I have posted about what made my novel to show my main elements for my fiction thriller, which are the characters, time, and location. But I had to do more than just figuring out what I want, because – let’s face it – I am no psychiatrist, I don’t have military, tactical, or espionage experiences, my dental experiences does not extend further to cover my medical knowledge… My story must be convincing, even though its fiction in all the meanings of the word.
I saw an interview with Hideo Kojima, a spy fiction story writer and game designer, he mentioned writing a ridiculous car chase scene as a kid, it was because he had never drove a car at the time. When he started to write his spy fiction stories (Metal Gear) he went and trained with the military. He gained the right knowledge needed for his work, which I must say, is one of a kind.
My character is two sides of the same coin, he’s a psychiatrist, and a soldier of fortune. I read two books about sign language, and one about the art of persuasion, to help giving the right dialogue to my main character and to help him in profiling people. It also helped me with writing about other characters emotionally. I read a book about old espionage stories (spy craft), it helped me a lot by giving me the basics, and through them, I developed some of my own tools for my novel which appeared believable and helpful for both the characters and the readers.
I have friends who are police men, they gave me a couple of information about names of weapons and a couple of pointers of some of the effects they have. I also had fun doing Aikido, a form of martial arts, where I learned a couple of wrist grips and some other movements, which I was therefor able to describe in my novel, making some scenes look genuine.
I went around to talk to physicians and pharmacists to gain some medical information required in my book, I have spent a lot of my time in the library searching for some of the books I mentioned, I went using a clay of my self and placed it inside my novel, like my knowledge in luxury watches, which I gained in my brief time as a sales man… and the long daily – eye boiling – times I spent looking at the screen on my computer, searching through the web whenever I stumble upon a hindering issue.
I did all that because I want to satisfy the readers, by making what’s fiction look genuine. Having a good base will help giving my readers a solid ground to stand on.
So as you can see, making my book was a rough journey, a journey I still go through everyday with my other books, and I love it.
ahamin 
I can certainly appreciate the research element of writing a story. My first book, NEW YESTERDAYS, was a joy to write because it mostly consists of things I learned and experienced growing up. I had to do a bit of research for the historical portions in the fantasy segment, but not so much. Now though, I’m writing an international espionage novel that requires research in microbiology, internal medicine, nanotechnology, naval warfare, and covert operations. That’s a tall order brother, and it’s a wonderful adventure for me! I’m looking forward to reading your finished story. Somehow, I already know it’s going to be a good read!
Thanks brother, I hope my book find its way to your shelves.
Your list sound interesting to capture and place inside a novel, I sure appreciate the effort you will go through, so have fun doing it. And let us know how well it turns out.