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I am kind of in the very early stages of planning through/drafting a story--my first. Right now I am thinking of having the story start out in another country--so I guess it would be an 'Alt. Beginning' type of story....

My question is....I am going to need to look up some basic-type of information to set up the background of my story (about this other country). The location is definitely going to be second fiddle, with the relationship being the main point of the story. But for where Lois and Clark may go day-to-day or do, I'll need a few facts. Also, I might have Clark spurt out a few bits of info--since he's such a 'world-traveler' ....so, finally getting to point, do I need to keep track of where I get my general info? Do I need to keep track of any and all facts? Do I need to source my reference(s) at the end?

I know I am not writing a report--like back in college/etc--but I also don't want to miss something that might have to be there with my info....

Thanks
Laura

I don't know what country you're thinking of, but it is definitely a good idea to do some research. There have been plenty of writers who failed to do so, with...um...interesting results, to say the least.

The country I was considering was Italy, and the area being Venice. I was there about 10 years ago, so I know/remember the basics, but not everything...facts I'm mostly talking about needing for my fanfic are pretty basic, concrete things:

-a few specific canal names
-a gathering spot or two
-weather/etc...
-a few main historical buildings
-very general history about the area
-a few foods maybe?
(info would be used to possibly describe the beginning of a scene or as small-talk btw L&C, or maybe as something Clark is informing to Lois about the area, etc...)

So... do I (and to what degree) need to source facts like above that I look up and put into my fanfiction? (as in listing references)

Thanks again!

By all means keep track of your research, because throughout the writing process you will be consulting it regularly. I made the mistake of not checking my facts in my fic A Lovely Smile. It took a sharp eyed reader to tell me the Nigerian princess' home town could not have been Addis Ababa - which is located in Ethopia.

Needless to say, I was completely embarrassed!

Since you've been to Venice that puts you lightyears ahead of your readers having personal knowledge of the city. What kind of story is it?

Romance between Lois and Clark? Than play up some of the more romantic areas of the city such as the labyrinth of medieval alleyways and canals.

Are they on a dangerous assignment and still in the early stages of their working relationship? Use a sleek water taxi to evade the bad guys, they are a lot faster than a gondola!

Is Lex going to be there? Write up a scene in a famous luxury hotel. Since no one can imagine him staying in a Hampton Inn. I suggest using all the resources of the internet to find out more about the city. This will allow you to shape up your story into a fun adventure, one the readers would love to see our favorite couple participate in!

Happy writing!

If you're talking about things to mention in a disclaimer (i.e. LnC and Superman belong to people like WB and DC Comics), then I think you're safe. Most of the information you mentioned is considered "common knowledge" or general facts. If you were writing a travel article on Italy or something non-fiction about the history of Venice, then 'yes' you'd need to keep a list of sites you visited and/or referenced in your article (for your bibliography). Should you quote verbatim what someone else wrote about Venice (like if Clark were to read from Blue Planet guidebook on Venice or Italy), then 'yes' you would acknowledge the writer of the words you quoted, and where you got the quote. Also, if you quote the lyrics of a real song, it's best if you acknowledge it in your disclaimer. If there's a particular website you'd like to acknowledge (or include a link to), you may do so in an Author's Note at the end of the section it most applies (or at the end of the story) or acknowledge it in a "gratitude" section at the end of the story (such as a real and specific hotel the couple stays in, for example).

Just to be on the safe side, I try to put a disclaimer to any brand names used in my stories (which is why with some of my stories my disclaimer is longer than other people's actual stories) and why I always post my disclaimers at the end (so anyone who doesn't want to read that stuff can skim right over it). But I'd say I'm more paranoid than most fanfic writers about offending some big giant corporation with no sense of humor who might want to hunt down a poor (very poor) defenseless fanfic writer who mentioned that Lex Luthor buys their famous and well-loved product and uses it to spy on Lois. . Even though what they should do is be thankful for the free publicity and be honored that I considered them famous and well-loved. Ultra Woman!)

If you don't know something, it's better to over-research than under-research because there's probably someone reading your story who will tell you if you make a huge whopper of a mistake. We all make mistakes from time to time, and please take any correction suggestions from others on the boards as we usually mean it (as a way to make your story better before it's submitted to LabRat on the Archives). We're all in this to have to best LnC stories possible! My one big mistake while writing 'Another Lois' was that I assumed that Lawrence was a fictional town name in Kansas, like Smallville was, and then discovered later on while researching something else, that there really IS a Lawrence, KS. Now, I double check everything.

Definitely check out Google Earth or other map program to look use real road names (or make up authentic sounding ones) and I start off my research at Wikipedia, because it usually has just enough information for me to sprinkle in a story to hopefully make me even fool someone who's been there. (I haven't yet heard anyone knock my description of Singapore from 'Missing Lois', though I've never been there. Of course, I want to go there now!)

Good luck, Laura, and we look forward to reading your travel adventure to Italy.

Boy, I had this comment section opened, then left it for a while (as I am apt to do) and came back to it to find Virginia stole my points! Great minds and all that....

Anywho, a couple more things that I was going to emphasize:

RESEARCH! It is your best friend. (Well, maybe not yours personally, but it's one of mine. Along with Google. And my imaginary friends. ) I have done more research than anything else for a project, no matter what the end goal is. My character and object design teacher had us actually log all the things we did for research each week and had to put in at least four hours of research per week. Which at first seemed daunting, but when you think about it, research is everywhere: movies can give you inspiration (it's the sole reason I went to see "Pacific Rim," which I was pleasantly surprised by), books, tv, internet, talking with people... A lot of things you do can be considered research if you always have that end project in mind. That being said...

NOTES! NOTES! NOTES! I've got folders of bookmarked pages for particular projects/stories/what-have-you, along with pages of links to websites and brief write ups in between. Keep track of what you read, and keep track of where you read it. Nothing's more frustrating than remembering a fact and wanting to read more details on it and having to click through fifty websites before you find the right one. I keep a separate file specifically for "working out the kinks" of my idea or story, along with any snippets of story, pieces of information, songs to listen to or working titles (usually do this on Google Docs so that it's editable, easy to access from anywhere and can be worked on by a beta at the same time thanks, Angela!). I've found this very convenient especially because of how many different computers I work on. An alternative is evernote.com, which is a great site for taking notes and making checklists and whatnot.

Fun Fact!!!
Google Earth is currently in progress of being revamped, and now not only can you see street level and buildings in 3D, but you can do other cool stuff like follow tagged sea animals (LIKE SHARKS!!! ) as they swim through the ocean! Fun resource to play around with. Can also give you a better look at the area in relation to space where it's all mapped out instead of working from memory or trying to put the names of shops in order down a street (of course, *I'm* not going to know the difference if you swap the names of two pizza places by accident, but if you want to go that deep into accuracy, have at it). :p

Short of using any actual quotations, you are fine. Anything strict information you can find on the internet is essentially public domain. (i.e. you can look up Superman's powers on Wikipedia, but you might say somewhere near the end of your paper that "Superman is property of DC comics etc etc etc..." as long as you don't pull quotes directly from Wikipedia. That's just paraphrasing and that's common knowledge.)

And just as a side note, I think it's a good thing that you are writing about a place you've been to before. Always better to write what you know.

Can't wait to read your story!

It's always worth checking things, especially if they impinge on the story; for example, if the time needed to get from point A to point B is relevant, it's easy enough to find sites that'll calculate routes, tell you train or ferry times, etc.

But don't include exhaustive amounts of information if it isn't needed; too much detail can be boring, and a little vagueness often covers a multitude of sins!

For example, one novel I read had a character travel by road from a central London location to London Airport in about twenty words; it was factually accurate but made it sound like a five minute drive, rather than about an hour through bad traffic. I suspect that the author had no idea how long it would really take, so he left it very vague and it just about worked, whereas if he'd actually said "ten minutes later he pulled up at London Airport" most British readers would have known it was wrong.

Thank you everyone for the advice and information--you are SO helpful! The other night I started drafting my idea for this story and then I started realizing random 'Venice things' I'd have to look into (and kind of started to get daunted by the particulars of research)...BUT it sounds like I was very much over-thinking the process (I tend to do that a lot with a lot of things....) --the 'common knowledge' stuff is mostly what I will be needing, and like you all implied, it is basic knowledge/general facts that won't need to be sited out in a disclaimer--good! Life just got easier

I really learned a lot from everything you all said--stuff to apply to the whole writing process--now and down the road. Thank you! I'll be referring to this thread often, I'm sure ...

So, overall, it sounds like general info does not need to be disclaimed, but should definitely be kept track of for accuracy throughout the story, anything 'brand name' should be disclaimed, and anything 'directly quoted from a source' should be disclaimed. And also, be in the habit of keeping good notes and organizing your info, research definitely more than less--and look for research in a variety of ways, and lastly, include information into your story that is imperative, but if it's not necessary, then more information is sometimes just that--more information (which just might get in the way of getting to the good part of your story)....

Oh...
Morgana--I'm thinking of an Alternate Beginning story--I really like the concept of throwing L&C together and meeting in a totally different way, but because they are meant to be, it all falls into place for them

A general rule of thumb is it's better to know stuff you don't use, than to not research stuff and regret it later.

I accidentally posted prior before I was done posting--still getting the hang of things, I guess...(and could have something to do with typing on my lap on the sofa?)

Anyway....wanted to say that I really liked your point, Virginia...very true--and good to remember! Nice learning all this before the fanfic is attempted

Again, thanks much everyone! You're great!

Google Maps is promoting Venice today and I thought of you.

Thanks, Virginia for thinking of me ...

I have a very detailed outline of my story--but that is the extent of this story so far...fully planning to start writing (sometime!...maybe after the holidays?). I've been catching myself 'writing' scenes in my head while driving/showering/daydreaming etc. The story is definitely wanting to be written ...

Thanks again!
Laura

Seeing this bumped up reminded me of a quote from "Mike and Molly" when Molly meets her favorite author (no spoilers!):

"Don't write what you know. Write what you don't want people to know."

Food for thought.

Too true, research everything. Even the most unlikely, completely made-up facts. You might find otu that these things actually exist.

In a small story I once wrote, I had Lois and Clark's kids mess up a turkey recipe for Lois. Going way out there, I decided that they'd invent something for a stuffing. The most unlikely thing I could come up with was gingerbread stuffing for their Thanksgiving turkey - and that Lois would fall for it.

Needless to say, a quick search with google confirmed what I'd never thought possible: There is indeed a recipe for a gingerbread-stuffed turkey floating around, and comments indicated that it must be delicious. Who would've guessed? Certainly not me.

I know from a fellow fanfic writer who had one of her original characters turn out to be a criminal. That characters first name was very common, but his last name was invented. Made up out of thin air.

A couple of months later, she found some hatemail in her (email) inbox, written by someone whose name matched that of her original character.

So, yeah, check and double-check and even triple-check even the most unlikely things, just in case.

It sounds as if someone needs to take a chill pill and stop Googling themselves. I have created so many characters in my lifetime, it's insane to expect writers to double-check online to see if anyone has the same name in real life. Apparently, we all need to add that line they use in movie and book disclosures, such as: "all characters' names and likenesses in this story are creations of the author (except those owned by DC, etc.), despite any similarities to anyone living or dead."

On that note, I'll admit that I did Google the name Kirk Devlin which I used in Wrong Clark, because it sounded so good I figured I must have heard it somewhere before. Nothing out of the ordinary popped up, so I used it.

Thanks--certainly gives you something to think about! Guess you never know what can happen...research, know what you are writing about. I never would have thought gingerbread stuffing was a thing either (then again, I'm about as talented in the kitchen as Lois is --thank goodness for the microwave!)

Should cover any and all issues

Laura

I've had people get very upset with me for pointing out a research error. I once told an author that British currency is the pound, not the dollar. She was enraged that I would dare to criticize her.

I don't understand that kind of attitude. I'd rather have my story be correct than me embarrass myself with such a horrendous gaff such as that. Please, correct any of my inaccuracies as they pop up.

Back in high school, when I took weight training for P.E. (it had a nice male/female ratio), I read a published novel by an acclaimed author (*and* I mean a NYTimes Best Selling author), where at the end of the book the main character (a woman) bragged about finally working up to bench pressing forty-five pounds. Since that's the weight of a standard bench press bar, it made me wonder how exactly weak she was when she started her work out routine months earlier. A wrong fact like that can throw the reader out of the story (or make the reader throw the book across the room). So, know that errors happen to the best (and well-paid) of us.

With historical or Regency novels, the fanbase is so strict and picky, that I've heard that a misused word is liable to get an author a strongly worded note of condemnation.

We did a weights unit in P.E. when I was in high school, and the teacher insisted that girls not try to lift more than 25 pounds. Many of us lifted more than that on a regular basis, especially those of us in a lot of academic classes, since the school had no lockers and we had a lot of textbooks to carry. (Six textbooks can weigh between 40 and 50 pounds, plus notebooks, binders, food, drinks, etc. My backpack regularly weighed 60 pounds or more.)