Hello Everyone,
I recently started this blog and am happy to know about blogfests. I am loving them all. You know about anymore blogfest??? Please do let me know about them.
This blogfest is about putting up a post on your blog about about something you need help with on your writing. Well, I think I can write a complete sequel of posts about where all I need help. I am new to writing and require lot of help. Mostly because I am still apprehensive about my writing.Help needed in following areas:
- My first work is Military Fiction in nature. I don't know where to research for the same about military people and their style. I am just reading other military fiction books and am depending on them and am depending heavily on "Future Weapons" program on Discovery channel for info related to weapons. I seriously want to know a lot more about military people, because military fiction is not just about weapons. It is about people like me and you who are ready to attend call of duty.
- Second area is, I identify myself with everyone of the characters in my story or associate them with someone whom I know. So the characters are all confused just like me and you all the time about something or the other. I seriously want to stick my guns about the characters and make them what I decide and not what I observe. You can have a demo of what I am saying here
So please tell me, where to research for military based characters.
With Warm Regards
AllMyPosts
12 comments:
I'm sorry to say I have no idea where you'd do that kind of research, except that if you are at a university there's bound to be something available in your uni's databases - I would ask at the library. You may be able to get help at a public library but mostly I would rely on academic librarians for this.
If you're not a student though you probably won't be able to access anything.
One option for you to consider is Google Scholar, for searching for articles about this topic. Yes, it's Google, but it's also Google Scholar, and has some good content.
Abhishek, I just graduated with a master's in creative writing--fiction--and you must read fiction in the genre as a component of the degree. So, by reading other military fiction is the best place to start. As far as delineating your characters, one thing I use is the Enneagram, which helps you assign an essential personality trait to your characters so they don't all sound the same--that's what makes fiction interesting after all. I have more info on the Enneagram on my blog if you want to check it out.
Well Ms. Trisha,
I am not a student and don't have access to good library. Can't afford to be exact. Thanks for your advise Trisha. Will look into Google Scholar.
I dunno anything about it till date!!! Blimey!!!
with warm regards
Well Ms. Gale Martin,
Thanks for dropping by. I don't even know what Enneagram is. I never heard of it. Gonna check out about it on your blog for sure!!
Thanks a lot
Hmm. Maybe consult a military historian? John Keegan comes to mind. He is a great writer; his books are very readable and you could probably get a lot of information from them. I think he wrote one on the history of warfare. I am currently reading one he has written on different leadership tactics. It's very enjoyable.
Hope this helps!
~ Bess
Thanks Ms. Bess Weatherby,
I shall read Mr. John Keegan books. I never heard of him till date. I shall surely try it out.
with warm regards
For research, Google is your friend! Obviously not everything you find on there will be reliable, but there would be plenty of websites out there with lots of good information on them. Maybe you could try finding a blogger who writes about military type things and send them some questions?
I'm sorry to say I have no idea, google? :(
Try seeing if there is anything in your local library, maybe ask them if they could recommend books?
Wow,
I literally didn't know that people out there (read you all) would be so helpful! Thanks a lot everyone!!
Ms. Sari Webb and Ms. Luna (projectfraeya) thanks a lot for your suggestions.
with warm regards
AllMyposts
I'm no expert on Military facts either, but even if its not always a credible source, I check some pertinent articles on Wikipedia and if I find something that whets my whistle I can do more a more tailored web search. But, yes, I agree with Gale, reading military fiction is the best place to start. I will help you get an idea of how to blend the facts in with the story.
As far as crafting characters go, my method starts out by taking a "key trait" and then building a character around that trait.For example, if I have a character who is free-thinking they're not about to take the time to dream up a calculated course of action- they'll just follow they're heart/gut. Or a very practical character might have a very simple wardrobe, since he doesn't care for all the fuss and frills. I hope that makes sense, but if you're interested I made a post about this topic on my blog a while back:
http://lindzpagel.blogspot.com/2011/01/pouring-yourself-into-pages-finding.html
That's so nice of you Ms. Pagel.
I will check out your blog and the links in that post for sure!! Bless you for the kind words "I will help you get an idea ... "
The major problem with my characters is "They all tend to be like me only"
Thanks a lot!!
Just give your characters time, that's my advice. A lot of characters develop your own personalities as you spend more time writing with them.
As for research, I'm not too sure. The internet is the only resource I can really suggest! But good luck with the research!
Post a Comment