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Research in Writing: Read and Travel

July 19, 2017 by Jim Potter Leave a Comment

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(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.)


 

·  Read and Travel  ·

Grand Coulee Dam, Washington

If you write fiction, have you created a place for your characters to hang out?

Writing is a combination of reading, travel, and imagination. Research and fact-checking are crucial.

If you’ve used a travel guide or app, then your readers depend on you, the writer, to be accurate with locations and recommendations.

If you write non-fiction, then consider the impact on others if they follow your advice about exotic tours, five-star restaurants, and comfortable lodging.

Writers have their preferences. You may wish to immerse yourself in a topic before writing your first word, or you may be the type who gushes pages of print before feeling the need to research your own script.

In my novel, Taking Back the Bullet, there’s a bank robbery by a person with schizoaffective disorder, but so far I haven’t robbed a bank or had a mental illness. My other main characters include a cop who is obese, American Indians from the Colville Confederated Tribes Reservation in Washington, a young girl with albinism (and stories of other girls with albinism living in Panama and Tanzania), and a military veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq.

Nespelem is part of the back story in my novel, Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery

Out of the colorful crew I created, some required considerable research before I could feel comfortable in their skin. For me, an ex-cop, it required less research to write about a bank robbery and it’s investigation than it did to comprehend the time and setting of the San Blas Islands, Panama, during the mid-twentieth century.

I write about the Kagera Region in Tanzania, but I’ve never traveled to Africa. However, I did spend a summer living in Guatemala, C.A. That exposure gave me valuable experience of living outside my culture, an asset when writing about the emotional journey of self-discovery.

I’m also not American Indian (no, I do not claim Cherokee Indian blood from a long-lost great-grandmother who was an Indian princess), but I’ve visited the grave of Nez Perce Chief Joseph on the Colville Reservation in Nespelem, WA; I’ve felt the mist on my face from the Grand Coulee Dam, and I’ve met good and grateful people in the Indian nation.

Chief Joseph, Nez Perce Indian, is buried in Nespelem, WA

I know I have a real story once my characters can converse. At that point, I feel like all I need to do is to stay out of their way; I’m the transcriber listening to dialogue.

“Joe,” Carl said, “I enjoy my visits, but I always forget how everything is so close together here. How do you do it? Don’t you miss the open space?”

“We still have the open sky. They can’t take that away,” replied Joe. “But hey, we don’t drive horse trailers to go shopping.”

Those very brief comments from two friends, give the reader a sense that the two go way back and have a variety of shared experiences. They’re American Indians: Joe Morningcloud, living in Prairie Grove, Kansas; and lifelong buddy and reservation resident, Carl Warrior.

Have you traveled in order to research a setting for your writing? Have you met someone who was larger-than-life and who became a character in your story? If so, and you’re willing to share, I’d like to hear from you.

Until next time, happy reading and writing!

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Karleen Wilson-Moon

Terrific story relevant to today’s social issues . . . well written . . . likable characters . . . insightful perspective from an insider in law enforcement.

Larry Kruckman, anthropologist

Jim Potter displays ethnographic skills in Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, creating vivid scenes and fascinating characters. The Greeks had a word for subcultures and people’s behavior: ‘ethos,’ or ‘ways of being.’ In colorful, sometimes marvelous detail, this novel captures various people and settings . . . the ethos of rural Kansas: a… Read more “Larry Kruckman, anthropologist”

Steve Becker

I’m impressed. It was an excellent read. . . . I hope you continue with more projects in the future.

Morgan Penner

Taking Back the Bullet is a novel that provides the reader with a window into the world of law enforcement. As the novel unfolds, the reader is able to see how split-second decisions alter the lives of the main characters in the story. Taking Back the Bullet also explores how humanity is impacted by mental… Read more “Morgan Penner”

Sean McArdle, Winchester, England

Retired police officer Potter’s novel centers on very disparate characters and through the tried and tested means of gradually introducing each one, builds a sense of anticipation about what is going to happen to them. This often used methodology is not easy to do well but is superbly handled by Potter who knows how to… Read more “Sean McArdle, Winchester, England”

Jane Holzrichter

I finished it last night around midnight. What a great piece of work. It kept me intrigued all the way to the end.

Deb Theis, LSCSW, clinical therapist/hypnotherapist

Jim Potter has done it again! After his book, Cop in the Classroom: Lessons I’ve Learned, Tales I’ve Told, Jim has written another great work. In Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, Jim Potter takes us on an insightful journey into the lives and relationships of numerous characters. Jim is such a talented storyteller… Read more “Deb Theis, LSCSW, clinical therapist/hypnotherapist”

Diana Dester

Good story line, building the characters along the way. Great job!

Wynona Winn, PhD, retired school superintendent

Three main characters walk different paths but with the same destination – each coping with his or her self-discovery, self-identity, and self-realization. Much like their earlier counterparts – Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield – their journeys are often joyous, often tedious and often tragic.

Judy Hawk

. . . I was impressed with the Native American information as well as the depth of character development . . . .

John & Cindy Morrill, 20 years Air Force retired, 17 years law enforcement

I enjoyed your book. When I am looking for a new read, I always read the first page, last page and choose a random page somewhere in the middle before I decide to buy it. You had me on all three pages. I also like reading a book where you can relate to the characters… Read more “John & Cindy Morrill, 20 years Air Force retired, 17 years law enforcement”

Sheryl Remar

I enjoyed the different stories of this book because Tom, James, and Suanna, the three main characters, represent in their own way the different struggles with themselves and society’s idea of what is normal.

Rebecca Schillaci

As a former law enforcement officer, I found the story very relatable as it details the life of a law enforcement officer and the struggles some face throughout their careers. . . Taking Back the Bullet is a journey of understanding, respect, and forgiveness . . .

Dennis Perrin, educator

Masterful storytelling, exquisite character development, so real as to HURT and HOPE, a real page turner. Begs for stage, screenwriters, and visual episodic development a.k.a. TV series . . . Thanks Jim Potter for telling it like it is AND providing us visions of how it could be. Well done!

Rebecca from Proud Police Wife

Taking Back the Bullet is an emotional, yet captivating novel. Jim Potter does a superb job of intertwining each character and putting their individual identities on display. All law enforcement storylines are a true reflection of Potter’s years as a police officer because they are realistic and relatable. This is a book I highly recommend.

Denise Low, author of Jackalope (Red Mountain Press)

Jim Potter is a cop, retired, but he brings deep understanding of this job to his novel Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery. This layered novel has literary dimensions as characters explore crisis situations. Congratulations to this fine writer for his debut novel.

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