Progress report, Break

[clarentine]

1258 is a nice number for the first writing session of the day, and I've errands to run, so we stop here. Hopefully, there will be a second writing session.

I'm happy to say I got past yesterday's flailing. I had a good, long think about why we should care if Canum meets his goal, and did some tweaking of the pages that came before, and I think I'm okay. I don't know that the problem is resolved - it certainly might crop up again later in this revision - but I think for the moment we're good.

And I got to introduce, in today's new words, the germ of a title that's going to dog Canum for a good long while to come, and I am happy. *g*

***

Hmm. I have to go out anyway, so perhaps I will save gas and stop by the library to see what the reference librarians can come up with on caves in limestone/karst. Ideally, caves in the landmass that's doubling as the setting for this book. I'm not looking to get very deep into the geology of caves or karst, but you never know what sort of little detail might turn up in research that jogs something new into being. And there might be a book with photos, which are always helpful.

Onward!

Comments

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

WOOO KARST!
Ahem. One of my supposed novels in progres has a karst forest. :)

[clarentine]

So if I don't find anything interesting at the library, I'm gonna come haunt your forest. *g*

[eseme]

Yay, libraries!

I bet they can find something, or get it on loan.

[clarentine]

Well, she gave me a website and pointed out where our library gives access to some academic-papers databases. It's apparently a very specialized thing to study. There are lots of websites for the geology and hydrology aspects of karst caves, but few with photos. I don't really want to know how these caves were created; I want to see them in their landscape. I want to read accounts of moving around in that landscape. I don't really want to drive out to the far end of Virginia to see them in person. *g*

[eseme]

*blinnks*

Huh. I would think generalized references like World Book might at least have photos.

Have you tried calling tourist centers at the far end of Virginia to ask for brouchures, because you are plannng a trip to the region and interested in seeing the cave formations? Trousit brochures often have great photos. And if there is a shop at Caves X, selling all your Cave X merchandise, they may have books or videos that can be ordered over the phone or internet.

[clarentine]

Good idea! They'd at least have an idea what sorts of book resources are out there.

[eseme]

Heh.

Some librarians forget that libraries are not the end-all and be-all of information.

Box? What box? I don't think in boxes...

[clarentine]

I've usually had good luck, but come to think of it most of my use of the reference librarians has been to ask them to order in, via ILL, books I already know the names and authors of. This time, I didn't have any books to ask for.

[eseme]

Then you haven't been asking real reference questions, and just encountered a reference librarian who is not up to snuuf.

We all learn about what is known as the "reference interview." It's an amazingly hard thing to do, and even I am not really great at it.

You have to somehow figure out what a person's actual information needs are... without asking why someone needs the information.

Particularly with things like health and financial questions, you can't really just ask "What do you need to know? Why do you need to know it?"

The "why" part can be very invasive... but if we know why someone needs information it helps a great deal in getting useful information for them.

For instance, you need pictures and impressions of karst caves. You are not studying them, or writing academic papers on them. Being able to properly cite your sources is not really a concern for you... because you are writing a fiction novel. Someone else asking about karst caves may be doing a paper for a science class, or planning a vacation.

I have used Amazon to get a list of books a childern's non-fiction author wrote. Why? She had no webpage.

I have googled things, or used Wikipedia when someone had a casual question.

For anything with legal terms, I try to get to an actual book.

And sometimes you say "I don't konw, let me think of where to send you." I have called college law libraries. I have called the central library in our system, which has staff trained in geneology.

In this case, since you know where the caves are, I am very surprised the librarian didn't try for a local travel book. Unless this was an academic library and they just assumed this is research...

[clarentine]

Nope, local county library. Perhaps I just got someone uninspired. :-(

[eseme]

Yeah, I think so.

Bummer. Perhaps go back and try the travel angle?

[clarentine]

Perhaps.