RESEARCH FOR THE NON-RESEARCHER By Rae Ann Parker
by henandinkblots
What do you do when you get a story idea that won’t leave you alone and it’s set in another time period? Or a ghost from another time period shows up in your story and needs clothes and speech that are historically correct? If you are like me, first you probably try to make the ghost go away. When he won’t, it’s time for some research.
Here are a few resources I’ve used in my research after some coaching by my friend, award-winning historical fiction author, Kristin O’Donnell Tubb.
Books – biographies, non-fiction accounts of the time period and events, books on clothing from the time period. Do not use novels for your research. You run the risk of repeating the same mistakes another author made.
Newspapers/Magazines – advertisements from the era. My local library has an extensive collection of LIFE magazines. I go to the library and read through the editions for the year my story takes place, writing down what brands were popular and current prices.
Ebay – enter the year of your story. You may find magazines, post cards and other treasures.
YouTube – music/movies from the era you are researching may be available.
Library Of Congress – www.loc.gov Info is available in their Digital Collections and “Ask A Librarian” allows you to email or even live chat with one of the librarians.
There are many more resources available online. I have learned that when you start with one resource, it leads to another and another. Pretty soon you have an entire bibliography of research for your project. And you may even learn to like research, just a little bit.
Rae Ann Parker writes MG School Stories and YA fantasy and is represented by Hen&ink Literary Studio. When her characters demand it, she also does a lot of research. You can visit her website at www.raeannparker.com and find her on twitter at http://twitter.com/raeannparker.
EXTRA! EXTRA! Catch Rae Ann Parker and Cate Hart in the Music City talking about YA Romance for today’s market: YA Romance: High School, Super Powers, & the Love Triangle: Music City Romance Writers www.mcrw.com
henandinkblots 
Great piece! I love advertisements of bygone eras. They tell us so much about the mores and values of the time (and the dress and hair and lots of other stuff). I just want to dive into the pages and be that mom, so anxious to get Cream of Wheat into her little one to make his or her world perfect.
Thank you Barbara! Yes, the ads are so interesting. I find the prices and the wording and just everything in the ads fascinating. I’m thankful for the librarians who keep up with all of the resources we use.
Wonderful advice! I especially loved the admonishment not to rely on fiction. Oh, and looking through Life magazines for ads and photos? Great idea!
Hi Caryn! Yes, I remember Lisa Gardner’s RWA keynote one year when she talked about writing & gave the tip on not using fiction for research. Apparently it stuck with me because I think of her each time I think of that advice.
Great post, Rae Ann!
Thanks for the “resource” list. I’m making a copy for my files. Oh, and another place, other than Ebay where you can find ‘old magazines, post cards and other treasures’, is my attic! Lol Come by and search anytime. -:)
Darcy
Thank you Darcy. I didn’t know you had a research library in your attic. I must stop by and I hope your library services come with a cup of tea from London. 🙂
Wonderful post, Rae Ann! Great (and easy!) tips for lending stories historical accuracy without getting lost in mountains of research. Thanks!
Thank you Gretchen! Must remember not to get lost in the mountains of research. It is tempting at times, but the writing must be done!
Great article Rae Ann! When I first started writing, I was working on a historical romance – I was still in college – and the fourth floor history stacks were my favorite place. This was back in the day when the internet was very limited and there was no such thing as Google.
I didn’t even know you could set up an online chat with a librarian at the Library of Congress. That is awesome! Librarians are a wealth of knowledge on all kinds of subjects.
My most recent favorite discovery was an interactive map of London from the Seventeenth Century.
Thank you Cate! Yes, the Library of Congress is very helpful. And kudos on your find of the 17th century map of London. Isn’t google great?
Great article, Rae Ann!
Another great place for historical books and periodicals is ABE Books. I buy out of print fiction there, so I already knew about it, but last September my friend Kelli Stanley, who writes an absolutely fantastic mystery series set in 1940s San Francisco, was on a panel at Bouchercon where she said the best thing she ever bought was a 1940s phone book she found at ABE Books. She said it cost a mint, but she learned SO much from it about the people and businesses in San Francisco during that time.
What a great resource, Jenna! I’ve never heard of ABE Books. And now I want one of those 1940s phone books. I bet it has tons of information. I never though of looking for phone books. Thanks for the tip!
That makes it sound almost easy! 🙂
Almost being the key word here Jody. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Rae Ann,
Thanks for sharing these very helpful tips on researching:) I hadn’t thought of checking sources like e-bay for ads and postcards and such, and I agree with Caryn that I especially appreciate being reminded not to rely on other fiction for research–never thought of that! All that said, I don’t do a whole lot of research while I’m in first draft mode, but do leave myself notes in the ms of where I need to expand or research when I get into revision. It’s almost like I want to see what I know about something, or what I would want to know, and then I go back and fill in, change, etc. Sometimes that ends up leading me in a wrong direction, but then sometimes that wrong direction turns out to be a very interesting detour.
Hi Mima: I do keep an edit list as I write the 1st draft to avoid stopping to do more research, but sometimes I can’t help myself. And your detours do sound very interesting! I wonder if any of them changed a book significantly. It is sometimes a surprise to see where the characters take us.
Thanks, Rae Ann for some good hints. I like to read newspapers from the period. Newspapers have ads for most things and articles that let you know how people really thought then. Most libraries have newspapers, at least local ones.
Grace H
Hi Grace: Yes to newspapers! I need to check my local library to see what type of newspaper database they have. Thanks for suggesting that. Another great place for ads & I’m sure the articles are a goldmine.
Great advice, Rae Ann. Struggling this instant with the voice of an 18th century French gravedigger and thankful for all the advice I can get! Unfortunately, Life wasn’t publishing then. But I’m always looking for a good excuse to pay a visit to the archives! Merci mille fois!
Hi Sarah: That’s so interesting because I’ve been talking to one of my critique partners this week about how teen voice changes in different time periods. I hope you dig something up in the archives. 🙂