This summer, as I pen (or rather type) the rough draft of my first Mystery novel, I have been given the opportunity to conduct a new kind of research. Call it practical learning. Everyday after my writing I head over to my summer class: Human Osteology.
Osteology is the study of bones.
Wait, Rocky, I thought you liked writing and business? Many people have asked me this question since I started, and it is not even the end of June. While Osteology has many benefits, among them teaching material to faciliate a complete understanding of human anatomy, it is a course most useful to pre-med, science or anthropology majors.
None of these match what I plan on studying at Brandeis, or doing in the future. Then why am I taking it? Because it offers me practical research.
When I spoke with best-selling crimewriter Patricia Cornwell, she advised aspiring writers to “go out and experience things.” Cornwell herself became a certified Scuba diver and helicopter pilot as her form of practrical research: she wanted to write about a character with these accomplishments, so she decided to practice it herself to fully understand what it was like.
The same applies to human osteology. The reason I am spending half my summer studying bones is because I think it will help me with my novel writing. Especially with mysteries. Half the Osteology class covers the anatomy of the human skeletal system. The other half teaches us how to use forensic techniques to determine the Age and Sex of individual bone fragments, as well as the specific bones they come from and correct sides. Today we started a project on how to do this but for bone fragments that have been immolated first (burned by fire). In addition, the human remains we study are not new, but most are estimated to be over a thousand years old. My novel happens to occur in a time and place where most forensic technologies do not exist, yet the skills that this course offers me nevertheless enrich my understanding of a portion of forensics. It’s sword and sorcery, however, so learning about medieval skeletons in particular may be even more beneficial. And most of the techniques we use do not involve modern science anyway. Which makes it a perfect training ground for me to experiment with something n a practical fashion that I want to write about.
Studying human remains in Human Osteology while writing has afforded me a tremendous opportunity to enrich my writing. I recommend this practical research to every writer. But with disclaimer: exceptions exist, so obviously do not do anything dangerous, immoral or against the law—that type of research may be best learned in non-practical ways. But in most instances, whether you want to write a mystery involving bones from the medieval period or a character who can dive to great depths underwater (or both!), gaining the experience yourself will help enliven your writing and give your readers a more powerful story.
