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Coyote Con: Alternative Researching
May. 14th, 2010 09:51 pmFinding Experts
[MeredithHolmes] 8:29 pm: You're so right in never knowing where your
experts are. I've found a community on Live Journal called little_details and
it's amazing what kind of info you can find by posting a question there. It's
for writers (mostly) and really helpful. All answered by community members
and, if they don't know the details, they direct you to someone who does.
(paraphrased) If you feel awkward asking a professional your questions--just ask them if it's okay to ask questions. Maybe ask if buying them dinner would be an acceptable recompense.
[My $.02: Speaking of finding experts--I have a lousy memory so I
find it really useful to keep track of them! I recommend keeping an experts file
with contact info, context you know them in (so that you can remind them if
necessary) and specialization: friends, relatives, friends' relatives, people you
had a good conversation with once or attended a presentation by--everyt
hing. Also, I'm going to plug http://www.vark.com (again) You basically IM in
your question and it "finds" people in the network that it thinks can answer it. You might have to fiddle with your terms a little, but I've had good luck finding very specialized knowledge
(like what Russian Orthodox services would have been in the 17th century). ]
The usefulness of wrong information
nalohopkinson] 8:31 pm: Wikipedia; as you all probably know, it's
probably a good idea to double-check information you find on
Wikipedia.
[nalohopkinson] 8:32 pm: Thing is...
[nalohopkinson] 8:33 pm: even if you find that the "information" you've
discovered is incorrect, consider whether you actually need the facts in
that case, or whether the fiction can provide you with an interesting
plot point.
[nalohopkinson] 8:34 pm: Sometimes you absolutely need the correct
information. But sometimes the fanciful version can be a gift to an
sf/f/h writer.
Daily life--sources from the time period
[crneil] 8:41 pm: If you're working on daily life in the early part of the 20th
century of America or England, especially with what can be called the "gentle
folk," early etiquette manuals are terrific for finding out how daily life was
conducted and what people aspired to.
[nalohopkinson] 8:43 pm: If you want to know what people wore and
how it was constructed, old sewing manuals are great. The good thing
about looking up sources like old etiquette books and old magazines is
that you get a sense of how people spoke.
[MeredithHolmes] 8:29 pm: You're so right in never knowing where your
experts are. I've found a community on Live Journal called little_details and
it's amazing what kind of info you can find by posting a question there. It's
for writers (mostly) and really helpful. All answered by community members
and, if they don't know the details, they direct you to someone who does.
(paraphrased) If you feel awkward asking a professional your questions--just ask them if it's okay to ask questions. Maybe ask if buying them dinner would be an acceptable recompense.
[My $.02: Speaking of finding experts--I have a lousy memory so I
find it really useful to keep track of them! I recommend keeping an experts file
with contact info, context you know them in (so that you can remind them if
necessary) and specialization: friends, relatives, friends' relatives, people you
had a good conversation with once or attended a presentation by--everyt
hing. Also, I'm going to plug http://www.vark.com (again) You basically IM in
your question and it "finds" people in the network that it thinks can answer it. You might have to fiddle with your terms a little, but I've had good luck finding very specialized knowledge
(like what Russian Orthodox services would have been in the 17th century). ]
The usefulness of wrong information
nalohopkinson] 8:31 pm: Wikipedia; as you all probably know, it's
probably a good idea to double-check information you find on
Wikipedia.
[nalohopkinson] 8:32 pm: Thing is...
[nalohopkinson] 8:33 pm: even if you find that the "information" you've
discovered is incorrect, consider whether you actually need the facts in
that case, or whether the fiction can provide you with an interesting
plot point.
[nalohopkinson] 8:34 pm: Sometimes you absolutely need the correct
information. But sometimes the fanciful version can be a gift to an
sf/f/h writer.
Daily life--sources from the time period
[crneil] 8:41 pm: If you're working on daily life in the early part of the 20th
century of America or England, especially with what can be called the "gentle
folk," early etiquette manuals are terrific for finding out how daily life was
conducted and what people aspired to.
[nalohopkinson] 8:43 pm: If you want to know what people wore and
how it was constructed, old sewing manuals are great. The good thing
about looking up sources like old etiquette books and old magazines is
that you get a sense of how people spoke.