural workings required a minimal amount of thinking. And, as magical as the world is, the story must be well grounded in reality. How many fantasy novels, for instance, demonstrate a total lack of knowledge about equine biology and maintenance? One of my friends, who raises horses and loves fantasy, is appalled by what she reads.
And some SF or fantasy authors, too proud of their word-building, dump large exposition blocks on the unsuspecting reader! "I suffered for my art, and so must you!"
Research is like an iceberg.
There is the emerged part, the novel that you enjoy. But whatever the number of pages, there is a larger, hidden part underwater.
Not enough research, and your story collapses under the contradictions, impossibilities, logical errors and paper-thin characters.
But when the universes and societies are lovingly built, it even allows other writers to participate in it! Two examples: The Darkover series and Honor Harrington series have spawned many paper children.
According to the readers' ages or familiarity with the concepts, the submerged part of the iceberg is around 90%. For a simpler story, you may choose to tone down the emerged part.
In my latest SF novel, la spirale de Lar Jubal, aimed at YA, I set aside about 99% of my painstaking research and physics calculations of the space station, to concentrate on the visuals.
In my upcoming SF novel, I aimed it at "I don't like science fiction" adolescents, so there is very few numbers in that one, and more action.
In my next post, I will explain how science-fiction is like chocolate...
But if the finished product is burdened with heavy expositions, the ship would sink!
Even for fantasy world-builders, the internal logic of the magic-or-supernatural workings required a minimal amount of thinking. And, as magical as the world is, the story must be well grounded in reality. How many fantasy novels, for instance, demonstrate a total lack of knowledge about equine biology and maintenance? One of my friends, who raises horses and loves fantasy, is appalled by what she reads.
And some SF or fantasy authors, too proud of their word-building, dump large exposition blocks on the unsuspecting reader! "I suffered for my art, and so must you!"
Research is like an iceberg.
There is the emerged part, the novel that you enjoy. But whatever the number of pages, there is a larger, hidden part underwater.
Not enough research, and your story collapses under the contradictions, impossibilities, logical errors and paper-thin characters.
But when the universes and societies are lovingly built, it even allows other writers to participate in it! Two examples: The Darkover series and Honor Harrington series have spawned many paper children.
According to the readers' ages or familiarity with the concepts, the submerged part of the iceberg is around 90%. For a simpler story, you may choose to tone down the emerged part.
In my latest SF novel, la spirale de Lar Jubal, aimed at YA, I set aside about 99% of my painstaking research and physics calculations of the space station, to concentrate on the visuals.
In my upcoming SF novel, I aimed it at "I don't like science fiction" adolescents, so there is very few numbers in that one, and more action.
In my next post, I will explain how science-fiction is like chocolate...
