Hello everyone!
When I first decided that I wanted to be a fiction writer, I had no idea how much research would be required. One of the reasons I chose to write fiction instead of non-fiction was so I could avoid doing research; however, I have learned that in order to have a believable story, a certain amount of research is required.
My search history must make me look like a lunatic. I have researched some really interesting things like cooking over lava, swarms of wasps, and how to sharpen a sword, and some more normal stuff like hay harvesting and hours of operation for pools. Needless to say, I am extremely grateful for the Internet.
One thing I often struggle with is knowing when to stop researching. There is always more to learn on a topic than you actually have to include in your story. In her article, “How To Research Your Novel … And When To Stop,” Joanna Penn offers some tips for different ways to conduct research and how to balance conducting research with writing. She uses examples from her own novels to demonstrate how to apply both concepts. In “Top 7 Tips For Researching Your Novel,” Claire Bradshaw offers much of the same advice as Penn and includes advice on how to access research resources.
I hope you also find the articles helpful!
Happy writing!
Katie
katiemerkelwriter 