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As
an author, one of my goals is to make my characters as human as possible. That
means spending a good amount of time studying how people talk and behave “in
the wild”. While I do need to often turn off my Steve Irwin voice while people-watching, I try to fit in these five research activities as often as possible:
Watching shows
like Justified and Lie to Me: The writers for Justified have an
amazing ear for authentic dialogue. Watching that show is like a full hour of
studying the use of timing and pauses and snappy verbal exchanges. Lie to Me is a brilliant complement, as it’s all about body language and what
microexpressions and movements people make when they’re subconsciously thinking
about something.
Observing
couples at an amusement park: There’s something about long lines
and crowds that bring out the best—or worst—in a couple. Watching a pair in
love interact under such “strenuous” circumstances is wonderful fodder for how
couples fight.
Studying
couples on dates: One
of the only reasons I enjoy going out on traditional date nights (I’d much
rather spend Friday and Saturday lounging at home!) is to watch other couples
in their best romantic light. Do they sit on the same side of the booth? Do they
fight under the strain of having a “perfect” evening? Who orders the food? If
amusement parks bring out the worst in couples, a date displays them on their
best behavior.
Reading
magazines outside my interests: Writing a young, brilliant
billionaire? You know he reads Forbes. Dark, brooding hero has a fast car?
Pick up Car and Driver. In 30 minutes, you can snag enough knowledge to make
small character details authentic. I particularly love fawning over the
expensive men’s clothing and accessories in GQ.
Listening to
everyday conversations: If you catch me out at a coffee shop, I’m
usually in the corner with my headphones on. Most of the time, I’m listening to
music and writing. The rest…well, people have the illusion of privacy in coffee
shops, and will talk about everyday things. This is an amazing way of listening
to verbal cadences, studying when full sentences are used versus sentence
fragments, and the way questions are answered in real life (i.e. not always
directly). This is also a great place to
pick up casual tics, like gesturing with a coffee cup, smoothing out eyebrows,
and fiddling with purse straps.
So
next time you see your author sitting in the corner being antisocial, just
remember—she’s not a misanthrope, she’s a spy!
Skylar Kade, self-avowed
hedonist and princess extraordinaire, started her writing career after throwing
aside yet another romance she could not bring herself to finish. The run-on
sentences! The purple prose! Oh, the horror of it was just too much. So she sat
down to write her own tale. Her favorite part about writing is the extensive
research.
She currently resides in sunny
southern California, alternately cursing the polluted air and adoring the
weather. Skylar spends her time asking the cabana boys to bring her more mimosas
and feed her strawberries while she dreams up her next naughty adventure.
Her first release from Decadent
Publishing, Exposing Ellen, was highly rated for its “witty, playful dialogue” and characters who
“express their personalities in everything they do and don’t say”.
#skylarkade, #1NS, #1nightstand, #decadentpub
