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| Photo credit: Nomadic Lass on Flickr |
I’ve been thinking about researching, specifically, researching for a WIP.
Whether you’re writing a fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary, romance, thriller or something else entirely, some form of research usually comes into play, whether it’s looking up how long it takes a bone to heal, or what the weather is like in Arkansas.
For me, my research tends to come in three stages:
- Brainstorming. This is the initial research done while developing the book idea. Researching in this stage tends to be more for purposes of inspiration (Pinterest comes in handy), and the amount of research depends pretty heavily on the idea. For me, it varies anywhere from 100% inspiration fun, to more detailed what is this country/time period/culture like?
- Quick search. This is the research I’ll do while writing the actual WIP. Usually, as the title indicates, it’s a quick Google search to answer a question or double-check a fact, and it most times it only takes a couple minutes.
- Filling in the gaps. This is more intensive research done while revising. In this stage, I’ll really get into fact-checking and I’ll gather as many details as I can to add some verisimilitude to the writing. Whatever question marks, blanks or uncertain elements I incorporated into the first draft will be ironed out in this stage.
Twitter-sized bites:
When do you do the bulk of your novel research? Join the discussion at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)
What is your novel researching process like? Share your experience at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)
