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Topic #508
What person/place/thing did you enjoy researching the most?
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Research is my favorite thing to do when picking up a new project. For as long as I can remember, learning was a joy to me. On my terms. School, because of the attention deficit was a slog. I managed far better than most with the same issue, masking and muddling my way through. I pulled high B’s. That’s because of the hyperfocus I can likewise get. My drive to complete something was quite strong. Unless it frustrated me to tears, I would stick it out.
Today, I am not as driven to complete nor remember what I completed. I am tired and overworked, to be honest. So much so, that when I get home, I am loathe to do another damn thing, whatever it is. I just want my chair and a nice meal. Sleep is needed more than it has in quite some time. In fact, I don’t recall wanting to get to bed so early since I was a child. Perimenopause is upon us!
Between all my quirks and aging, it really has gotten so hard to give a damn. The thing that brings me back is a new project. If only there were time to engage with it! I remember quite well the love of research for each one. There was a person, place, and thing that I could delve to the depths over. Such a true joy for my hyperfocus. And, that continues to be a source of energy for my writing when engaged.
Which of all the places, people, and things did I enjoy learning about the most? That’s a tough question. Each project need be taken on it’s own. President Grant was a lot of fun, but he took so little space in Blue Honor. The place he retired to and ultimately passed away at is just a jaunt from my mom’s house. I was able to stand inside the home, look at the chair in which he spent his final moments, and look at the remaining things that were once his. Incredible stuff. There are even flowers left, dried and protected, from the funeral.
Then, of course, there is the intense study of spy craft and the war machines of the Axis and Allies during the Second World War for OP-DEC. This is my absolute favorite period in history. It holds endless interest for me, and teaches so many social lessons. This Christmas, I reflected on what many endure across the globe, and wonder how I would cope. Things are not great in the United States and they’re decaying fast. Am I prepared for what worse can come? I may be the stock of the Greatest Generation, but did I get imbued with that perseverance? I am so tired and sick of coping, to be frank.
Lastly, there are the strange realms and figures of the Trailokya series. There was a lot of research into cultures, mythologies, beliefs, and places. However, our world in the book is just a loose reflection of the home world of the book. A cracked mirror, if you will. We evolved apart from home, trying to rebuild it from spotty memories. So what exists in the home space, considered the real world, isn’t quite the same. Often, it is surface similar and breaks down quickly in association from there. Yes, like the game telephone.
Reflecting, I may say that Trailokya’s research was the most interesting. It’s flashy, so to speak. Monsters and mayhem. Dream realms. Fever dreams. I enjoy dipping back in as frequently as I can! There was a lot to learn in all the world and cultural research studies undertaken. So many cross references and intertexts. Just a delicious thing!
When I was young, we studied a little of the ancient Roman and Greek mythologies, I wished for more, but school never took us there. Trailokya filled that wish in so many ways. In fact, the research so struck me, I have often thought of studying theology. There are many world beliefs yet to delve into, and I could go for decades learning all about them, hyper focusing to my endless delight.
At the center of all my research, people stand out the most. They fill the settings that make me sigh with awe. In addition, it is true that people make the objects that I find fascinating, too. Think of Nikola Tesla. He had little to do with Trailokya at first glance, but if you understand his work, then you understand why he was included in the research. His quotes and ideas frame the entire series, if you will. A fascinating person, who came well before me, thinking on similar topics and reaching out to find them. I chose to write books. He chose to build tools to seek. Unfortunately, neither of us will have lived long enough to accomplish more than the wonder.
“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”
— Nikola Tesla
Maybe, Tesla is the figure I enjoyed the most to research. His inspiration is enormous in the project, as I stated above. Without his ideas, I may not have felt the need to share any of it. After all, they were my dreams and nightmares. They could be debilitating for me at times. To share that was risky. Too personal. However, Tesla helped me realize there are plenty of people out there who look at all these things and see them similarly. What a massive wild ride to put on paper!
Neurodivergence keeps me from knowing if I have sufficiently displayed my sites/sights, so I am left hoping folks will pick up the series and find it fascinating. Mythological beings and places, after all, have fascinated humanity for eons. Why not pull them down into a world in which we may interact?
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I think that researching is at least as much fun as actually writing the story. Immersing yourself in fact and using it to create a fully functioning make-believe world is something to be enjoyed.
I agree!
I think I would have done well as a spy. I have a face that everyone thinks they can read and they often get it wrong. Besides, it’s one of those “universal faces” and so many people think I’m someone else. I once had a man ask if I was his ex-wife!
Isn’t it fun to imagine? That’s crazy that someone asked you that. Maybe a joke? I think I remember something about that being they’d like to make you an ex (have their fun and run).