A Little Help Here?

Writers are curious old coots. Nosy old salts. Notorious question askers.

As a kid I would be forever asking, “Why?” And I remember the frustration when the answer would come back from my dad, “To make little girls ask questions.” Usually he’s a pretty patient guy who doesn’t mind filling my head with the incredible knowledge he’s acquired. All I have to do is ask. But sometimes… I guess I asked a little too often. Or persistently. Or would reach the end of the “why” line.

As a writer, “why” is one of the best tools I have in my toolbox. “Why” opens up all sorts of ideas, contingencies, plots, conversations, and more often than not… trouble. As in, I don’t know! I’ve asked “why” so many times I’ve reached the end of my knowledge base and have to turn to a resource.

Usually I pop over to my good buddy Google and type in that burning question. Voila! Answers. The other day I discovered quite a bit about hand held security wands. Another time about steel toed boots. Sometimes it is something simple like finding out what colour topaz actually is.

But sometimes Google doesn’t quite cut it. And then you need to go to a different source. A real, live, air-breathing source. And that is always such a rush for me. To ask and receive. To gain knowledge. There is something so alive and invigorating in probing and finding an answer to something that has been tickling my brain or discovering something completely new and unexpected.

Where do I find those air-breathing sources? Well, the other day I was participating in an online class offered through RWA Orange County. (That would be Romance Writers of America, Orange County group.) The class was offered by a retired LAPD officer. And she let us ask all sorts of burning questions. Big surprise–I had a ton!! And by asking all those burning, I-gotta-know questions I found holes in my plot. I found errors in my scenes. And I was inspired. Inspired to improve. Informational tidbits from this officer made my mind leap into make-it-better mode which created all sorts of offshoots and things I wouldn’t have thought of without her. And my story is better. My writer toolbox is that much fuller as well.

Not long after, I discovered I needed to know more about how hospitals run and I needed information from a nurse. I popped over to the ‘Wanted’ ads over on my virtual home AQC (AgentQueryConnect.com) and placed a request for help. Voila! Ding, ding! Answer up! But the problem was the more questions I asked of this lovely writer acquaintance of mine… the more questions I had! But, my facts are so much straighter now. The scenes are that much tighter, richer, and real. I’m not afraid of those little details I had before, because now I know they are correct. I am also not afraid of readers with a greater knowledge base throwing my book against the wall because of my hospital scenes.

While seeking help from a nurse, a writer on AQC offered this great site: jobshadow.com. Right here you can learn more about different jobs. Handy for finding out more about day-to-day bits and what-not. As well, I like to use ALIS (Alberta Learning Information Service) for finding out about job skills, duties, pay, and training.

But all this question asking and hole finding causes me to wonder… where else have I screwed up in my stories? Where else have I assumed something is correct and it isn’t? Yikes! (I’m trying really hard not to let that part freak me out!)

Where do you go for information when you need it?