Working out how to get from Poitiers in France to my son’s graduation in Nottingham, I found myself treading a familiar research path. I’d always been able to dig info and knowledge out of the corners they were lurking in, but these abilities were honed into concrete skills when I was studying for my MA in history.
First, specify what you are looking for, i.e. set your parameters. This helps you drifting off into attractive, but distractive, places. If you find you are wandering off, make a note for another day, shut the door on it and swing your attention back to your prime task.
Secondly, do a general sweep of possible places to look and eliminate the areas that are completely unattainable/irrelevant. This focuses the search.
Thirdly, dig around for basic level info. You can use the much-maligned, but now much-improved, Wikipedia. Before you sneer, it can be a useful jumping-off place. Good articles also have a bibliography, references and further works to read. Have a look at sites like Amazon, the Book Depository, and your county library catalogues. Try also Googling a succinct expression – you’d be surprised what you get!
Fourthly, now you have narrowed down what you are looking for, go for the specialist websites, blogs and archives. You might have to start shelling out fees at this stage. Good ones will mention books, events, organisations to contact. And then set aside days to visit specialist libraries and archives – it’s always worth it!
And a last word on that – prepare your visit. Each time I went to the British Library (You have to join as a Reader beforehand), I ordered the books I wanted. This saved a lot of frustration, and meant I could get right down to work as soon as I arrived. Make an appointment with a named person when visiting foundations, universities, the BBC or big companies. Almost without exception they were wonderfully helpful.
Do let me know if you have any research trade secrets…
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On 26 May, we waved good-bye to the removal van, stuffed the poor cat into his travel cage and headed for the Tunnel. Nothing desperately exciting happened on the way, but we stumbled into the house on arrival, did the minimum and didn’t emerge until the following day.
The removal van arrives here in two days’ time, but I’m awarding myself half a day to catch up on my blogs and do some writing. 🙂
A bientôt!
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Although I’m working hard on my third novel (in between packing boxes!), and I think it’s important to focus on your main work, I’ve found it useful to tackle other, smaller projects. It stops you getting fixated, helps you draw breath mentally and makes you use different writing muscles in your head. You use different style, voice, vocabulary and register. I find the general effect is to refresh my writing as well as my dedication.
I recently sent off an article about why I love my bit of France for the French Magazine, a lifestyle mag, and also completed a diary for the Mass Observation Archive for 12 March. Two completely different styles from my romantic adventure novels and, almost as important, from each other.
As a side note, I used the MassObs Archive when I was researching material for my MA, so I was more than happy to contribute something in return.
Happy diversification!
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I went along to the RNA Summer Party held at the library of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Birdcage Walk, in London. The weather has been dreadful; thankfully it was a sunny, but still blooming chilly, evening.
As at the lunch in March, the atmosphere was genial, friendly and lively; the sound of chinking glasses, good conversation and laughter flowed through the room.
We duly toasted the this year’s winner of the Joan Hessayson Award – for a published novel through the New Writer Scheme – Lucy King, in absentia; she was about to give birth, which we conceded was a reasonable excuse for not being there in person.
It was fun to meet people again, especially fellow Twitterers/Tweeters, to strengthen friendships and make new ones.
Roll on the conference…!
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Confession time. 
I wrote my last two blog posts on 26 April, posted one straight away and scheduled the last one (with chocolate!) for three days later. Many bloggers do this so that when they put fingers to keyboard and inspiration flows from brain down arms and into fingertips, they don’t end up flooding the blog with a load of new musings in one hit.
But on 28 April, a massive event intervened which slammed all blog writing against the end-stops. We exchanged contracts on our house. After a trail of buyers with broken chains, we achieved sale of our lovely house with buyer number seven. Numbed doesn’t describe it. We were shocked into total inactivity to have arrived at this point. At last.
Recovering, we unearthed the long lists and big spreadsheets and the magnum opus of address changing, chucking stuff out and packing started.
I’ve tinkered with my work in progress (draft of third book) and sent off another submission to an agent for my first, read and commented on a few blogs and Twittered, but I haven’t been able to lock myself away all day and write. I am experiencing appalling withdrawal symptoms…
So apologies today to my readers for the gap and future apologies for future gaps in the next few weeks.
Must try harder…
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