I’ve been inspired recently by a flood of discussion on the Crime Writers of Canada members’ message board (you know who you are…) to take a closer look at the kind of research that goes into making a novel.

In order for a work of fiction to possess the kernel of truth that lifts it into the realm of art, a great deal of slogging, digging, and legwork needs to take place. This is especially true when the novel expresses an historical aspect, or when it is set in a distant land.

Some of my fellow writers here in Canada have been involved in research of the “police procedural” kind. One member has gone so far as to “walk the beat” with an actual constable, while another is busy “digging into the byways of Victorian England”.

As for me, I’ve been studying Mandarin, reading everything I can get my hands on concerning China, including my own journal of our 2003 travels, and learning to play the clarinet. The first draft of the latest Donna Carrick novel is finished and the editing process is well underway. Yet I continue to be fascinated with all facets of life within the People’s Republic.

Where does research end and novel-writing begin? That is a question that seems to plague many of my fellow-writers. I cannot imagine writing a novel that does not involve the exquisite and sometimes painful process of ‘learning’. Such a novel would not satisfy my passion for understanding.

As a result, I’ve followed my latest set of imaginary friends down some twisted roads. The end of the creative journey is almost in sight, yet I am reluctant to say goodbye to my characters. I feel that, through them, my world view has been enlarged.

It is a pleasure to discover that many of my fellow-writers in Canada share my passion for research. I believe that together we will say something of importance to those who follow us about the environment we are living in.

After all, so much of what intrigues us about 'books' is tied to our place and time…

Donna Carrick, July 20, 2007