As a writer, you have a lot of flexibility to create the story, especially if you center more on fiction. It’s OK to make things up off the top of your head as long as you can make it seem realistic. And when it comes to fantasy and building a whole new world, there is so much you can do without spending hours researching locations, people, and things.
However, even a fantastic world filled with magic and various types of undead needs a bit of research. Again, it’s all about creating a realism that the reader can connect with throughout the manuscript. If you leave someone scratching their head or if the circumstance is too unbelievable, even in a fantasy world you built yourself, it can ultimately negatively affect the reader’s experience.
Collecting All of the Relevant Information
A lot of authors will pour over a ton of research before they even write the first word of a new book. Personally, I’ll research elements for a book as I need them. For one thing, it keeps me from melting away too much time researching facts that I’ll never use. I often research hyper-specific things as I write.
Take Kingmaker, for example. I created that entire world myself including the lore, how magic works, the politics of kingdoms, and more. Yet, I still spent the better part of three days researching how far a horse can travel in a day at full gallop. Then, I needed to know if a horse could make up a certain amount of distance within a specific time frame. The reason? I wanted the story to be as realistic as possible.
In the new book I’m writing for the Reedsy Master Class, How to Write a Novel, I’ve committed to countless hours of research. Instead of a fantasy world of my own creation, this book is set in Atlantic City in 1874. So, I need to know as much about the location as possible from 150 years ago. It hasn’t been the easiest feat, but I did find quite a few references that I’ve saved.
Then, I needed to know certain firearms of the 1870s, clothing, foods, rental carriages, and so much more. And although all of this research cuts into writing time, it’s for the better as the story feels more realistic. Unfortunately, this is a trait that a lot of new authors skimp out on, not to mention script writers for shows and movies.
Seriously, if you’ve watched the first season of SHEILD, Sterling, Colorado looks nothing like it does in the show. This is coming from someone who actually lived in Sterling for more than a decade. Less than 30 seconds in Google Maps would have shown you that. It’s called lazy writing, and one of the biggest problems with creators and the movie industry nowadays.
My point is that I prefer to dump as much time into researching realistic elements to improve the story overall than to try to crank out the words to meet deadlines. I don’t have a lot of time to write during the day, and sometimes the research burns up the majority of what I set aside. Nonetheless, the story is vastly improved because I took that extra time to bring some small details to light.
What Do I Use the Most for Research?
Google is my best friend. Between maps and search results, I can gather a great deal of information without leaving my desk. But there is a caveat - I also need to make sure the sources are legit. I don’t often take information at face value from any one source.
For instance, I read through a ton of blog posts, science papers, and expert horse-focused websites for that scene in Kingmaker. And I did find a few blogs that were contradictory. That’s why you need to verify sources before using them.
I don’t rely on Wikipedia. I’ll use the links within Wikipedia, but I don’t put a lot of stock in the actual information on the page. That’s because virtually anyone can write whatever they want. If you don’t cite the source, I’m not going to trust the information.
The problem I have with Google Maps is that it shows you how everything is laid out today. Well, I need to know how it looked in 1874. I’ll still use Google Maps of the Atlantic City area, especially when it comes to distances between points of interest. But then I’ll use drawings and first-hand journals of folks who actually lived in the location back then to envision what it might have looked like. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to research, that is for sure.
For the next book, I plan on adding a few museums to the mix for more information as well as an in-person experience of certain things. I’ll give you a hint - I’ll be visiting the grave of Buffalo Bill here in Denver. Coincidentally, that’s where I was when we took the picture for A Freelancer’s Tale. I was standing about 20 feet from the museum on Lookout Mountain.
Being able to see things with your own eyes at a museum seems to give it more of a realistic edge. Sure, there are some great pictures of the Colt Peacemaker (which is featured in the new book), but it pales to actually seeing it yourself as well as holding one. The descriptions that I can write from seeing or experiencing something first-hand go well beyond what I can write simply from a picture on Google.
The Research is Fun, In My Opinion
I love learning new things. It’s one of the reasons why I was so successful as a writer for Textbroker. I was able to hop from one topic to another, seamlessly, while writing in a style that demonstrated authority. There was a lot of research that went into every piece of content I wrote for clients.
Nowadays, it’s fun to just do the research to learn something I could add to my books. And it’s also the reason why most of us authors are probably on some kind of watch list somewhere. We often look up some very dark stuff.
Regardless, I love the research that goes into every book. Not just because I want to put together a realistic story, but also because it satisfies my need to keep learning.