Tom Clancy s fictional novel, The Hunt For Red October, is not only an engrossing story, but is also an accurate and fact-filled treatise on submarine technology and naval warfare. This education, as I call it, makes our stories more fun to read. The how we do it is through research. Generally I like to get my research out of the way fairly early in the manuscript, as often the results of my research will lead me to new ideas which I can incorporate into the story. By nature, we writers like to think of ourselves as being creative, so it s time for us to use that creativity and dig into our subject.
People are an invaluable information source.
Regardless, this is where the personal interviews come in. Although I have a lot of backcountry experience, and even assisted in search and rescue of lost hikers in my younger days, I needed more detailed information. I knew of no one who was an authority on this subject, so I decided to go to the authority itself. I found a Park Ranger, introduced myself, told him I was a writer, and that I needed some information if he had the time. The Park Service was very amicable, and spent many hours educating me on my subject.