When reseach becomes more than research

One of the bonuses of writing for a living is a flexible schedule. We writers can be working at midnight and swim or bike at 3 o'clock if we're so inclined. It's a great life, especially if it pays in dollars.

But even if the income is, shall we say, unpredictable, the writing life also can pay in other ways: the freedom to be part of the neighborhood. A couple years ago I volunteered to read to kids waiting to see their doctor at HCMC (Hennepin County Medical Center) in downtown Minneapolis. On Thursday mornings I walked about 10 minutes, past the Mall of America Metrodome, to the center, grabbed a bag of books, and sat in the lobby reading to kids, or their siblings. Most of the kids loved hearing about Clifford's latest escapades, or searching for Waldo. I suspect their parents liked the respite. Then, as kids left their appointment they were allowed to choose a book to take home. The idea was to encourage literacy, and in a tiny way, I think it worked. But last spring I dropped the gig because it didn't give me a chance to get to know any of the kids. It felt like shift work. Plus, I was worried I'd get caught up in the latest measles epidemic.

Then, one day, I walked into the Somali Resource Center in Riverside Plaza (known to the University of Minnesota students who live nearby as Crack Towers)  and volunteered  as an aide to an English as a second language class one morning a week. It has turned into exactly the activity I wanted. I get to see the same people every week. Habiba. Dube. Hussein. Hua. I work with them in small groups as they struggle to learn English, which I've come to realize makes no sense. Most of the students are well over 60, and many never learned to read in Somali. Yet they keep working. I take two or three aside and help them read sentences such as "The shower is leaking. Call the manager."

I look forward to each Wednesday morning class for the chance to be with people, for the stimulation, for the change of scenery from my computer.   I'm also learning about customs, mannerisms, habits of Somali women, a community where I plan to set my next book in the Skeeter Hughes mystery series.

Have you ever turned a work or volunteer opportunity into a mystery?

Five Tips for Researching Your Mystery

 By Judith Yates Borger

So you want to write a mystery and you’ve heard the advice, write what you know. But what about what you don’t know? Where to begin? This is a problem that sometimes stops authors dead in their tracks.

Have no fear. Think of it as going to garage sales. The perfect item at the best price is out there, and while looking for it you'll probably find lots of other useful stuff. Here are some ways to get started.

Tip 1. Find the best research engine for you.
There are probably more search engines than you ever imagined. First define in broad terms what you want to know, then check out Noodletools.com. Click on “Choose the best search” in the middle of the page. Beware: you could be up half the night reading fascinating facts you never knew.


Tip 2: Start on the periphery of your subject and work your way to the middle.
Now that you have a broad overview of your topic, start to narrow your focus. For example, my next mystery — still unnamed — will be set among Somali women. Once I found the best search engine for my topic, I searched for "Somali women Minneapolis." Voila, I had names and background  information on several women.


Tip 3: Don’t let the idea of calling a stranger and asking for an interview intimidate you.
People, especially experts, are usually delighted to have someone ask them about their favorite topic, and then actually listen to the answer. When I was writing “Whose Hand?” I wanted to include a section about the trafficking of live tigers. Until then, all I knew about tigers was that they were striped. I Googled and Binged tiger trafficking but I wasn’t getting the muscle and sinew I really needed. Well, what about the zoo?

I checked the Minnesota Zoo website and found the director of the tiger program. Then I Googled his name and learned I was in luck. Not only was he king of the tigers at the Minnesota Zoo, he was king of tigers everywhere. Because tigers are endangered, there’s an agency that regulates which captive tigers can mate with which. The Minnesota Zoo tiger director was the guy in charge of tiger love across all zoos. No male/female rendezvous without his OK.  When I called to ask for an appointment he was delighted to talk for hours and I ended up basing a character in Whose Hand? on him.


Tip 4:  Establish rapport with your source.
The key to getting the information you need most is to make your source comfortable. If she offers you coffee, take it, even if your bladder's about to burst. It gets the source in a giving state of mind, and if you're both sipping something hot, or cold, it establishes a commonality at the start. Spot a picture of the your source's children? Ask about them. Nothing gets a parent talking faster than a question about darling little Susie. Then segue into what you really want to know.

Tip 5: Keep the discussion to an hour or under.
Being interviewed is tough work. People get tired. If you want to know more than you can get in the time it takes to watch a full episode of CSI, ask your interviewee if you can call back with follow up questions. Then follow up. Either call or ask for just a bit more of your subject's time.

Remember to relax and enjoy the process. I promise that once you get into research you’ll find it’s the second best part of mystery writing, right after cashing royalty checks.

Next topic: Interviewing techniques, or when to take notes and when to just listen.

—Judith Yates Borger, author of  Skeeter Hughes Mysteries, Guilty Pleasures for Manic Moms