Danielle Dandreaux
asked
Mary Beth Keane:
How much time do you spend researching a book? Is this something you do while you are still conceiving the plot of a book or do you research as you go? If you are not an established writer, how do you connect with people to get the information you are looking for?
Mary Beth Keane
Both! I try to do a lot of research before I begin writing because the writing comes more easily if I can really see a world clearly. That goes for contemporary fiction as much as historical, by the way. I'm especially interested in different types of work, so I try to find out as much as I can about a particular job - insider info, the lingo, the habits, the way people might cut corners, etc - so that I can understand what a character thinks about day to day. But then there's always something I need to research as I'm drafting. I often find myself writing right up to the edge of something I realize I don't know enough about to keep going.
More Answered Questions
Lisa
asked
Mary Beth Keane:
I love your writing. In your book ASK AGAIN, YES, I love the way you fearlessly delve into the subject of alcoholism in all of its forms. In one of your comments, you share that you have some personal experience in this. I, too, grew up in a household where alcohol was prominently situated in our daily routines. Have you written anything more about growing up this way?
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