Writing Research

[naomikritzer]

So, my next writing project involves a character getting a large package from her recently deceased German uncle's estate. I asked a lawyer friend how this would actually work (would it show up at her door? at the airport?) and he said that given the circumstances in the story (it is shipped to her unopened, according to her uncle's instructions) it would be held at the Port Authority in Chicago and she would have to go down in person to get it.

I need to know where she's actually going to have to go, who she'll have to talk to, how many forms she'll have to fill out, and so on. Will it be a routine thing for the person assisting her? Will she have to stand in a long line? How big of a hassle is parking going to be?

So, I googled for the Port Authority in Chicago and concluded, after browsing through their website (which -- not surprisingly -- offers no information about this specific situation) that I should probably talk to Customs. I called the number. I got a phone tree with lots of specific departments like "AMS" but no option for "general inquiries." I tried the operator, who said I should probably call the downtown office and gave me a number. I tried the downtown office and got a human being right off, who listened to my explanation, and then forwarded me to someone she didn't name. The phone rang a few times and then went to a completely anonymous voicemail box: "Please leave your name and number after the tone." Uhhhhhhhh, okay. I left a slow, careful message explaining that I'm a writer working on a story, leaving my name, phone number, and e-mail address, and asking them to please call me back even if it's just to say that I've called completely the wrong person.

I have this horrible feeling that whoever it is will never call me back.

Does anyone know anyone who works for Customs, or for the Port Authority in Chicago?

I used to imagine that the "hi, I'm a writer and I need to know..." calls would be easy once I was a "real" (published) writer. Ha.

At least I didn't grow up to become an anthropologist (or some other social scientist or humanities professor who would need to do actual fieldwork). That's all about cold-calling strangers and hitting them up for favors. (Or you can go somewhere without phones, which means you need to show up on people's doorsteps to ask your questions -- which is even worse.)

Comments

[joxn.livejournal.com]

I don't know any of the answers, but my offhand suggestion is that next time, instead of "I'm a writer and ..." you could start out with "my uncle just died and he sent me this package and I'm supposed to pick it up there but I have no idea what to do".

[naomikritzer]

I suck at that.

Also, one of my questions is, "Would this person be called, or would they get a letter?"

[(Anonymous)]

Are you thinking that it came in via ship? Because if you can change your scenario to having it come in by air, I might be able to put you in touch with someone at O'Hare.

[naomikritzer]

If it could come by air, I think it could come all the way to Minneapolis.

The German uncle instructed that the box be shipped unopened. Because of that, I was told by my lawyer friend that it would have to come by ship, and thus end up in O'Hare.

When I was originally thinking through the first part of the story, I was imagining that the character would only have to get to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. Once I found out she'd have to go to Chicago, I came up with this whole road-trip opening bit and now I'm really attached to it.

[fehler.livejournal.com]

You know, the story about how you got to this point is pretty interesting in itself. She gets word that she has a package, she goes through the rigamole you just went through, leaves a detailed message to an anonymous voice mail, and the package arrives months later after she forgot about the whole situtation.

But otherwise, I have no idea what to do in this case.

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

Suggestion: Go to http://project-wombat.org, and ask on the Project-Wombat list.

Project Wombat is a mailing list mostly for library personnel faced with questions they can't answer. But non-members can ask questions, and non-librarians can join (me, for example).

It's the successor to the Stumpers list. My favorite question on Stumpers was -"Where can I buy clothing for my plaster geese?"- That one got answered; turns out there are several mail order places. (And,of course, you can buy patterns.)

[slystick.livejournal.com]

This is the point where you introduce an incidental character who engages the main character in a half-page of seamingly meaningless dialogue, and then cut to the pick-up. Your job is easier, the reader's job is easier -- it's a win-win!

For bonus points, you re-introduce the incidental character in the third-to-last chapter of the same book to tie up some hanging threads, most hopefully having to do with the pick-up -- but whatever works. You know how to work this out -- right? Their fate seems tied to the crux of your current book, but.. Somehow, they fade away unnoticed. Ahem..

Until, that is, the third chapter of your next book, where the mystery bursts forth again! This time muttering dark thoughts about tangents you deliberately slipt over last time. And the chase, anew, is afoot! What will happen? Who will tell me? Tell me!

But then again, you're the professional writer. You know how to excite your reader, as opposed to boring a Chicago phone jockey.

You've read Rowling, and know how she's sold millions of books. To adults, as well as children. And I'm pretty sure Rowling didn't get her plot points from LJ buddies and syncopants.

NOT being harsh -- just saying, fully confident you can work this out pro bono.

[naomikritzer]

This isn't a plot problem, it's a research problem.

I already have the plot and characters worked out. I just think the scenes where they get the McGuffin will be better if I'm not completely faking all the real-world Customs stuff.

[devonbree.livejournal.com]

I know you've already gotten your answers and probably aren't even looking in this topic anymore, but my obsessive-compulsive nature compels me to add another voice to the suggestion to "check with reference librarians" -- as the pointer to Project Wombat basically is. Lee-Anne gets these sorts of kind of bizarre queries all the time. The spookier ones that reference librarians get are the ones from mystery writers asking for detail about particular means of doing someone in. Anyway, find yourself a really great reference desk somewhere and you're golden.

(To digress further, your call to Customs reminds me of when Lee-Anne was working in inter-library loan. Turns out that under the current customs regs in Canada and the United States, it's very difficult to loan a book across the boarder unless you've got a courier willing to carry it by hand. Otherwise, the shipper will insist someone pay the customs dues on it -- once as it comes on its way to the borrowing institution and once on return to the lender. Evidently there's nothing in the laws in either country recognizing the notion of a loaned library book -- the book is considered imported goods and then exported goods. When Lee-Anne called up North to find out what the deal was, she got handed up the tree all the way to the minister in charge of customs. The only fix seemed to be legislation on the part of Parliament and Congress....)