Dragnet | Keira's Place

This post by L.Leander.

I love that line from Jack Webb. Dragnet was one of my favorite TV series growing up. The shows were in black and white but we didn’t know the difference because it’s what we had. Many other families didn’t even own a set.

Our retired next-door neighbors came over to invite us to see The Wizard of Oz on their new color television in the 1950’s. “The kids will really enjoy it in color,” the neighbor said. Why they wanted four active children over on a Sunday night is beyond me, but we were well-behaved, a tribute to my parent’s strict upbringing. We loved the presentation and snacks our hosts so thoughtfully provided.

Facts. They can drive you insane. They’re in black and white. A good writer researches thoroughly so that the novel or non-fiction book they are writing is solid and true to the time period. Let me tell you from experience, this is not an easy task.

In my first novel the setting is 1843. It’s about a pre-Civil War Gypsy wagon circus and a young woman who joins up and becomes the elephant rider. Not only did I have to research 1843, but Gypsies and traditions, circuses of the period, elephants and acrobats. Add to that Gypsy fortune-telling, Tarot Card reading, trick riding and healing – you can see why I spent hours on the computer and in touch with museum curators to get my facts right. Then I colored between the lines. That was the fun part.

There are many mundane pieces of information that can slip an author up and cause them to endure harsh criticism from peers and readers. It’s for that reason thorough note-taking is important, even if it means a few all-nighters.

Our job as a writer, I believe, is to take those black and white snippets of information, cut and paste them into our manuscript, and bathe them in Technicolor. Now a soda fountain on Main Street becomes a “frenzy of activity as local teens flock to Plummer’s Drug Store after school to enjoy chocolate sodas and cherry cokes. The green cardigan and plaid pleated skirt the girl on the stool is wearing stands out as she playfully swishes her chestnut ponytail back and forth.”

Have any of you had unusual facts to research? It’s my favorite part of writing – how about you?

Read an interesting job description for writers and authors from the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics here. On the second page there is a paragraph dedicated to author credibility and fact-checking.

Follow L.Leander Books