Daily Archives: October 20, 2021

Researching for Authors

Researching for Authors

Presented by: Margaret Bates
Date: November 1 – 30, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30

About the Workshop:

Research can feel overwhelming. For some of us, it’s been years since we’ve dug deeply into a topic, but sometimes you need to know more to add realism to your book and worldbuilding. 

In this class, we’ll talk about how to make a research attack plan, how to use library databases and university research sources, how to understand and read journal articles, and even the approaches for speaking with primary sources, like experts in the field. Similarly, we’ll learn about the interviewing skills you can use to talk to subject matter experts, like doctors or firemen…etc. for getting the deepest realism in crafting your heroes and heroines. Finally, we’ll discuss the risks of the “research rabbit hole” and when to stop gathering information and commit to start writing after you’ve done your due diligence. 

So, if you’re interested in deeper world building, more realism in your work, and learning how to get those details you need to write a successful novel, this is the class for you!

About the Presenter:

Margaret Bates was Magna Cum Laude in psychology as an undergraduate at Duke University. During her undergraduate work, she spent six months as an intern at a state hospital for schizophrenics in La Paz, Bolivia. During her graduate work, she spent five years working toward a Ph.D. in developmental psychology with an emphasis in autism intervention therapy and was everything but dissertation at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. In December of 2020, she finished her Master’s thesis in industrial/organizational psychology at The University of Baltimore with a focus on meaningfulness in life and healthy psychological functioning. She’s spent most of her life researching and can’t wait to teach you how to as well.