Research and PCs... a Question to other Authors....

[Guest]

I have been slack in my writing recently and am just getting back into the swing of things I think...LOL

I have two stories that I used for lack of a better way of saying it supernatural or non human or gods/goddesses as members of the story. Earth Day with the Gods and The Ancient Rite.

On not one but BOTH stories I have gotten lovely anon comments berating me for my research for the stories.

I am particularly anal about the names that I use in stories. I have several websites that I use and several books laying all over the place near where I write and even bring a few of them with me when I am wandering around working so that when I get some spare moments I look for names of different characters.

Have other authors run into this type of problems running into people sending feedback or pcs stating that their research was bad or whatever.... how do you deal with it?

I keep getting this feeling to educate when I get these nasty little tidbits.

Before anyone begins... I am NOT commenting on the fact that I received PCs... but about the lack or research thing only.

 

[cloudy]

I have been slack in my writing recently and am just getting back into the swing of things I think...LOL

I have two stories that I used for lack of a better way of saying it supernatural or non human or gods/goddesses as members of the story. Earth Day with the Gods and The Ancient Rite.

On not one but BOTH stories I have gotten lovely anon comments berating me for my research for the stories.

I am particularly anal about the names that I use in stories. I have several websites that I use and several books laying all over the place near where I write and even bring a few of them with me when I am wandering around working so that when I get some spare moments I look for names of different characters.

Have other authors run into this type of problems running into people sending feedback or pcs stating that their research was bad or whatever.... how do you deal with it?

I keep getting this feeling to educate when I get these nasty little tidbits.

Before anyone begins... I am NOT commenting on the fact that I received PCs... but about the lack or research thing only.

The only feeback I've gotten similar to that is this one:

"sorry, but the LAST thing I would do upon meeting my online "friend" after so long would be to take him to a friends house to play cards or have a beer. thats just utterly silly!!!

and no, I didnt vote, because I am not a hateful person, dont wanna drop your score, just didnt read the whole thing after I saw the going out part. I just figured as ridiculous as that premise was, the rest wouldnt be any better...."

I didn't bother to write a note and correct Anonymous - s/he was nice enough not to vote if they felt that way, but the story they were referring to was a true one I'd written up. I changed certain details, but that particular detail was not one I had changed.

Go figure.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

No matter how much research you do, you can and will occasionally make a mistake. Everyone does. With myth cycles it is even easier to make a "mistake" because many myth cycles have several variants of the same stories.

You aren't a research scholar, you aren't being paid to write, so nit picking PC's should be treated exactly like nit picking annon feedback IMHO. I just delete them.

I would say that anyone who takes you to task over a research error in a PC is being a dick anyway. I have made mistakes, but most readers, even annon readers with good intent let me know about it privately.

Write for fun, research as much as you are comfortable with, but always keep in mind, wether Pc, or feedback, to far to many people, annonimity is just as excuse to show their ass.

-Colly

 

[Guest]

 

[gauchecritic]

When it all boils down, it's a story for chuff's sake. You wrote it, you can do what you want with it.

Nit picking is just a sign of not having your disbelief suspended, and that's a matter of style, not content.

I've just read a story by a friend of mine and found some glaring inconsistencies. But the story was good enough to hold me til the end. (the inconsistencies were probably due to differences in situation) But the story was first class and my belief was suspended til the end.

Historical innaccuracy is another matter entirely, but again, it's your story.

Gauche

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I've done a few ancient-culture stories, and I always do research. Research is easier than doing the actual writing.

One of the most stunning peices of feedback I ever got was on my Egyptian story, "In Pharaoh's Boat" from an honest-to-God Egyptologist. She praised it not so much for its historical accuracy, but for capturing the feel of the ancient Egyptian religion. I've done a lot of reading on ancient Egypt, but the things that happened in that story were pretty much made up out of whole cloth, so I was terribly flattered.

The idea that people like her might read something I've written really took hold of me, and when I wrote my next Egyptian story I did a lot of research to make sure I got the history and culture right. Unfortunately, I think I paid too much attention to the facts and didn't give my imagination enough free rein.

People who are passionate about a subject are going to be very critical of anyone who doesn't treat that subject with the respect they feel it deserves.

---dr.M.

 

[Guest]

Wow, Mab., now I'll have to read your Egypt piece. I too was very relieved to hear from people who lived in Japan that I had captured aspects of the culture in my 'elevator girl' stories. My 'research' came from a personal source plus reading.

I can see how a place or time might be used more broadly and metaphorically though, so that extensive research would not matter.

Perdita