J is for Journalistic Tendencies

When I was in high school I took a "J" is for Journalism class because I thought it would be an easy 'A'.  I actually wanted to learn photography, but my family didn't have the money for a good camera.  The first day of journalism class my teacher announced that he needed a photographer and that whoever volunteered, would get to use the school's brand new telephoto lens camera.  I nearly wet my pants with anticipation.  For some reason, no one wanted to do it...the better for me, right? Uh, no.

You see, the photographer also had to develop the film in the school's darkroom, which was only available after school...and after a long and boring informative lesson on dark room procedure and etiquette from the Year Book Club's advisor. ARGH!  What I learned from that experience, besides how to NOT get Orbit Solution in my eyes, is that nothing worth while is easy.  I wanted to learn photography...I did. But, at price *sigh* in my case, it was hang-out time after school with my friends.

What I am getting at is that a lot of the Journalistic Tendencies that I picked-up during my year as a student of the newspaper business have stuck with me.  The one practice that serves me to this day, besides not volunteering for things without knowing the whole deal, is RESEARCH is important. Especially to the writer. Now, those of you who know me personally, you realize how serious I am about research. I've taken gun classes so my heroine doesn't shoot like...well, like a girl. I've studied Private Investigation so I don't sound like a doofus when describing how my main character tracks down a "Skip-Trace"...had to throw in some P.I. jargon there.

 

Taking classes isn't the only way to get a real understanding of a give subject. The Librarian is your friend, people, use her as a resource. She can point you to archives, building plans, technical journals, even old-timey guys that come in regularly and have the time to sit around while you pick their brain (by the way, thanks Harold!). They'll thank you for it. Librarians have so much knowledge and most people either ignore them or use them as handy alphabetizers.

Another great resource is the internet. There are a number of sites created especially for research and the writer.  The Writer's Edge has a great compilation of sites like the Library of Congress and National Press Club Resources, both places cater to the professional. And they're FREE. One of my favorite sites is Writer's Free Reference. There are useful things like currency converters, time-zone clocks, and a 1-800 directory.

Nothing throws readers out of the story more often than that jarring realization that something is off.  Its worth the effort to double-check. I'd love to know of an instance where this happened to you. Either while reading or watching a movie. To start things off I will let you in on one of mine...The internet is not magic and hackers cannot blow up natural gas stations by typing on a keyboard and "re-routing" the lines.  Not pointing any fingers *cough* Mr. Die Harder...I'm just sayin'.

Coming up: I will be hosting the Primal Scream Blogfest - Your most heart-pumping scene, May 5th...sign-ups today on the sidebar.
Until next time...Go Write!

Photograph by katerha, Uploaded on January 9, 2010. Photograph by L. Marie, Uploaded on December 24, 2006.