Today, I would like to introduce you to my dear friend and fellow author Nancy Brandon. I’m going to let her take the floor. She is going to share with you her research process for her bestselling debut book Dunaway’s Crossing. Take it away Nancy.
Thank you Lois and hello to everyone in WG2E land 
Long-time respected journalist Leon Dash once said in an interview that writers should always “know what [they]don’t know.” In other words, they should recognize where their knowledge of a subject ends and be sure to investigate that subject carefully to fill in the gaps.
A common misconception readers have about novels is of authors declaring one day, “I’m going to write a novel about __[fill in the blank]_.” And then they sit down at the computer and start writing. Well, maybe some writers do get started that way, but my writing usually germinates from an initial question, which sparks some research, which then develops into more questions and therefore more research. Once I’ve solidified my fascination with a subject, I decide it would make a good premise for a story.
For instance, my debut novel, began ten years earlier with my interest in the 1918 influenza pandemic.
On Amazon
The process started when I picked up a book from my book store’s bargain table: Gina Kolata’s Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus that Caused It.
Catchy title, isn’t it?
I don’t know what about the book grabbed me. Perhaps it was the captivating cover design. Or maybe it was the bargain price of five bucks. Maybe it was springtime and I noticed the author’s name rhymed with pina colada. I don’t know. But I picked up the book, and Gina Kolada pulled me in at page one.
Over the next two or three years, I wanted to learn more about the disease. I read books from Kolata’s bibliography. I read works of fiction about the pandemic. I even taught college literature courses with medical themes so I could discuss with my students all I’d discovered. And then I learned that my great-grandparents temporarily relocated from their home in town to live in their country cabin to avoid contagion. After several years of learning, I finally pointed my finger in the air and declared, “I’m going to write a novel about the influenza pandemic.”
But I wasn’t ready.
I’d learned much about influenza, but little about country life in 1918 rural Georgia. I had to look up information about automobiles, telegraphs, agriculture, and mail routes. Most of what I needed to know was available online or at local libraries. Fortunately, I live just a few miles away from the Georgia Historical Society, an invaluable library for writers of historical fiction.
But I needed more. For instance, I knew my characters could communicate via telephone, but I needed details of phone services in small towns at that time. Online and print sources didn’t offer such information. So I called my ninety year-old Uncle John, who grew up in tiny Claxton, Georgia, the son of the town doctor. Over an hour and a half, Uncle John described to me how people would turn the crank on the telephone, how they would speak to the local operator, what one would hear through the ear piece when making a call, that the phone number in his home was D23 and his father’s office phone number was D24.
I needed that information for maybe ten lines of my manuscript. But without those details about early telecommunications, I would not have been able to write an accurate depiction of 1918 rural Georgia.
Even after all my research, my work still had a few inaccuracies. For instance, in a couple of places I have my characters feeling nervous and I compare their jitters to fire ants in their nests. After reading my manuscript, both my mother and father contacted me and informed me that fire ants didn’t exist in Georgia in 1918. They migrated north from Mexico fifty years later. It had never occurred to me to research a bug’s existence. In that case, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
The story develops after–sometimes long after–a simple question. Then once the research begins, other questions arise, more research takes place, and more ideas develop. So while the influenza premise of a novel occurs at one point, the decision to make the hero a mailman develops later on. Then during the second revision of the novel, the writer might decide to kill one of the most beloved characters or add a private investigator to complicate the protagonist’s mission. And there begins more research.
But it’s worth it. Those researched details make the difference between a hurried manuscript and a well developed art form. Readers always appreciate that effort because those small bits of information are what make them lose themselves in the fiction, and it just might inspire them to ask their own one simple question.
Bio
Nancy Brandon is the author of journalistic articles, academic articles, short fiction and writing textbooks. She teaches college English in Savannah, Georgia, where she lives with her husband and two children. Dunaway’s Crossing is her first novel. It is available on Amazon.com or through her website.
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(D. D. Scott here):
Thanks Bunches, Lois, for bringing Nancy to The WG2E, and a big ol’ Welcome to You, Nancy!
As a special treat today, head on over to The WG2E’s Sister Site – The RG2E – where we’re Ebook Gifting Nancy’s bestselling book!!!
The Best of The WG2E Indie Epublishing Wishes — Lois Lavrisa and Nancy Brandon
Thanks for the very interesting story about your new book. Congrats on your success!
Thank you, Jeanne! And thank you for this chance to write a post on this blog.
Fascinating process, Nancy, and Welcome to The WG2E!!!
I like what you said right here and basically work the same way:
“The story develops after–sometimes long after–a simple question. Then once the research begins, other questions arise, more research takes place, and more ideas develop.”
It’s that “What If” I ask myself that sets my stories in motion…
And for me, it’s usually a “What If I mix this kinda character with this one and plop ‘em in this setting and lifestyle”…
Yes, the writing process does involve a lot of creativity and imagination, but the research enables me to plop those characters in an accurate setting and lifestyle. And a number of readers have contacted me to say that Dunaway’s Crossing depicts rural Georgia in a way that they remember it. I consider that a high compliment.
Indeed you should, Nancy! It’s sooo terrific when readers notice and let you know they appreciate it! Well done!
Nancy- we are glad to have you here:) Great post!
Thank you so much, Lois, for inviting me to write!
Thanks for the post! And good luck with your book; I’m glad to see it o the RG2E. While reading your post and hearing about the long time you spent researching your book… and you still were’t ready to write it… I was reminded that as a writer I’ve found that sometimes it’s not just the need to research holding me back from writing a certain book, it’s the season in my life, too. Your book sounds fabulous. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us.
Thank you, Tamara. I’m now in the middle of another research process (which Lois has helped me with also). My next novel is set in the late 1920′s and early 1930′s, around the time that farmers began to discover the sweetness of the Vidalia onion. Again, I have to identify what I don’t know and investigate it. The more I find out, the more I discover what I don’t know! Be on the lookout for Show Me a Kindness sometime in 2013.
Nancy, thanks for such a detailed post on your research process. I just went through a similar process for ZURI. I was appalled by descriptions of rhino poaching & delighted by a clip of an adorable baby rhino I just happened to catch on TV.
From those beginnings, I had to find out about conservation efforts, poaching, the details of rhino husbandry & veterinary, African animal orphanages, wildlife rescue, rhino, elephant behavior, Swahili words, Kenyan cuisine & wedding rituals and on & on….& on!!! And, of course, me being me, I wanted to add a romantic love story! Therefore: the sexy Director of an animal orphanage in Kenya & the talented vet he is attracted to but resists.
The research was totally fascinating. Did you know that the illicit trade in wild animals is third only to that of drugs & weapons? Or that the price of rhino horn is higher than gold?
And that’s only the beginning!
Great scoop, Ruth! I did learn about the wild animal trade, interestingly enough, when I was researching the blood diamond and gem trade for my Carats & Coconuts…and they even dealt with that connection a bit in the animated movie Rio. That’s why all the smuggled birds from the Rainforest had gemstones in their beaks.
I luuuvvv how one bit of research leads to the next, just like you and Nancy have brought up!
Well now I have another topic to investigate! Thanks, Ruth for informing me of the problem of rhino poaching. I had no idea! Learning about environmental and social problems can open up a world of ideas for writing.
Oooh, this sounds great, Ruth! I’ve been an animal rights activist for many years, so you’ve touched a subject close to my heart. Thanks for making people aware of these things.
Well done for the research. I am a lazy author, and don’t like to do research too much. Which is why I write fantasy type books. I did do a bit of research for my current children’s book, and I asked on an email loop about children’s lessons and teachers. Got several replies.
You make a good point about readership, Julie. Most of the time authors think of research in terms of learning more about subject matter, but it’s also important to know your audience–and know what you don’t know about your audience.
Nancy, really good post. Research itself can be pretty seductive. Good for you to put it to work. Now, I have a sister-in-law who is in Ag Research at UGA. Her last photo on Facebook is of a bag of onions grown at one of the research centers. If you need a person to talk to, let me know and I’ll get you in touch.
Nancy, one more question: when your book was first published, 10 years ago, was it done the old-fashioned way? How did you make the transition to eBook? Which I just bought, by the way. Thanks.
How kind, Nora. Thank you. But I think I may have confused you. My book was not published ten years ago. It was just published in March of this year. But I became fascinated with the Spanish Influenza pandemic about ten years ago, and I went through several years of learning more about that part of our history before sitting down to write Dunaway’s Crossing. My novel is available in paperback as well as electronic form. It’s available through my website and Amazon.com.
Welcome to WG2E, Nancy! Dunaway’s Crossing sounds wonderful. I love historical research and have been working on both a Dickens related novel and a YA ancient historical for several years. It is amazing how one little detail can take you on an odyssey and sometimes open up a whole new story angle. Look forward to reading your book!
Thank you so much Alicia. I hope you enjoy it. It’s been a delight sharing my research interests with readers and getting to know another great group of writers!
Thanks for the great post, Nancy. My first book, She Had No Choice, released in 2010, also begins with the family fleeing Mexico in 1918 because of the Spanish Flu pandemic. My book was inspired by the true story of my grandmother’s life and stories she passed down, but I did have to do some research myself on the Spanish Flu.
I wish you continued success on your book!
Really? I want to check that one out. Thanks for letting me know. Just last night a reader told me that her great-grandfather was the U.S. Surgeon General in 1918, and he always felt guilt that he was unable to stop the flu epidemic. One rewarding experience from writing this book has been learning of readers’ ancestors’ experiences. Almost every family today has an ancestor who was affected in some way by Spanish influenza.
Loved this post, Nancy! Congratulations on your book and very impressive on the research. I love going direct to the source with your Uncle John.
Thanks, Stacey. I think Uncle John was pretty flattered himself! He’s really excited about the novel.
Nancy: thanks for sharing your wonderful journey…I loved reading your post and you definitely have a kindred spirit in me. Some years ago I decided to write about the Kumeyaay people who lived in the Anza Borego desert in southern California. But, I wanted to get everything right…I kept thinking, “who am I to presume I would know enough and be the one to write about them?” I researched. A lot. I even found an obscure dictionary so I could include language accurately. And I attended a workshop and made pottery using local clay and a fire pit — gathering dry dung to burn — as it was done by the Kumeyaay. The novel (called Dreamquest) was a time travel where I utilized an earthquake that really happened in 1865 (yes, since I was a young girl that’s been a fantasy of mine–to be able to travel to the past, and who knew writing novels would allow me to?!). So, more research about earthquakes happened next. My best moment, though, was having a tribe member I’d contacted with questions from time to time, read the novel (though he said he skipped the mushy parts and didn’t want to be seen reading a romance novel). He emailed me that he especially appreciated the use of the Kumeyaay language, and commented on several of the elements I’d chosen for the story and how they “fit” in the Kumeyaay history and culture — specifically constellations…”the Milkyway, which is the backbone, “HaTaat” to the universe.” And the accuracy of the food and using cactus needles for tattooing. He said he was glad I wrote it–those words still touch me. His comments justified all my careful research. So, thank you for doing your research–can’t wait to read your book!!
Thanks for sharing your story, Janet. Like aftershocks, the effects of the research process continue even after the book has been published. And those “aftershocks” are usually rewarding.
Oh wow Nancy, I just finished reading your novel! You did a fabulous job girl! While I was reading it, I couldn’t imagine the amount of research you had to do for the book. Well, not until now. Thank you so much for giving us insight into your work. The 1918 flu epidemic was a great backdrop and added such drama to your story. It was a horrendous, ugly illness that stole the life of one of my husband’s grandmothers. I had forgotten how fast the illness could kill its victims. Your description of all the dying and mass graves along with the fear was so real. Thank you for the happy ending. Congratulations Nancy!