In response to yesterday’s blog post (Historical Research Q&A), someone asked me the following:

Q: I’m wondering how to best organize and keep track of my research. I could do it by putting everything in computer folders, say one for each location. Then, I’ll need a plot and subplot folder, one for laws of the period, a character folder…it goes on. How do you keep it all organized and accessible? Of course I am documenting my sources so I can find them again. So I guess my question is more about how to manage what I find. I want the information at my fingertips, but don’t want to write an elaborate index.

This is a toughie, but I think I’ve got it licked. How best to do it might depend upon the size of your project. Someone has suggested using Microsoft OneNote or similar program. This is probably a good suggestion, especially if the project is fairly modest in size. However, my research methods predate Microsoft OneNote, so I’m afraid I might be a bit antiquated in my methods. Antiquated or not, I’ve developed a method in which I can keep years of notes organized and accessible at a moment’s notice, using WORD, or a similar program.

When I first receive material, let’s say THE CIVIL WAR by Geoffrey Ward, I start by entering it into my Bibliography (Bib), the first document I will create. Every subsequent work I study goes into the Bib. This way I never lose track of what I’ve read, and my Bib will be comprehensive and ready to send to an editor if they ask for it. I include websites, journal articles, newspaper articles, etc., in my Bib. Once I’ve recorded THE CIVIL WAR book in my Bib, I start reading.

When I find some tidbit I want to keep, for example, info on the Battle of Port Hudson, I create a WORD document called “Port Hudson.” I’ll file this document under a more general folder I’ve created called, “CIVIL WAR.” In the Port Hudson document I then notate my source plus the corresponding page number. If it’s a small paragraph of info, I’ll just type it into the document. Better yet, my computer has speech recognition software, so I just read the paragraph and let my computer do the work. When finished my Port Hudson document will look something like this:

CIVIL WAR (Ward) 137: The battle of Port Hudson was one of the major  . . . blah blah blah.

Then, as I read on, whenever I run across additional information on Port Hudson, I’ll add it to the Port Hudson document. This is true even as I move on to other sources. All Port Hudson material, regardless of source, will end up in that document.

If the document starts to get cumbersome– now, let’s say, it’s 20 pages long– I might further divide it into subdocuments, organized under a new folder called Port Hudson (a subfolder of the CIVIL WAR main folder). In this case, examples of sub-document titles might be: General Dwight, Day of Surrender, Daily Life, Siege, Rations, and so on.

A year later when I need information on what my character might eat at the battle at Port Hudson, I open my Civil War/Port Hudson/Rations document, and there is all the information I want, with all the various sources documented, including page numbers in case I ever need to go back and reread something. When you organize in this way, years of research can literally be at your fingertips in SECONDS.

When you first start researching you might be a little hazy as to how to organize and what to name your folders. Not to worry– just do the best you can, knowing that as you go along you can further refine your folders and documents.

Sometimes there are entire chapters (or more) of a source that I want to keep on hand. Rather than dictate twenty pages into my computer, I’ll do one of three things: 1) Depending on how important the source is and how much I think I’ll use it in the future, I may purchase the material. In my WORD document I will then notate something like the following: “CIVIL WAR (Ward) — see pages 148-172 for detailed info on the siege at Port Hudson”; 2) If the source is online at www.questia.com, I can bookmark anything I want and simply notate the bookmark in my WORD document; 3) I’ll photocopy the needed chapter(s) and store them in a 3-ring binder. On the spine of the binder I’ll write a shorthand note as to what is in the notebook. (I might have multiple sources in one notebook.) Then I’ll make a corresponding note in my Port Hudson document as to where to find the information, etc., and what the information is regarding. Again, regardless of which option I choose, the information is available to me within seconds.

To answer your question regarding character and plot folders, yes, you’re right on. I have folders called “Plot” and “Characters” and even “Storage” with all of my discarded drafts further divided into chapters for easy retrieval. Organize your folders in whatever way makes sense to you. As far as elaborate indexes, I don’t use an index at all — my folders are organized intuitively. In other words, I’m not going to look for information on the battle of Port Hudson under a folder titled “Religion,” but will head for the “Civil War” folder instead.

Hope that helps! If anyone else out there has another method that has worked for them, I’m all ears. Happy researching!

As a writer of historical novels, I must conduct a lot of research. Over the years, I’ve become quite adept at finding what I need and separating the wheat from the chaff. Recently, I was asked some in-depth questions by a colleague regarding historical research. As they were common questions, I thought I’d share the Q&A  for those of you who also struggle with research. Hopefully it will be helpful. If you still have questions, post them to me here and I’ll try to answer as best I can.

Remember, these are only my opinions. Have your grain of salt handy.

Q: My main question is what do you do when reliable sources disagree?

A: First of all, make certain that they ARE reliable sources. Are they experts in their field? Is it current scholarship? (Scholarship is much more objective than it used to be, with even more resources available to draw upon.) Is it a primary source? If two or more reliable sources disagree, and if you can’t find any kind of agreement out there as to who is right, then you can feel free to make your own decision as it suits your novel. If it’s a super-important part of the novel, then you might want to explain your reasoning in the author’s note in the back. For example, in a novel about Marie Antoinette, Sena Jeter Naslund explained in her author’s note that Marie never said “Let them eat cake.” To back up her claim, she quoted Antonia Fraser, a highly respected scholar. I am sure, however, that Ms. Naslund found many nonfiction books that attributed Marie with the “Let them eat cake” statement. — This is why it’s critical to be sure they are reliable sources.

Q: I’m digging around in the 16th century, and nobody agrees about anything. The date of my heroine’s birth and the name of the first man she married are both debatable and that’s just for starters. I’ve been choosing the facts I like best for my purposes. Is that okay in historical fiction? Seems like that’s what other people do. Is it okay to use a fact that is less than likely in the eyes of most historians if it is at least plausible in some way and helps the story?

A: Much of this is about using your good sense. If it’s something critical to the era, for example — horses didn’t exist on the continent back then, then for goodness’ sake, don’t have a horse on the continent, otherwise it’s a gross error. But if it’s about whether there was a bakery or not on Main Street in Boston in 1712, then by all means, put a bakery on Main Street if that’s what you want. Don’t get too hemmed in by historical precision, and yet at the same time, you must make certain that your story is accurate. Does that make sense? It really is a line you have to walk.

I often find it handy to make up fictional towns, schools, and so on, yet set them in a “real” setting. For instance, one of my novels originally took place in St. Francisville, Louisiana (a real town). I meticulously researched the town and its environs. However, I kept running up against the old, “We never did it that way.” So I erased St. Francisville and created St. Marysville. Everything is exactly the same; same parish, same neighboring towns– all historically accurate– but the town itself is fictional. I got the monkey off my back that way. (The historian in St. Francisville was convinced they never celebrated July 4th until the mid 1980s, whereas I found a published diary dating back into the 1840s in which the author wrote entries that included picnics and speeches on July 4th, with everyone in town coming together to celebrate! I believe the historian was projecting the town’s more recent anti-Union attitude back into history. Since all this was giving me a headache, I erased St. Francisville off the map. In my author’s note, St. Marysville will be BASED on St. Francisville, but only that. It makes life so much easier! It’s also a common fiction technique; Faulkner did the same thing by creating a fictional parish in Louisiana.)

As far as birth dates, it would depend on who you are talking about. If you’re writing a novel about a famous person who really lived, Jesse James for instance, then his birthdate needs to be accurate, or you need to explain in the author’s note why you changed it . . . But if it’s a novel about a not-so-famous person, don’t sweat the small stuff. Pick what you like, have her marry whom you want, and move on. Author’s notes are great for explaining all of your indulgences on the side of fiction.

As far as something being less than likely in the eyes of most historians, again this is very subjective. It depends on WHAT is less likely. I prefer to err on the side of historical accuracy. For instance, I would not have had St. Marysville celebrate July 4th in 1843, UNLESS I had that diary telling me that that’s exactly what they did. I would have instead created some other reason for the town to get together to orate and celebrate.

Also, In my acknowledgements page in the front of my historical nautical novels, I start by thanking everyone who helped me with the novel, and conclude with: “If there are any remaining errors, whether nautical or otherwise, they remain my responsibility alone, as to write a story of this nature it is often necessary to perform a balancing act between ‘fact’ and ‘fiction.’” Then in the author’s note I go into greater detail about what is fact, and what is fiction in the novel, to help my readers understand.

Q: Do you use other online libraries besides www.questia.com & google books?

A: NONE — Not that they’re not out there, but that’s all I’ve needed, plus my regular libraries. I belong to the King County Library System, Pierce County LS, Timberland LS, Tacoma LS, and the University of Washington Libraries as an alumni. (Almost all universities open their libraries to the general public — although you will pay about $50 per year for the privilege. University libraries are invaluable for their scholarly resources.) Also, I am able to request interlibrary loans through any of these library systems. Such loans have included transcripts of pirate trials, logs of whaling ship captains, and other hard to find primary source material.

Q: Do you think it is best to do almost all your research before you start writing? I have drafted 1/3rd of book and now seem to need a whole new layer of understanding and facts. I am trying to keep writing and yet continue to research as I go.

A: No, I don’t. I do quite a bit of research, though, before starting to write. From my research I get ideas for plot — what could or couldn’t plausibly happen. I keep my plot ideas all together and slowly as I continue to research, a story starts to take shape. I continue to refine, and when I have my plot together, and my first few chapters completely researched, I start writing. I’ll then keep researching throughout the writing process, trying to keep a little ahead of myself. For instance, if I know my characters are going to the theater in New Orleans in three chapters, then I’d better start accumulating all of my materials prior to actually needing them, as it takes time for all the materials to arrive.

Also, I find it pretty impossible to research and remember all the details for an entire novel before I start writing. For instance, the Civil War takes place in one of my adult books, about 3/4 of the way through. Rather than research soldiers’ uniforms, firearms, drills, etc., I’ll do overall research first. This way I know where my characters will be, where the battles are, and what part they will play as it all unfolds. Then I put away the Civil War stuff, write the rest of the novel, and only come back to do Civil War research when the war is imminent.

Q: Do you use much internet info–is it as reliable as regularly published scholarship? Some of it seems to be.

A: Again, it depends. I’ll use scholarly material on the Internet, if it is available. I’ll read journal articles, and so on. For my ground work research, I want scholarship and primary sources to inform me. However, there are times when other types of Internet information is really helpful. For example, rather than reading about sea shanties, I can go to a website where they sing them. Rather than reading about dances in the 1800s, I can watch people dance a Virginia reel. Today I researched domestic violence in Washington State, and learned through lawyers’ forums that there are four levels of assault: 1st through 4th degree, and their definitions. I learned about prior convictions and sentencing, jail versus prison, early release for good behavior, and so on. All from the Internet. This would have tough stuff to find in a regular library. Again, just use your common sense. . . . Don’t accept anyone’s word for it that Marie Antoinette never said “Let them eat cake!” unless they are a scholar or an expert in the field.

For the skinny on how I keep my research organized, click here.

Not long ago, I gave some tried and true tips on how to find a top agent (See Finding That Top Agent, Part I). I hope that in the interim you’ve done some research and now have a sizeable list of some quality agents you’d like to approach. Now for part II. Call it what you will — the spiel, the pitch, whatever . . . now is the time to send your beloved manuscript to an agent and pray that magic happens.

Ours is a competitive business, perhaps one of the most competitive in the world. Agents are deluged with manuscript submissions on a daily basis. Even if they went ga-ga over, say, a measly one manuscript per week, it wouldn’t take long before they would be bursting at the seams with client overload. Therefore, agents must be extremely selective, and pick only the very best. This is especially true if you’re dealing with the top agents in the industry. You have only one chance with each agent, so it is important that you understand manuscript submission from the get-go so you can increase your chances of rising to the top of the slush pile. (FYI — A “slush pile” is the pile of unsolicited manuscripts that festers and multiplies in an agent/editor’s office, rather like wet socks in the laundry hamper.)

THE DO’S OF MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION:

1. Submit only your very best material. If it’s not publishable, if you know it could be better, or if you’re just hoping for a critique or a miracle, then the rest of these Do’s and Don’ts are irrelevant. Stop right here, do not pass GO, join a critique group, and rewrite your manuscript.

2. Make certain your manuscript is formatted correctly. (Click here for a manuscript format guide.) Make certain it is error free. FYI – It is NOT okay to submit materials with spelling and grammatical errors, no matter what you may have heard elsewhere.

3. Follow the agent’s guidelines. You can usually find guidelines in the GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS book, or on an agent’s website. If an agent says, “Query only,” then don’t even THINK of sending sample chapters. If an agent says, “Query plus three sample chapters,” then hop to it. (That said, if an agent does want sample chapters, also include a one-page synopsis. It goes with the territory.) If an agent accepts email queries, then go ahead and email them, otherwise stick with snail-mail.

4. Write a compelling query letter. (Click here for an example. This was the query that eventually landed me my agent. Names & addresses were changed to protect the innocent. For detailed information on query writing, I recommend the book: “How to Write Attention-Grabbing Query & Cover Letters” by John Wood, published by Writer’s Digest Books.)

• Correctly spell the agent’s name.
• Pitch your project in a way that makes the agent want to read more. Don’t go on and on, instead make it short and powerful. Think of it like the blurb on dust jackets.
• Tailor the submission for each agent by telling them why you are querying them. Is it because they represented a similar novel? If so, which one? Is it because you heard them speak on a podcast, and you like their philosophy? Besides your sparkling, error-free writing, tailoring your submission is probably the most important aspect of your spiel. It shows you’ve done your homework. Immediately, agents sit up and take notice. Compare this to the “shotgun” approach, which is one-size-fits-all, and is sent to 100, 200, 300 agents at once, a tactic which agents hate.
• Mention any referrals, contacts, or personal connections.
• Let them know it is a simultaneous submission.
• Say thank you. An agent once called me regarding my submission. We chatted for a while, after which he requested a full manuscript. While he ultimately didn’t choose to represent me, he nevertheless invested a considerable amount of time, reading my manuscript, plus emailing and calling me multiple times. After I finished wringing my heart out, and in seeking to cultivate professional relationships, I sent a thank you card. Even if you don’t send thank you cards to every agent (which would be totally overboard and a nuisance to all), a simple thank you in your query letter goes a long way.

5. Send out simultaneous submissions to no more ten agents at one time.

6. Enclose a SASE (self-addressed-stamped-envelope).

7. Keep track of your submissions, by date sent, to whom, what you sent (ie – query + 3 chapters + synopsis), and expected response time.

8. If and when you receive a rejection, cross them off the list (note their reasons for turning down your project), and send your project to the next agent on your list.

9. Always present yourself and your projects professionally.

10. Be prompt. If an agent asks for a partial, for example, the first fifty pages, or (Heavens Be Praised!) the entire manuscript, promptly send out the requested material. Write “requested material” on the outer envelope.

11. Follow-up. If an agent has not responded within their specified time frame, wait an additional four weeks, then send a polite follow-up letter. If after another six weeks you have not heard anything, you may call to inquire, you may send another follow-up letter, or you can withdraw your manuscript from consideration by so stating. Regardless, always conduct yourself professionally.

THE DON’TS OF MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION:

1. Don’t say your manuscript is the best ever, the next Harry Potter, the next Gone With the Wind, that it will make them millions, or that your grandmother loved it. This marks you as a rank amateur.

2. Don’t use gimmicks. No ladybug stickers, no scented stationery, no confetti, no nothing except 8.5″ X 11″ white paper with error-free words printed in 12-font black ink (computer or typewriter generated), stuffed in a no-frills envelop, with SASE. (Even so, your paper and envelopes should be clean, unwrinkled, in order, and looking very, very spiffy indeed.)

3. Don’t keep sending your manuscript back to the same agent, unless she’s invited you to send a rewrite. Remember, you have just ONE chance with each agent.

4. Don’t act unprofessionally. The publishing community is fairly small, and word travels fast. Don’t burn any bridges that you will later regret.

5. Don’t submit to multiple agents at the same agency.

6. Don’t lose heart! Rejection is an integral part of the business, even for seasoned professionals. Evaluating manuscripts is subjective; what one agent loves, another may hate. So keep your chin up, and keep trying.

Once again, I wish you luck!

Writing must be the loneliest occupation on the planet. Okay, maybe working in the space station is lonelier, or captaining a sailboat after all your crew has drowned, but it’s got to rank up there somewhere. Just you and the computer . . . just you and (gulp) the blank page. . . . We writers don’t get out much. And when we do, it’s often frantic– booksignings, school visits, speaking engagements, and the like, where we blink like moles in the sun and afterwards climb back into our holes more exhausted than when we left.

Enter writers’ retreats. A place (usually somewhat remote) where writers gather together to cheer, inspire, and laugh (okay, okay — occasionally to moan, complain, and go comotose). A place where they can be with others who well know the torture of staring at a blank page for three hours straight, the quiet desperation when opening that 537th rejection slip, who are masters of procrastination, and who, most of all, can create in rich, magnificent splendor.

I spent last Thursday through Sunday at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Fall Retreat in Silver Falls, Oregon. Nestled in the foothills of the Cascades, Silver Falls is a wonderland of old growth forest, hiking paths, cabins and meeting halls, and, of course, delicious, abundant food. I try to make it an annual event, and am always delighted to see old friends and make new ones. Whether someone’s published or not quickly becomes irrelevant, as relationships are forged and people group together to attend workshops, encouraging one another in what can be a brutal, dog-eat-dog profession. I’m proud to be one of the Silver Falls Folk. During the retreat, I recharge my depleted literary batteries. I return to my desk with sleeves rolled up, full steam ahead, damn the torpedoes. I need that. Truly, truly. Thanks to all my fellow Silver Falls Folk for your wonderful companionship, your warmth and enthusiasm. Until we meet again!

Feeling low? Recharge your literary batteries at one of these writer’s retreats (only a few of the many retreats that are out there!):

SCBWI Writer’s Retreat at Silver Falls, Oregon

Weekend on the Water– SCBWI Washington

Kittridge Retreat at Green Gulch Farm– SCBWI California

Writer’s Retreat at Hummingbird Music Camp — SCBWI New Mexico

Whispering Pines Retreat — SCBWI New England

Spring Retreat — SCBWI Orange County, CA

Children’s Writers Summer Retreat — SCBWI Rocky Mountain Chapter, CO (.pdf)

RopeWalk Writers Retreat — Open to all genres and audiences, New Harmony, IN

Scribblers’ Retreat Writers’ Conference– Various genres, St. Simon’s Island, Georgia

Wellspring House — Ashfield, MA (no program, just a quiet place, inexpensive retreat home where you can write, write, write)

(NOTE: Most of these webpages list their 2009 retreat information. Contact them directly for information on 2010.)