Biographical Research - getting in your subjects head

[NoJo]

I know a few of us here do biographical research for stories, or just for amusement.

I have a big problem with reearch, and that's knowing when to stop. As all facts are connected, I tend to read around the subject in ever-increasing spirals.

For example: I'm currently reseaching a famous 19th century author. I know the basic facts about his life, and I've read most of his works. I'm waiting for the official biography to arrive from Amazon. But now I find that I have to know about his friend's lives (some of his freinds were equally famous authors and artists). And the politics of the time. The clothes. The food. All in ridiculous detail. All of this helps brings the man to life, but when do you stop?

My rather uncompromising answer: When you know exactly what your subject would think or do if he were living your life. In other words, you have to become you subject. Unfortunately, the author was a bit of a shit, and a bit mad. So now I've become a bit of a shit and bit mad too.


Call me CLD.

 

[cloudy]

My problem is going off on weird tangents from the original research subject.

I'll be making progress, finding exactly what I need, and then I have one of those "that looks interesting!" moments, and I'm off. I may have started researching bronze-age lifestyles, but now I'm deep into reading about the religious practices of the Romans.

ADD is a curse, at times.

 

[NoJo]

My problem is going off on weird tangents from the original research subject.

I'll be making progress, finding exactly what I need, and then I have one of those "that looks interesting!" moments, and I'm off. I may have started researching bronze-age lifestyles, but now I'm deep into reading about the religious practices of the Romans.

ADD is a curse, at times.

My problem in a nutshell. Paradoxically, it's a side-effect of being a bit obsessive.

 

[twink_alert86]

The same thing happened to me when I was researching Durer as sort of a model for my German renaissance painter in Feast Of The Rose Garlands. I read everything I could get my hands on about Durer and in the process I became a little obsessed with Durer's best friend Willibald Pirkheimer. At some point, I actually considered writing a Pirkheimer/Durer slash story, but I'm sure that would have a very limited audience.



Oops, I meant to post that as Scarlett, lol.

 

[MichelleLovesTo]

I relate to this. I'll be writing, decide to do a quick fact check, and "forget" to stop reading 'cause I'll follow one link or another. Damn you Encarta!

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Depends on how you intent to use the character joe. I sometime suse hstoric figures in my works. I resreach them, until i feel I can write them credibily in the situation i need them for.

For just general knowledge, I resrearch until something else drabs my attention.

 

[Carmenica Diaz]

For erotica:
I research as I write. When I need some information, I dart off, find it and return. It keeps me on track.

For My Other Work:
I spend a great deal of time researching a subject but I have designed a basic template which allows me to gain an overview first. I then decide the objective of the book and start filtering reserach to fill out the areas around that objective.

The important thing is to do research with sources that aren't directly related to the subject, that is, politics, culture, fashion.

I've become quite the expert on nineteenth century fashion.

 

[BlackShanglan]

And you didn't tell us who it was.

Joe, you complete bastard.

Oh, and it never stops - not when you do it right. Because then you start researching his friends, and his fellow authors, and the city, and the money, and the transport, and the next thing you know you're whiling away an afternoon working out the omnibus fare from Knightsbridge to Bishop's Gate in 1885 while the SO smirks and makes amusing comments at you.

Not that that's happened or anything.

 

[kendo1]

You're right Shanglan.
Scottish beef cost 1/2 d a pound (old pence) in 1705
You could buy a dozen chickens for a penny.
One English pound was worth 13 Scots, though you usually had to pay 15 to 1.
A clergyman could earn £50 a year, double what an accountant could.
etc.

Where do you stop?