Fiction + Research

Some of you know I’ve been dabbling with writing fiction for the past six months. I’ve also had the pleasure of leading a fiction writing unit of study in two different classrooms this school year. One of the things I’m noticing about myself as a fiction writer is a natural affinity for research. It’s not a far stretch for the imagination to consider research being critical for a historical fiction story; however, I’m beginning to believe research is a key for any fiction story. That said, I’m beginning to imagine how research skills can be taught via a fiction unit. (Disclaimer: I’ve not tried this in a classroom (yet), it is just some of my raw thinking about this idea.)

Why teach research through fiction? In fact, maybe you are like I used to be, and wonder why teach fiction writing at all. It’s unlikely most of our students will grow up to be fiction writers. Many more will grow up and need to know how to write a research report. So why not just teach research during a research unit? Good question.

I’ve come to believe that fiction is the genre of children. Give kids a choice in what to write and the majority of them will chose fiction. Look at the books they are reading, and again you will find many engrossed in fiction. Children love fiction. It makes sense to get behind this passion and teach skills (like research) under an interest or passion of many students.

So as I envision weaving research skills into a fiction unit of study, here are some snippets of my thinking:

• Teach strong search engine skills. Often this skill is overlooked because the emphasis is on finding a reputable website. Although it would be nice for students to find trustworthy sites, it is not nearly as important during a fiction unit as a nonfiction unit of study.
• Learn how to make a character more rounded. When I first began writing my story, I searched “adolescent grief” so I could have a deeper understanding of the feelings my character is experiencing. As I researched, I learned that many adolescents hear the voice of the deceased during the grieving process. This fact actually drives a major part of my story.
• Add specifics for a stronger story. A common setting in my story is a pond with a swan. I researched swans and learned that they tend to mate for life and when one of the mates dies the other mourns. My story is of a teenager learning to cope after her mom’s death. The facts I learned about swans are woven into my story, making the theme of recovery and hope even stronger.
• Create stronger characters. In my story, one of the characters is a fan of old movies. Last night I found myself on Google, learning about Humphrey Bogart. Even though I’ve watched some of his movies, by doing a little bit of research, I was able to find specifics to make the scene come alive.
• Learn small nuggets of research skills. The thing I’ve really noticed about myself as a researcher for writing fiction is it happens in small doses. This was what really pushed me to begin thinking about teaching research through fiction writing with young writers. Research often seems SO BIG. There is SO MUCH to teach about being an effective researcher. It is overwhelming to both teachers and students. What if we introduced some research skills during a fiction unit of study? Then our students could learn research skills bit by bit instead of feeling like they have to learn everything about research in a single unit of study.

I’m excited about hearing some of your thoughts on this idea. Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment.