Write What You Know?

Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of 15 novels, including The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery and When Night Comes. He has won 3 Carol Awards and 3 Selah Awards. Three of his books were finalists for Inspirational Book of the Year (RT Book Reviews). Dan is a member of ACFW and Word Weavers. He lives with his wife, Cindi, in the Daytona Beach area where they love to take walks and spend time with their grandkids. Click here to connect with Dan or check out his books.

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Writing a novel is mostly a solitary effort.

A picture comes to mind of an author hammering away on a keyboard all by himself as days, weeks and months go by. It’s an accurate picture for the most part. But for some very good reasons, every writer depends on the help of others.

There’s an old saying, “Write what you know.” In other words, situate your stories in locations and areas of life in which you have some expertise. That might work for a novel or two, maybe even three. But at some point, if an author is being honest, they will come to the end of things they know. What happens then? 

What most do, including this author, is a lot of research. You spend a quality amount of time learning from people who really do know what they’re talking about. In short, you write what others know. The input they provide is invaluable and adds a much-needed measure of credibility and realism to your story. They provide details which would be impossible to obtain without their help.

For my newest release, Rescuing Finley (novel #15), I had a valuable research asset living right inside my home. My wife, Cindi. After spending years taking care of our home and homeschooling our kids, I asked her, "What would you like to do?" She didn't hesitate. She wanted to go back to school and learn how to train dogs. 

So, she did. She wound up graduating from Animal Behavior College with a 4.0 GPA. For the last 4 years, she's trained hundreds of dogs through her job as the Animal Behavior Manager at our local Humane Society. To put it simply, she is a wizard with dogs. She not only can train them to all kinds of things (practical things, not just tricks). She also really understands how they think and why they do the things they do. Her input on Rescuing Finley was priceless.

That's one of the things I love about Research...I get to learn all kinds of new things about a wide variety of topics. And for fiction research, it's not enough to skim over things; you have to study them hard enough that people who read your book believe you really know what you're talking about. Or at least, your characters do ("I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV").

For example, here are some of the neat things I learned about dogs researching Rescuing Finley: 

• You can teach old dogs new tricks - That's really just a myth. I've seen it happen with dogs of all ages. Even our own. When my wife was near the end of her schooling, I said, "If all this stuff is really true, shouldn't you be able to fix our dogs?" They were 4 years old then and had some serious quirks. Sure enough, she fixed all of them. 

• Your dog is not the problem 90% of the time - The problem is mostly us, and the fact that dogs are nothing like people. They don't think like we do and have a totally different way of communicating. These differences can be known and understood. Once they are, it's amazing how much better your dog will behave (and how much happier you both will be). 
  

• Most of the reasons people get rid of their dogs are fixable problems - It's a horrible thing to bring a dog down to a shelter because of problems that make life seem incompatible. The truth is, 90% of the problems can be solved by spending time with a certified dog trainer. My wife (and trainers like her) have reconciled hundreds of dogs with their owners.

• Finally, dogs actually save people's lives - Sadly, 22 military veterans commit suicide every day in the US. Most are vets who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and suffer from PTSD. Many of these men and women can be saved by getting a trained service dog. I watched dozens of videos of veterans who said their service dog was responsible for preventing their suicide. With their dog's help, many are beginning to resume all kinds of activities they had been unable to do before.

These are some of the reason I like research. To me, research is not a "have-to" but a "get-to." I'm really looking forward to all the new things I'll learn as I research Books 2 and 3 in this Forever Home series. So, how about you? Share with us some of the cooler things you have learned doing research for your novel.

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Guest Blogger Deborah Vogts

When most people think of doing book research, they immediately think of historical research. Those who write historicals have my deepest admiration. But contemporary authors have to do research for their stories as well. That's what I'd like to share with you today.

Every novelist must "jump" into their characters' skins, and that often means we must learn things we don't already know. How do we do this? The Internet is an invaluable tool, as is your local library or bookstore. Sometimes, though, your questions can't be answered that way and you have to go to your "source." Often that means interviewing someone by email, by phone, or in person. For an introvert writer who spends the majority of her time in front of a computer, this can be terrifying. Believe me, I know, as I still fight my fear of admitting to someone that I'm an author. After all, they might look at me like I'm an alien, or worse, they might try to bite off my nose, or laugh at me . . . or sneer.

Okay, so what sort of research might a contemporary author need to do? Below are a few things I did for the books in the Seasons of the Tallgrass series, published by Zondervan.

In my first book, Snow Melts in Spring, the opening scene is one where a horse is terribly injured. Right off, I had to know technical terminology, and not only that, but I had to create a scene that was accurate and believable, not just something that looked good on paper. To get it right, I contacted a handful of veterinarians, asked them a bunch of detailed questions all the way down to possible accident scenarios, which would create the type of injuries needed for the story. I even shadowed one small animal vet for a day in order to get a feel for what a "day in the life" might look like for my character who was also a vet.

I also needed to know something about football. Again, not my specialty. For this research, I went to the children's section of the library and checked out an armload of books. Here's a good tip to know: Children's books are easy to read and they are chock full of valuable information. I also watched a lot of football games on television and asked my football loving friends and family hundreds of questions--all so I could write two or three scenes with authenticity.

It matters.

For my second book, Seeds of Summer, which releases the end of May, I needed to learn about the Miss Rodeo America competition because my main character, Natalie Adams is a former Miss Rodeo Kansas and first runner up Miss Rodeo America. My research for this story included visiting with those at the Miss Rodeo America headquarters, as well as interviewing and questioning the current MRA at that time, Miss Amy Wilson, Miss Rodeo America 2008.

The highlight of this research culminated when I met and visited Amy at her home in Colby, KS. Amy was a joy to work with and is such a lovely person. My visit to her home was an unexpected blessing, as she shared some special moments from her time as Miss Rodeo Kansas and then as Miss Rodeo America.

I learned that Miss Rodeo America has a host of sponsors who shower their queen with lovely gifts, some of which include: a wardrobe of Wrangler Jeans, Justin Boots, Bailey Hats , fully tooled Court’s Saddle with custom Miss Rodeo America conchos and an official Miss Rodeo America trophy buckle from Montana Silversmiths. Accompanying the perpetual Miss Rodeo America tiara made by Landstrom’s Original Black Hills Gold Creations, Amy was given a wardrobe of matching jewelry. These items, along with other prizes were presented to her throughout her reign.

To see some pictures of these items, please visit my blog post here.


For my current project, book #3 - Blades of Autumn, I'm having to learn about running a cafe. So guess what? I've been visiting small town cafes and asking the owners lots of questions. Research such as this never ends, but taking the time to do this for your stories might mean the difference between someone loving your book or tossing it against the wall because it wasn't accurate. Sure, you'll never please everyone, but by doing the necessary groundwork, you'll at least know you did everything within your means to bring accuracy to the story.

Again, it's important. Your readers will thank you for it.

Blurb for Seeds of Summer: When opposites attract, sparks fly--like an electrical malfunction. That's what happens when former rodeo queen Natalie Adams meets the new pastor in Diamond Falls.

A heart-warming contemporary romance set in the Flint Hills of Kansas where a former rodeo queen abandons her dreams in order to care for her deceased father’s ranch and her two half-siblings, only to realize with the help of a young new pastor that God can turn even the most dire circumstances into seeds of hope. Spanning the Seasons of the Tallgrass, each story in this series reveals the struggle of the people who live there and the dreams they have for the land until they come full-circle in a never-ending cycle, just as man comes full-circle in his understanding of God.

If you'd like to read a snippet from Seeds of Summer, I invite you to visit Country magazine, which recently did a feature interview with me for their April/May issue. While there, you may also enter your chance to win one of my books. This book giveaway ends May 31.

Deborah VogtsEmporia State University studying English and journalism, Deborah developed a love for the Flint Hills that has never faded. In writing this series, she hopes to share her passion for one of the last tallgrass prairie regions in the world, showing that God’s great beauty rests on the prairie and in the hearts of those who live there.

Visit Deborah at her web site or Country at Heart blog to learn more about her research for Seasons of the Tallgrass series.

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Guest Blogger ~ Tricia Goyer

Tricia is the author of 20+ books and has published over 300 articles for national publications such as Focus on the Family, Today’s Christian Woman and HomeLife Magazine. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion Book Award in 2005.

Tips To Maximize Research

Whenever I talk about my novels I can't help but think about those who helped to make them possible--the men and women I interviewed. In writing my most recent novel, my co-writer Ocieanna Fleiss and I traveled to Lonesome Prairie, Montana and there we met 91-year-old Keith Edwards. Keith has lived in the area his whole life. In fact, his parents were some of the first settlers there, placing them there during the time frame when Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie was written! Keith told us some great stories, many of which made them into a book. Through the years, interviewing has become one of my favorite parts of writing.

In researching for my six WWII novels, I've interviewed veterans and Holocaust survivors--some of whom had never talked about their experiences, even with their spouses. I conducted some of these first interviews in person at WWII reunions.

I first connected with the veterans after hearing about the experiences of a specific recon unit, who liberated two concentration camps in Austria. I contacted them through letters, and soon received responses from six men from this unit willing to be interviewed. They invited me to their yearly reunion, and I jumped at the chance. I was amazed by how open the men were to sharing their story. I think they were thrilled that someone cared about their experiences.

At the reunion I made appointments. A writer friend went with me, and we filled our schedule. It was my first experience with interviewing, but I use the same procedure today for my novel or article research.



Tricia's office overlooking her own prairie

Tips:

• When it comes to the interviews, I set up my handheld recorder that records MP3s which can be transferred on my computer. After getting the recording started, I turned my full attention to the person. I don't jot notes or read questions. Instead, I maintain eye contact and ask questions.

• I start by asking easy stuff such as their childhood memories, when they joined their military, about basic training, friendships, etc.

• I make sure I have a basic knowledge of their role so I can ask knowledgeable questions. For example, "Did you ever visit in McGully's general store?" or "What type of emotions did you feel when your tank crossed the border into Germany?"

• After the person has covered the basics I ask, "What memories still replay in your mind even 60 years later?" This is the question that brings the most emotion--especially WWII veterans. Many, many men have broken down sobbing. Some apologize and tell me that cannot share their memory. Others do so, but it takes a while for them to warm up.

• Which leads to the most important thing I do...sit and listen. I don't try to fill the silence with my words. Nine times out of ten, the men (or women) open up, and they share things with me that they've never shared before. And many tell me it's a sort of healing for them.

I've been privileged to talk with Holocaust survivors, too. Most of these men and women have told their stories many times--and it's easy for them to open up. My most amazing interview was with a survivor who was in his early teens when he was in a number of concentration camps. He had not spoken to many people about this experience, and when we shared his experiences he literally jumped from his seat and started “acting” out how they marched, how they stood at attention, how the guards beat him, etc. I felt like I was there, and it greatly impacted me.

I’ve continued to interview other people for other situations, and being genuinely interested and caring is key. I offer tissue or hold hands for someone having a hard time. I don’t rush. I also let the person know later how much their story impacted me.

Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie, Montana

Julia Cavanaugh has never left New York. But in 1889, the young woman rides the orphan train west to deliver the girls in her care to new families. After Julia's final stop in Montana, she plans to kick he dust off her heels and head straight back east.

But upon arriving in the remote town of Lonesome Prairie, she learns to her horror that she is also suppose to be delivered--into the hands of an uncouth miner who carries a bill of purchase for his new "bride."

Julia turns to a respected circuit preacher to protect her from the marriage, but with no return fare, no home, and few friends, her options are bleak. What is God's plan for a lonely woman stranded in the middle of the vast Montana prairie?

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