Reasons to Research

When we write, our stories often take over. We allow the characters and environments to command their own direction while we get caught up in the magic of the process. Sometimes we might forget to do any research or we tell ourselves we’ll do it later. And sometimes we realise we should have done it sooner.

Below I’ve listed reasons we shouldn’t put it off:

Research to save time. Novel writing is a time consuming endeavour. It’s good to research the market before we throw ourselves into our masterpiece because what we have in mind may not be right for the market. Armed with the knowledge of standard expectations, we can save ourselves some heartache.

Research for rule bending. We need to know the rules so we can learn which ones are bendable and which are not. For example, acceptable story length: we can get away with 120k words for a historical, but not crime.

Research for plausibility. A novel which lacks plausibility will rip the reader from the story realm. Science Fiction writers often need to research science facts and theories. Fantasy writers often have to research mythology, or historical elements. We all need to research different personalities for our characters, different vocations, and different settings.

Research for inspiration. Research opens our minds and it can often lead us to areas we wouldn’t have gone otherwise. I’ve gained so much inspiration while doing research.

When in the novel writing process do you do your research? What are some strange things you never thought you’d research?