E.S. Raye

One of the things I love most about being an author is the research. That may sound boring to many, but I have a passion for learning. I love that “aha!” feeling when you understand a new concept or learn some interesting or fundamental factoid. If I could have remained a student after graduating university, I would have.

For me, writing, and the research that goes along with it, is basically the next best thing.

A lot of my stories are steeped in history. While Gas Giant Gambit and “The Stuff Legends are Made Of” are both set in the future, they are heavily influenced by the 1860s and the 1940s, respectively. My current work in progress, Shallow Trenches, Open Skies is set in 1917 in Belgium, and the 7 book genre mashup series I have planned to follow takes place throughout World War II during real life battles.

So, needless to say, a lot of research goes into getting the details right. I read articles and historical non-fiction, listen to music of the era, watch documentaries, and even watch movies set during the same period.

Start With Setting

Everyone is going to have their own research process, but for me, it’s all starts with the setting. I need to wrap my head around the time and place (or at least what is inspiring them) before I can do anything else, including populating it with characters.

The best example of this would be my research for Shallow Trenches. The inspiration for this novel is the story that the Red Baron shot down a flying saucer during World War I. So to start, I needed to figure out where and when that allegedly happened. The most detail I can find is “spring” 1917. Which leads me to ask where the Red Baron was during that time. The answer is Belgium, near Ypres.

With a date and location in hand, I then looked into what was happening in the war. To my surprise, I discovered that my story would have to take place during the Third Battle of Ypres, better known (especially to Canadians) as The Battle of Passchendaele–one of the few World War I battles I know anything about.

The flying saucer story also said the craft went down in a wooded area. If I want to stick with the “real” history of this story, that limits my possible locations for the crash site–a pivotal spot for the story I have planned.

Further research revealed a wooded area only a few miles east of Ypres called Polygon Wood, as well as a segment of The Battle of Passchendaele called The Battle of Polygon Wood.

Now knowing the time, place, and real world actions surrounding my story’s setting, I did a deep dive into The Battle of Polygon Wood, the larger Battle of Passchendaele, and the conditions of World War I in general.

This way I know what dangers and conflicts I’m throwing my characters into.

Characters Come Next

Once I understand the shredder I’m dropping my characters into, I need to figure out who I can drop into it. For Gas Giant Gambit and “The Stuff Legends…” that meant subverting the tropes and creating a somewhat unexpected protagonist.

But for Shallow Trenches I wanted a character who could have been there in real life. That meant a soldier or officer, which limited me to male characters. I also wanted the character to be American because the theme is overcoming xenophobia and hate of the other, so… yeah.

And with the US only joining the war in spring 1917, I would need a good excuse for him to be in Belgium so early. I won’t give that away, since it’s important to the plot, but suffice it to say, my research gave me that too.

When it comes to supporting characters, I like to have a diverse cast. But Belgium during World War I was not the most racially or gender varied location on the planet.

Thankfully, research helped with that too. Officially, there were no female soldiers at the time, but there are several cases of people disguising themselves as men in order to fight, and there were many female nurses. Shallow Trenches will feature one of each.

I also learned about Black pilots who flew for the RAF and France, specifically Sergeant William “Robbie” Robinson Clarke and Eugene Bullard. Both of these men’s stories are fascinating and worthy of being told in their own right.

With them acting as inspiration, Shallow Trenches will feature an African-American pilot with a history based on a blend of these heroes.

Finally, The Story

Once I have a handle on the time, place, and people, I can fit them all together into a story that, in the case of Shallow Trenches, weaves its way through a real world event.

I know how my characters will react to the things they see and experience, and how those real world events will drive their actions and the necessities of the plot.

It can be a headache.

There are a lot of dates and battles and people–both real and fictional–to juggle. And one thing I struggle with in particular is sticking too closely to the real world history. I want to get the facts right, and make the story I’m telling feel plausible within the framework of what really happened.

This can cause problems when history doesn’t cooperate with the story I want to tell. It’s in those moment I have to remind myself that authenticity is more important that factual accuracy.

Even if the Red Baron did shoot down a flying saucer in 1917, the story I’m telling isn’t how it really went. It’s fiction. So, as long as I am respectful (which I think is key), some events can be fictionalized to fit my story, as long as the authenticity of the event is preserved.

Or at least I try to tell myself that. Like I said, I struggle with this part sometimes.

The Research Never Stops

This is my basic process for starting my research, but it’s definitely not everything. The research phase doesn’t really ever stop until at least the first draft is done. Sometimes far longer than that.

But, I love it. Sometimes, I joke that I write to feed my learning addiction.

Sometimes, I’m not sure I’m joking.