Research (Part Two)

Alright, do you have your boots on?  Let’s go foot-slogging, which is the second basic part of non-fiction research. Remember, we have already discussed word and number mining. In contrast, foot-slogging is when you (the storyteller) break free of the chains at your desk, and you visit locations; this may involve meeting and interviewing people who have relevance to the story you are hoping to tell.

Foot-slogging is fun. It can be like one long-running excursion during which you are constantly learning. And the beauty is you often learn so much more than the information you find for your story. That’s one of the greatest joys of foot-slogging. No learning is ever wasted.

Here are a just few basic starting tips that you might like to consider.

• Do some research (see word and number mining) before you foot-slog. Although there are often surprises just around the corner when you’re out and about, you must also have an idea what you are looking for. If you don’t, you risk missing nuggets that could make your story shine. For example, you might be doing a ‘puff piece’ (pun intended) on making pastry. So, off you go to a restaurant and you meet a pastry chef. You find out all the ins-and-outs of making pastry, but you overlook the fact that the chef is of Egyptian heritage. Not important, you think. However, if you had done your research, you might have discovered that it’s believed the first pastries were made by Egyptians. Such information may not turn out to be important to your story, but then again it might just reveal those precious nuggets. So, when going foot-slogging, PREPARE YOURSELF BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT. Please note, we’ll have a separate piece on Interviewing at another time.
• Make sure you pack your senses. Immerse yourself in the places you visit. Your senses can alert you to those precious nuggets. It may be birdsong, or the smell of rain on bitumen, or the fact a town has only one set of traffic lights. Your senses are invaluable guides. Use them. Respect them.
• Remember the toolkit: Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How. Questions lead to answers and answers lead to more questions. Don’t assume anything. Embrace your curious mind.
• Give yourself time. Time is the seed from which everything grows.  Admittedly, finding time is not always possible, but it certainly helps if you’re not in a rush when foot-slogging.
• Take a notepad, and if possible, a camera (that can also record sound). Your memory can play tricks with you, so it’s important to document/record what you find. But, here’s the trap: you don’t want to be a slave to your device. So, I stress again the importance of using your senses. When doing so, you might like to record your own feelings and thoughts. 

These are all just basic starters, but they will help you. And it’s also highly likely you will learn about yourself as you go. You will discover how you work, and what techniques work best for you. To be a good footslogger requires practice. So, go on…what’s stopping you?