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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)
19 comments:
I think most of my research is done in Phase 1 and Phase 3. While brainstorming, if I feel like there are elements that are really central to the plot/characters, I'll go ahead and research them prior to writing.
Then when the actual writing begins, if there's something I missed, or a new element that needs researching I'll just type something like "RESEARCH THIS" in my MS and move on until the revisions phase. During that time I'll go through and make a big checklist of all the things I need to research so that I can tick them off one by one.
That's really smart! I write in sprints, so I rarely ever stop a sprint to look something up, but occasionally (for Phase 2 research) I'll check something between sprints, if it's something I feel I need to know right away. Otherwise I leave it for Phase 3, although writing down a list of items left for Phase 3 sounds like a really good idea.
I try not to research too much before starting, because like most writer types I tend to get lost in the facts. When writing, if I find a place that needs research, I usually do it right away, because half the time I *need* to know before continuing, and the other half of the time that research gives me some good ideas on where to go (which changes my outline, but I'm happy with the result).
One of my favourite types of research is playing on Google Maps, and I find that scouting locations a little brings me better plot ideas than my original intention.
For my first novel, I only did research during revisions. And there was a lot of it, because I had never thought about the details of the world until beta readers started asking about it. This time I had a rough idea of the story with some dialogue scenes written out when I started researching the world. But my WIP is a historical fantasy and I want it more grounded than the scifi world I made up from scratch.
I do most of mine before I start writing because it distracts me from getting words on the page if I have to stop and research things. However, if they're small details, I will look those up while drafting. I rarely have to go back and do more in-depth research during revisions. Drafting is such a chore for me, I have to know everything before I start. I wish that weren't the case!
The intensity of my researching stages definitely varies from WIP to WIP. Every MS has different needs. :)
I could definitely see how having to stop while writing to look something up could be distracting. And it's never a bad idea to have a lot of information upfront while writing.
I don't like research. It ranks around the same as proofreading. I try to be as economical as possible. If I need to research a setting, I'll use the setting again. For an unresearched setting, I try to do some before I start by hitting the tour books with a basic checklist. The rest is largely as I write because I really don't know what I need until they get there -- things like looking for pictures of things to describe, character pictures, the weather. I'm so bad with details that if I leave it until later I'll have a major revision (as in pull the entire story apart) because of the details. So I try to research whatever I need as I go along.
I love Google Maps. I really like the "street view" option. I also check the weather frequently for the location my story is set in.
It depends on what kind of topics I intend to touch upon. If I already know, I'll fake it, then research after the piece is done so I can go back and polish/bulk those areas.
If it's something I already kind of know about but want to be conversant so I can just plow ahead, I research first. I also try to get any research for a NaNoWriMo project done ahead of time, so I don't lose precious writing time looking up the particulars of one esoteric thing or another. It stinks to feel paralyzed because you seriously don't know an answer and can't dig up anything good enough on Google, when you could've done your library stuff the month before.
There are times, however, I do need to do a quick Google, and I try not to mire myself down with Wikipedia freefall in the subsequent hours. Or I make something up, but make a note that I did so. Sometimes I only think I made something up, but it's close enough. Other times, more serious alterations need to be implemented to make everything more cohesive with real world facts.
Writing urban fantasy is frequently helpful, but no excuse in my mind to not research a topic on which you'll be "presenting".
Most of my research is done in the planning stages. I can't start writing a book unless I know each and every particular. When it comes to places though, I try to stick to where I've been. There's something about experiencing places that you just can't duplicate by searching the internet.
I totally understand what you mean about not being sure of exactly what you need until you get there (which is why I usually do a little while writing and a lot afterwards). I hadn't thought of using tour books, but that's a great idea. I imagine they're pretty helpful, especially for setting research.
I agree that it definitely depends on topics/genre etc. I'm playing around with an idea right now that requires more upfront research than I've done in a long while, but usually I can get by with a little basic browsing, then fixing later on. A lot of people have mentioned making notes as they go along, and I think that's a great idea. Definitely something I should try to remember. :)
I was waiting for someone to say this! I understand the need to know as much as possible before you dive in, and I imagine it's helpful while writing to have a lot of information upfront.
Yes! Street view is fantastic. And weather is definitely good to check on for real-world locations.
Exactly! I'll never know how pantsers do it!
The one time I completely pantsed a project, it was in a contemporary setting so I didn't need quite as much research. But I imagine pantsing something like a fantasy or a project where a lot of research is required would just mean a LOT of revision.
The 'brainstorming' step is a continuous activity for me. It's a good thing I enjoy it :)
I have a personal wiki where I store all my story ideas, so whenever I notice an interesting fact or link I add it to the relevant wiki page. I don't generally start planning/writing a story until there's a critical mass of research notes.
My steps 2 & 3 are the same as yours, though I've found I need to drop off the Internet at times or it's too easy to slip into full research mode and not get any writing done!
Yes! It can be very easy to fall into the research abyss, which is why I make sure Step 2 is quick. Quick only. The rest comes later...
That's pretty interesting about the wiki. I've never used one before, but it sounds like a good way to keep all of your research and ideas in one place. :)
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