It feels like standing up in an AA meeting to say “I am a writer”. Truly, a writer is an identity as much as a career. You will always be getting new plot ideas, creating new characters, and finding new stories to tell.
One piece of advice given is “do you research”. Which is good advice, up to a point. A poorly researched story shows laziness, and implies the author didn’t want to spend the time or energy. You need to know the time and place you intend to set a story. You also need to have an understanding of what your characters would know, and what they are capable of. Having a repeating rifle show up in the old West before it was invented will turn off readers of Westerns. Nothing spoils a plot point faster than the audience knowing it would be impossible. On the flip side, the protagonist shouldn’t be stumped by an issue with a solution that would be clear to someone who knows how to go camping or fix a car. Dramatic license exists, but only works so far. Some fans are more picky than others, and some topics are more widely known than others. The drive for more diverse characters in our stories means not falling into a trap of relying on tropes or stereotypes, but instead writing fully fleshed human beings. This might mean connecting with communities the writer is unfamiliar with. Research can give answers as well as spoil plot elements. It can also give ideas for compelling new stories.
But like everything except chocolate, research has a downside.
Too Much of a Good Thing…
It is too easy, as a writer, to become so focused on research you forget to write a story. Research is a boon, but it is also a trap. For one simple reason: research is fun. There will always be more to learn. If you weren’t interested in a topic you wouldn’t be writing about it. There are rabbit holes to fall into, and if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for it is too easy to get distracted.
I was caught in the research trap for several years. I was also caught in the backstory trap. Simply put, I wasn’t putting my energy into finding or establishing the info I needed for a particular story. Instead, I was researching random topics that were of interest to me, and not learning what I specifically needed. Or I was trying to figure out someone’s family history a few generations back instead of how they overcame the villain. It finally hit me there was no way I was going to have everything about my world or my characters figured out before actually writing the story, because so many things changed while I was writing it.
For speculative fiction, this is especially hard. We have to do a lot of world building which means learning about many different things. While I do believe fantasy worlds should be built on the real one as much as is practical, the simple truth is at some point you need to say “I am making this up.” Go with what makes sense in your world. I have also made the observation most made up worlds focus on a particular portion or segment of that world at first, then as the series continues expands on the world. So you don’t need to know everything about your faerie court system while writing Book One if you don’t intend to bring them in until Book Three. Sometimes, hints and vague outlines are all you need.
It is true that there are many things the author has to know that don’t show up in the story. But these still have a specific purpose. You might need to know background structures like how a society creates energy that don’t show up in the story because it doesn’t need to. However, unless the protagonist is a farmer or it has some relevance, you probably don’t need to know what they use for fertilizer. Having an idea of where things are going or the true meaning behind the name of the mystical artifact is good, but you don’t need to have all the details figured out immediately.
Trial and Error: General, then figure out the details
After some trial and error, I have developed a research method. Do some general research first—especially when writing about a time or place you’re not familiar with. Even if you are familiar with it, some overarching immersion will help you get into the mindset to write in that time or place. There are plenty of books or documentaries you can get through the library that do overarching information quite well.
Then write the first draft. Remember, a first draft is crap, so this your chance to realize where you are wrong while the stakes are low. This will tell you what specifically you need to know about the world—either a real or imaginary one—in order to write the story. Often, I don’t realize what I need to figure out until I actually write a draft.
It might not be factual research you need. For writing a funeral scene in a made up culture or place, step back and ask what their beliefs and associations with death is. Reread, and ask questions. Look over your questions, and decide what you need to learn more about, as opposed to what is a backstory choice. Yes, serendipity exists but you need to be ready for it. Pick the brains of experts and amateurs alike to dig deeper. Beseech said experts to read the draft and give pointers.
Don’t research, write the story, and forget to do more research. Likewise, don’t let the fact you don’t know everything about a topic stop you from writing. There are probably going to be multiple research breaks before seeing a story to its completion. Hone your questions, and stop when you get what you need. As important as research is, it doesn’t always make or break the story. You can have the greatest irrigation system in the world from lovingly compiled research, but you still need to describe it clearly in a way that maintains the story’s flow.