Subject Experts?

[Bebop3]

Hi!

This may be a ridiculous question, but is there a list somewhere of subject matter experts (readers or other writers) who have an expertise in a given field and wouldn't mind lending a hand?

People seem very generous here, so I wouldn't be surprised if something like that already exists.

For example, I know nothing about farming. Maybe there's a woman from Florida who's a frequent reader who owns a large tomato farm and wouldn't mind offering advice if I'm writing something that involves a farmer.

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

I needed someone with sailing expertise to review my last story. I posted a request on the Editor's Forum and got a response from a great editor who'd been sailing for over 40 years. Maybe I just got lucky.

I also had a question about medical marijuana once, and I asked on the General Board. I got a lot of great advice and references to good resources.

So I guess your best bet is probably to post on the GB. It has the highest readership and, even though it can generate a lot of dreck, you'll get the widest audience for your question there.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I try to not write about stuff I know nothing about. One story a friend asked me to write based on a picture of a guy surfing, there's very little surfing mentioned because I know nothing about surfing, or really even oceans since I live in the midwest!

Some stuff I have experienced. I've had 8 kids, been in the hospital, been arrested and spent a couple nights in jail, road tripped, I have several mental illnesses, my cousin was in a psych facility so I know a bit about that, I've had a long life and have seen and done a lot.
If I do need to know something I haven't experienced I use google. I hate to think what my history looks like on my laptop.

And when google fails, I have asked here
I was working on a post apocalyptic story and asked here about some stuff like when would the electric go, stuff no one can really be certain about, but we can all make good assumptions.

 

[PuckIt]

Expert? Well, that leaves me right the fuck out no matter what the subject then doesn't it?

Oh, finding an expert to give me some information about something I have only the dimmest of existing knowledge about. Yeah, that might accidentally be something I am actually expert in. (Although it's probably difficult to tell if you base your perception on what I actually type up and then hit the post button without deleting.)

As far as I can recall, there has never been a listing of that sort that I've ever seen. Nor a single gathering point for experts on lit, unless maybe it's the HT forum.

Typically from what I can recall, people tend to do just what you've done. Ergo, formulate a question and dangle the bait out in open forum.

And, yeah. You'll occasionally get a contemptuous slap from someone with a jitter trigger if the question has any potential at all to be a hot button issue (such as the gun debacle which I read with a wince and anticipated with a small variance in precision just what responses you would get and from whom).

About the only other thing I can think of that I do is utilizing the Lit Forum search function (upper right of your screen) to do a keyword search to see if the topic might have been discussed before.

However, typically for solid research on something I, personally, tend to eschew Lit beyond a basic starting point and wander off to "Goggle" (where I almost invariably end up dead ending into nudie pics no matter where I start) or to a local hotspot that seems to draw experts (and wannabes) to cuss and discuss the subject matter.

Any road, I got longwinded (again) and probably didn't really answer the pertinent question. So, I'll shut up except to say for what it's worth, I think you're doing fine. Just keep going as you are.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Hi!

This may be a ridiculous question, but is there a list somewhere of subject matter experts (readers or other writers) who have an expertise in a given field and wouldn't mind lending a hand?

People seem very generous here, so I wouldn't be surprised if something like that already exists.

For example, I know nothing about farming. Maybe there's a woman from Florida who's a frequent reader who owns a large tomato farm and wouldn't mind offering advice if I'm writing something that involves a farmer.

A thread might start up on a specific topic (like Loqui's sailing), but I've never seen (in three years here) such a list. I doubt one would ever exist - why would you sow a seed as to who you are in real life on such a list?

Besides, doesn't Google and a good bullshit filter tell you everything you ever need to know about anything at all?

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

If I do need to know something I haven't experienced I use google. I hate to think what my history looks like on my laptop.

However, typically for solid research on something I, personally, tend to eschew Lit beyond a basic starting point and wander off to "Goggle"

Besides, doesn't Google and a good bullshit filter tell you everything you ever need to know about anything at all?

Yeah, I should probably point out that for my sailing story, I did a lot of research before hand. I read a lot of yacht reviews and spent time on a sailing forum. I get a lot of Google ads for nautical stuff now. But when I was ready for an expert opinion, all I was asking for was someone to read the finished story and tell me if I'd gotten anything wrong. That's a much smaller time commitment than asking for a back-and-forth discussion with a lot of open ended questions.

On the other hand, the thread I started on medical marijuana lasted for several weeks on the General Board.

 

[HisArpy]

Hi!

This may be a ridiculous question, but is there a list somewhere of subject matter experts (readers or other writers) who have an expertise in a given field and wouldn't mind lending a hand?

People seem very generous here, so I wouldn't be surprised if something like that already exists.

For example, I know nothing about farming. Maybe there's a woman from Florida who's a frequent reader who owns a large tomato farm and wouldn't mind offering advice if I'm writing something that involves a farmer.

Best advice is to use Google for basic research and then ask for review and/or clarification. The universe is filled with people who've done all sorts of things. Who knows, someone might have known a friend of his college roommate, who had a sister, who wasn't that good in bed, but actually DID what you're asking about and can give you insights you may not have realized existed. Not that I'd know about my roommates best friend's sister and her sex habits or anything...

 

[Athalia]

If you were looking for a person who is well-acquainted with a subject, I don't think anybody would object if you posted something on this board.

Like: "I want to write something about field hockey, but never played it. If you can help me, please PM me so I can pick your brain."

I've seen cases where a thread was started about a question that a writer had, where several people were able to chime in about their experiences. IMO, that's what the board is for. But if you're asking about something really obscure, like the history of cheese-making in pre-Roman Iberia, you're probably better off Googling it.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Research, research, research the life of an author who wants to get it right/correct. Of course you could just write sci-fi and whatever you say is gospel. No real research needed. Everything you write about happen in a different reality, where different physics occur.

But for most stuff, I like everyone else do some research.

But if you need any of my expertise just ask...

I have been married for forty-five years, yes to the same woman. I have no kids, but she has two. I have been in my short life, a dishwasher, a machine operator, an office clerk, a cop(in the Air Force), a marksmen/sniper(in the Air Force), a student, a computer programmer, a data processing manager, a software engineer, an author, a husband, a step-dad, and a retired person.

Almost forgot...I've been in the hospital four times. Once for a motorcycle accident, once when I was stabbed, twice for heart attacks.

 

[ElectricBlue]

But I you need any of my expertise just ask....

The history of cheese-making in pre-Roman Iberia, any good on that?

 

[Zeb_Carter]

The history of cheese-making in pre-Roman Iberia, any good on that?

Sure, I believe they used goats milk.

 

[Bramblethorn]

A thread might start up on a specific topic (like Loqui's sailing), but I've never seen (in three years here) such a list. I doubt one would ever exist - why would you sow a seed as to who you are in real life on such a list?

This, alas. Also likely to suffer from the same sort of problems as the editors' register: people sign up and then go AWOL, or profess more expertise than they actually have.

 

[Hypoxia]

Tapping into a little expertise is good. Exhibiting too much expertise might be boring. If I'm writing of flight but know nothing of flying, I'll write as if describing an automotive drive, that level of detail. Readers won't need to know much about jumpstart gyroplanes.

Yes, when writing, I research extensively to get things right. But I try not to slog down.

 

[Kojak01]

Hi!

This may be a ridiculous question, but is there a list somewhere of subject matter experts (readers or other writers) who have an expertise in a given field and wouldn't mind lending a hand?

People seem very generous here, so I wouldn't be surprised if something like that already exists.

For example, I know nothing about farming. Maybe there's a woman from Florida who's a frequent reader who owns a large tomato farm and wouldn't mind offering advice if I'm writing something that involves a farmer.

There is an active thread right now where somebody asks for advice on legal questions. So while there is no list, which would be impossible to keep up to date, you can always ask for help. As you noticed yourself, there are many people willing to help others out.

 

[8letters]

I've put at the end of my stories request for help on particular topics. One of those requests was what happens backstage during beauty pageants. I've had a little success that way, but the responses I've gotten have been well after I published the request for help.

 

[PuckIt]

By the by, there is an old sticky over in the HT that did attempt to become "The Big Book of Everything" if you hadn't noticed it in passing. It's a pretty aged thread, but still sees some occasional use even today.

 

[MelissaBaby]

A while back I got email from someone who asked me if I had really been in prison, and that if I had, he'd like to ask me a few questions about it for a story he was working on. I replied that I had, and that I was always willing to be of help to another author. He sent me back a list of questions. They were all about things like shackles; how tight were they, how much could you move your feet, what did it feel like to wear them, etc. I made one sincere attempt at answering him, after which he came back with even more specific questions about being shackled and it was apparent he was into bondage just wanted fapping material.

 

[Athalia]

I made one sincere attempt at answering him, after which he came back with even more specific questions about being shackled and it was apparent he was into bondage just wanted fapping material.

I think I would have told him to gain some direct experience by getting arrested, but ...

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Researching on one's own has been possible since the dawn of libraries, and now, with the net, it's downright easy. Looking for help from an "expert" is just lazy, and generally an insult to the expert.
Find out as much as you can for yourself, then look for an expert to help you with your more informed concerns. You'll find the expert much more interested in helping you then.

 

[oggbashan]

Researching on one's own has been possible since the dawn of libraries, and now, with the net, it's downright easy. Looking for help from an "expert" is just lazy, and generally an insult to the expert.
Find out as much as you can for yourself, then look for an expert to help you with your more informed concerns. You'll find the expert much more interested in helping you then.

I would add that knowing something about a subject already helps you to use search engines effectively. Not everything on line is accurate.

Asking for help can lead to useful information except on some subjects that attract controversial opinions. For example, asking about guns on the General Board might result in more detail than you want or need.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I would add that knowing something about a subject already helps you to use search engines effectively. Not everything on line is accurate.

And that, Ogg, is why you are a master of understatement.

I'm forever telling my son, "Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Most of it's pure unadulterated bollocks that needs a really good bullshit filter." Even this advice follows that advice...

 

[yukonnights]

And that, Ogg, is why you are a master of understatement.

I'm forever telling my son, "Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Most of it's pure unadulterated bollocks that needs a really good bullshit filter." Even this advice follows that advice...

With that one sentence, you have tumbled my tower of self-adulation in my own wisdom! A wisdom founded on my, now shattered belief, that it was all true. I am ruined, I say, ruined....

 

[oggbashan]

And that, Ogg, is why you are a master of understatement.

I'm forever telling my son, "Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Most of it's pure unadulterated bollocks that needs a really good bullshit filter." Even this advice follows that advice...

After decades of eclectic reading and acquiring a wide general knowledge my personal internet filter is good enough to survive on the General Board,

 

[Hypoxia]

Prof Irwin Corey has passed. Regrets.

 

[NotWise]

A while back I got email from someone who asked me if I had really been in prison, and that if I had, he'd like to ask me a few questions about it for a story he was working on. I replied that I had, and that I was always willing to be of help to another author. He sent me back a list of questions. They were all about things like shackles; how tight were they, how much could you move your feet, what did it feel like to wear them, etc. I made one sincere attempt at answering him, after which he came back with even more specific questions about being shackled and it was apparent he was into bondage just wanted fapping material.

Lot's of stuff like that can be googled effectively. I needed to know about cuff marks for my most recent story, and I got photos, official guidance, medical opinions, and legal opinions. It gave me pretty much what I needed.

So, if anyone wants an informed opinion about environmental regulations regarding water--especially ground water--in the southwest US, then drop me a PM. I'll tell you to rewrite your story to avoid boring details.

I could have used an expert on sexual practices among courtesans in 16th century Spain for one of my recent stories. I made do with Wikipedia, inference, and avoidance. I doubt there are any experts in the field.