Research and Opinion

If you've been reading along, you may have gotten the sense that I am very big on research. (And if you haven't, please understand, I'm a friggin' nut about it.) Probably because I am very big on fact and reality.

If you're going to write about something in reality, for godsakes, make sure you know what the hell you're talking about. Even if you're writing fiction. Especially if your fiction touches on something real. (I spent untold hours researching locations for my novels just so I could get them right. For instance, I've never been to Washington, D.C. but I now know where a person would have to stand at the Jefferson Memorial in order to have the sunset behind them.) If you can't get the facts straight, you'll come off looking like a hack.

But I digress...

I am posting this mainly in response to a pervading tendency to whip off articles and editorials--in essence, opinion pieces (OP)--without doing the research to back them up. (or in some case, not doing enough research.) And yes, you do have to do some research before you write even an OP.

Okay, I can hear you shouting "Why should I have to research my OPINION?"

Well, just because someone has an opinion doesn't make it right. How'd they arrive at their opinion? Did they read something, or did they hear something, or are they just giving their feelings about the topic? (Years ago, I was of the opinion Rachel Carson was believable... but more about that in another post.) Unfortunately, few people arrive at their opinions on their own.

So, before you run off at the mouth, spouting your opinions for the world to read or hear, go do some research (with multiple sources, please) and then ask yourself who gave you your opinion, and...

Were they right?

Consider the Source

My friend Teddy posted an excellent entry today on his blog Cobwebs of the Mind that got me to thinking about the myriad of sites and blogs out there offering advice to writers. He takes to task one particularly nasty supposed-agent whose main mission in life seems to be utter crassness. C'est le vie. I stumbled across this spewage a while back, read one post and dismissed the blogger as infantile. With the rise of the blogosphere, everyone and anyone can post whatever they like with no fear of reprisal. Especially when it is anonymous. (And I applaud Teddy for having the courage to shun anonymity.)

So what does a writer do when he's searching the web for useful information and runs up against blogs like the aforementioned? The best advice I can give you is the same advice my father gave me, and although the context is different, the value of the advice is the same...

Consider the source.

When you read anything written by anyone, ask yourself what you can discern about this person and their character. From that you can consider the source of their writings and accept or dismiss them as necessary. I like Teddy because his posts are insightful and intelligent. I like Snark for the same reasons. Although I very frequently disagree with Snark in her personal philosophies, I haven't yet disagreed with her business philosophies. And whether you want to think of writing in those terms or not, it is a business. If the blogger mentioned above behaved IRL the way he behaves online, he wouldn't be doing much business at all.

Since this is a business, is that really the type of person you want to take advice from?