Research is an art; synthesizing research,
incorporating it into your own work is high art. Those of us who constantly ask
“why?”, who constantly wonder things like, “what is that?” or “who did this
thing first?” know that there is a beauty in finding something out. It’s deeply
satisfying and invigorating – even if we never use that tidbit of information
again.
I love research and research writing, so it seems
that incorporating research into creative nonfiction would be something I would
be clamoring to do each time I write. I have folders upon folders of
interesting stuff I would like to write about. What I struggle with, however,
is finding the right voice for that sort of writing.
Joyas
Voladoras, I think, is a fantastic example of how to do it “right.”
The material is seamlessly integrated into reflection to the point that the
reader isn’t consciously aware that they are reading something educational. I love
that. I was thinking that it seems that the tone and voice of a piece that uses
research will have everything to do with the material. Obviously there is room
for elegance and poetics in something discussing hummingbirds and hearts; a
piece on dog food can be funny and snarky or something. This is maybe why I’ve
struggled in the past: I need to let the material speak, rather than trying to
force it into a particular voice. Knowing the contexts and the nature of what
you are writing about can help you determine how to talk about it.
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