Short Research Projects:

   These short projects are designed to home in on particular skills as well as to broaden and sharpen how you think about research. Think of each as a kind of treasure hunt.

N.B.: You may incorporate any or all of these short projects into your Final Research Project.

1. "The Tools of Research.

   Each student will be assigned ONE of the following items of research equipment. You will describe at least THREE (3) uses for it in pursuing creative research. Do not neglect either  practical or artistic applications:

• Notebook Computer.
• Camera/ Videocamera.
• Tape or Mini-disk Recorder.
• Calculator.
• Pens/ Pencils.
• Notebooks.
• Car.
• Binoculars.
• Magnifying Glass.
• Telephone/ Cell Phone
• Reliable Watch w/ Stopwatch.
• Filing Cabinet.
• PDA/ Personal Organizer
• Scanner.
• Compass.
• Business Cards.
• Globe.
• Jacket or Vest w/ Lots of Pockets.
• Flashlight.

Research for Writers Home        "The Drama of Design"

Before you can write intelligently about a subject, you must immerse yourself in the language of it. Many trades, professions, religions, hobbies, fraternal organizations, sports, etc., have their own lexicon. Often that lexicon is colorful, rich in tradition and metaphor, resonant with overtones and meaning far beyond the literal. From TV and the movies, we’re all familiar with certain police and medical jargon-- we use terms such as "gang-banger" and "perp walk" and "flatliner" and "code-blue" in ordinary conversation precisely to take advantage of that richness. But in research, it's useful to recognize that jargon has exact meanings in its original context, meanings that help define and describe efficiently and vividly, allow others to replicate an activity, implicitly acknowledge an ethos or a bias. Find a subject that interests you and learn the lexicon of it– then present it in three ways:

1. A vocabulary list of at least 20 words, including brief definitions.

2.A paragraph of not more than 150 words describing the craft, trade, profession, etc., using some of the jargon words.

3. A brief meditation in prose or poetry that engages the metaphorical or lyrical power of the new language.

3. "Plan & Budget."

   The research portion of a creative project often develops its own narrative arc-- certain basic research must be done first to lay the groundwork for later, more sophisticated investigations; certain people may require multiple interviews and so become not only characters in the finished work but characters in the experience; and there is an emotional thrill that escalates as you move closer and closer to the truth of the thing for which you search. So for both artistic and practical reasons, it makes sense to plan. Submit a 3-5-page plan for a research project and include the following:

1.    Goal of the research (e.g., to be able to accurately portray social life in Southport at the turn of the 20th Century).
2.    Schedule or timeline organizing your research on the calendar. If it is a three-day trip, how will you budget you time? If a longer haul, when will you do the initial telephoning or library research? Be ambitious but realistic. You are creating priorities-- the "must do" pieces of the research, the "would like to do" pieces, etc.
3.    Budget: figure in hotels, transportation, meals, copying fees,  admissions to museums, film, cassettes, batteries, etc. Use accurate numbers or estimates-- you can get hotels and airfares from Travelocity or other internet resources.

Research for Writers Home        "The Drama of Design"

Ever visit an old cemetery and been intrigued by the bare facts of a person’s life and death as recorded on a cryptic gravestone? No? Then this is the perfect opportunity. I’d suggest Oakdale, though there are plenty of small graveyards scattered around the county. Find the name of a dead person who interests you for some reason and about whom you know virtually nothing. Track down all the information you can on the deceased and present a brief profile, creating a living character of dramatic interest to your reader. (You need not find the name in a graveyard– he or she maybe a relative of minor historical personage who figures in your project– just let us know how you first learned of him or her and why the bare facts enticed you to learn more.

Research for Writers Home

5. "Interviewing Forrester."

    Interview your subject for at least half and hour on tape or mini-disk, then transcribe the conversation (I want you, this is time consuming, though not very intellectually demanding, so plan accordingly). Hand in to me the following:

•     Dated transcript of interview-- be sure at the top to identify the subject and where the interview took place, or if it is a telephone interview; be sure also to obtain the permission of the subject before taping.
•     An edited-- and much shorter-- version of the interview, arranged with any necessary scene-setting, description, or narration in such a way as to provide a vivid profile of the subject.

Research for Writers Home