Guest Blogger Sarah Lee Marks, who writes as Lander Marks, talks about the role of research in your writing. Her book, Artist’s Proof, is a hip and sassy romp through the art world, with a serious backstory about art theft and forgeries.

I’m speaking tonight at the Las Vegas Writer’s Group meeting. This is an extrordinary opportunity to interact with some wonderful writers/authors, which I don’t often get to do. I’m so excited! Writing is such a solitary sport, I relish the times I get to visit, talk shop and share.

Tonight I get to share, a lot.  My topic is RESEARCH. I love doing research. When I’m building my outline for a story, I turn into Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew and Elmer Fudd. The later because I often trip into areas I never expected to find and sometimes have to act like Elmer, to get people to tell me what’s really on their minds.

Research takes on a life of it’s own. Sometimes I find you have to stop procrastinating around the “need to know more” and get to the business of pen to paper.  However, the credibility of your characters/subjects, storyline, theme and message integrity is all based on a solid foundation of investigation and homework.  I’ve found my characters take me places in my search, I never expected. Then again, the need to go to Europe in the summer is a welcome tax deduction when your subject is murdered on a cruise ship or the Vatican is integral to the plot.

While the internet is both the bane and joy of our inquisitive mind, there is nothing more rewarding than a live interview or hands-on life experience, when adding color and authenticity to your plot.  Non-fiction relies heavily on absolute verification, the lack of which deems excessive premiums for an Errors and Omissions insurance policy.

Please feel free to contact me if you don’t know where to go for a particular resource, I’m happy to help you if I can. You can email me with your simple request to Lander Marks.

Sarah Lander Marks writes her fiction as Lander Marks. Her latest book: Artist’s Proof is about the art world and Holocaust art theft. Read her latest post on Holocaust news at Remember or Repeat.