Fact or Fiction: What Does the Research Say?

  Having just finished pages 43 through 50 of Boise, I find my previous post to be intriguing. For me, I find that my ideas cannot form at all without careful research. I say careful because, as we all know, the internet contains so much false information.

  Since my first Major course at MU, I have come to appreciate the value of reputable sources one can find on online databases through the library. However, because of the sheer volume available, one must develop a system much like what Boise proposes, of searching and sifting, yet in a more deadline-oriented nature. So, I find the best way to begin "collecting" is to do a google search related to my topic. Wikipedia is usually the first website listed and, provided that it remains barely relevant to my interest, I click it and begin scanning different sections for information. Whatever I find that is relevant, I mentally and/or physically list, afterwards migrating to the bottom of the page to consult the sources. Those that are books are usually first on my list to be consulted- relevant passages will show themselves in the table of contents.

  My previous post more or less contains this act, providing links to both NASA and Wikipedia. I find it interesting to see that Boise mentions this process, albeit in a different form. Each person has to develop their own process of collecting information, analyzing and categorizing it in a different way. Boise's "Methods for translating notetaking into imagination" provide several approches I had not considered, namely "the double-entry" and "gist -and-list" methods. For the next stages in my research, I intend to use these to analyze what I find, organizing the facts in a way I have not done before.

  One of the testimonies that Boise provides in this section does not line up with what I have come to realize as a writer. This writer argues on page 46 that "Science fiction writing is bounded only by the imagination, not by borrowing from other writers." A healthy, active imagination does not guarantee success in any genre, nor does an over-reliance on outside ideas. There must be cohesion between the two in order for the plot to logically function. For example, I plan to propose the colonization of the planet Venus in my science fiction short story. Were I to rely more on my own imagination, the story would take side more with fiction and could invoke criticism from readers with a scientific, fact-oriented preference. Alternatively, if I borrowed too heavily from sources such as Carl Sagan and Paul Birch, the story could quickly become as dry and cumbersome as an automotive manual, potentially alienating readers witha preference for fantasy. Writers are not required to take too heavily into consideration their audience, but there are pros and cons to every facet involved in constructing a story.

  Boise's methods attempt to alleviate this conundrum, facilitating discussion and debate, with others and with oneself, throughout the entire writing process. I look forward to experimenting with and expanding on them, finding what is right for me and my story.