The first level of learning for me is to find books on a subject that interests me. If I find there is still more I want to learn I will then look into other areas such as classes, research opportunities, or speaking with an expert on the topic. I have never been one to sign up for traditional classes unless it is the only way to learn what I am working on at the moment but the truth is there are classes in a variety of styles covering almost every subject you could ever think of.
Local colleges or learning annexes are always offering classes to give interested students the chance to learn more about subjects that interest them. Many sports offer workshops and clinics to let participants pick up the ball, swing the bat, or sink the putt for themselves.
Many times writers will find a subject, one that comes to mind for me recently was photography, that plays an important role in their stories but the author may not be familiar with that particular subject quite yet. When the main character of my book Survivor came about she let me know her passion was photography. Not only did she enter a competition in Survivor but her pictures play an integral part in Sharing Strength. The problem is, when I try to take pictures they come out looking like a child got ahold of their parent's camera.
When it comes to lighting, composition, and of course studying one's subject through the lens, I am completely at a loss. Or at least I was. When I wrote the first draft of Survivor I used space fillers for the parts I needed to learn then when editing I went back to fill in specifics. Sharing Strength followed the same path for the first draft. I haven't begun to do the rewrites for that one. When I do, there will be some deeper research I get to do. At that point I am going to check out a fe workshops as well as talk to some friends who have a knack for photography. I do not need to become an expert for this particular series but I want to make sure the facts I include will ring true for those who know more about photography than I do.
Another book in the series involves soldiers who fought overseas. I have never travelled to the region not have I engaged in combat but I know some people who have and they are willing to share their experiences with me to make the book that much more authentic. In this situation, while I prefer to see things for myself, it is not possible nor safe for me to travel to Afghanistan, especially unescorted. Even if I did, I cannot truly live the lives the troops stationed there go through everyday. The next best thing is learning from someone who has done so instead.
Like I mentioned at the beginning, there are a number of different ways to learn about a subject. For this series I will be using several of them and am looking forward to sharing the progress as I go along.
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