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Kathryn Flatt

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Blogs by Kathryn Flatt

On Research
1/4/2013 6:54:03 AM

Today's blog entry - Using Research in "Seer Tyro Fiend"
I became very excited to write the next big scene in "Seer Tyro Fiend" this morning, but when I did, boom, I had to stop and do some research. In this scene, Stefanie asks her friend, Amy, to help her explore her psychic talent. As a self-proclaimed witch, Amy knows all about such things. As part of their preparations, Amy explains aspects of Stefanie's astrological background, and that was where the research came in. First, I needed to find an "air" sign, of which there are only two -- Libra and Gemini. One website I found had considerable information on it, including the influences of adjacent signs for those born on a cusp. I finally decided that Stefanie is a Gemini born on the cusp of Cancer.

Okay, that's not a lot of research, but I wasn't looking to become an astrology expert. While I find the subject fascinating, I don't really want to take the time to dig in with any depth, but I want the details I use to agreed with established and accepted knowledge. The key thing to remember about including details from research is that the extent of their use should be in proportion to their place in the story. This is only one passage, and I only need to include enough detail to make Amy sound like she knows something. Should someone read and wish to learn more about astrology, at least what I include will mesh with simple research. I might stretch things a bit, but as I heard an author say in a panel discussion on writing, "If someone tells me I got it all wrong, I tell them, 'that's why they call it fiction.'"

Now that I have the details I need, I can get back to the fun of creating my new scene.

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More Blogs by Kathryn Flatt
• The Why - Thursday, November 14, 2013
• Point of View Can Be Tricky - Wednesday, November 13, 2013
• More on The Name Game - Tuesday, November 12, 2013
• Updates and A Bit of News - Monday, November 11, 2013
• Updates and Miscellany - Friday, November 8, 2013
• The Name Game - Thursday, November 7, 2013
• Too Much Too Soon? - Wednesday, November 6, 2013
• OMG I'm Writing a Cozy - Tuesday, November 5, 2013
• Lo and Behold - Monday, November 4, 2013
• Still Two Worlds at Once - Friday, November 1, 2013
• Feel the Power - Thursday, October 31, 2013
• Gone and Done It - Wednesday, October 30, 2013
• The Final Edit? - Tuesday, October 29, 2013
• News and Updates - Monday, October 28, 2013
• Useless Words - Friday, October 25, 2013
• Decisions, Decisions - Thursday, October 24, 2013
• Planning Ahead - Wednesday, October 23, 2013
• Updates et al. - Tuesday, October 22, 2013
• Spreading My Name All Over - Monday, October 21, 2013
• Uncertain Ground - Friday, October 18, 2013
• Packaging - Thursday, October 17, 2013
• Meanwhile, Back at the Manor... - Wednesday, October 16, 2013
• The Promotion Engine, etc. - Tuesday, October 15, 2013
• I Know I Shouldn't But... - Monday, October 14, 2013
• Miscellany - Friday, October 11, 2013
• Progress! - Thursday, October 10, 2013
• Publicity, Etc. - Wednesday, October 9, 2013
• When Will It Ever Be Done? - Tuesday, October 8, 2013
• The Quest for Perfection - Monday, October 7, 2013
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• Moving Forward - Wednesday, October 2, 2013
• The Blahs - Tuesday, October 1, 2013
• Plot Change Already? - Friday, September 27, 2013
• Fun Stuff - Thursday, September 26, 2013
• Busy, Busy - Wednesday, September 25, 2013
• On Many Fronts - Tuesday, September 24, 2013
• Another Milestone - Monday, September 23, 2013
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• Proofing One More Time - Thursday, September 19, 2013
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• Still Editing - Friday, September 6, 2013
• Editing, The Next Phase - Thursday, September 5, 2013
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• Transitional Phase - Friday, August 23, 2013
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