Research Methods for Fiction Writers
Research: it’s necessary, but it can also derail you, because it can be easy to get so distracted by all the things you’re learning that you forget to actually work on your book.
Still, it’s important, especially when we’re writing about things we’re not experts on. So how do you find the balance between researching effectively while making progress on your book?
Today, I’m going to share with you four research methods I recommend for fiction writers.
Method #1: Do minimum viable research
My first method isn’t an actual way of gathering information, but it’s an approach that I use in my writing that I think is critical to avoid the pitfall of getting so bogged down with research that you wind up procrastinating on actually writing your book, whether you mean to or not.
In the business world, there’s a term: MVP.
No, it doesn’t mean Most Valuable Player, although the first time I heard it, I thought that, too.
It means Minimum Viable Product, and it refers to the idea that you want to get the barebones product out in front of people and learn from how they interact with it before you start adding bells and whistles that you don’t even know yet if they’ll want.
You don’t spend years tinkering with a product before it’s even in people’s hands.
The same is true when it comes to research and the first draft of your book.
Doing only the minimum viable research means that you’re doing the smallest amount of research possible that is required to finish a very basic first draft of your book.
That’s probably going to sound counterintuitive, and you may be thinking, “Shouldn’t I do as much research as possible so I know what I’m talking about?”
No. You shouldn’t. The point of the first draft is to get it done.
There’s going to be so much of your first draft that you’re going to throw out. So much.
In one of my novels, I had a scene of a Middle Eastern prince coming to dinner. I could have spent literally dozens of hours reading about Middle Eastern princes in order to write this scene…but I didn’t. Because I didn’t even know if it was going to stay once I started revising!
Instead, I did a little bit of research, enough so that I could write the scene and feel like it was pretty accurate, and then I waited until I was working on the second draft and decided the scene was going to stay to do more rigorous research.
If you limit the research you do on a first draft, you’ll be able to dedicate more time to actually writing your draft. When you go back to revise—and yes, you will have to revise—you can fill in any holes or correct any mistakes then.
In the meantime, just get the draft done first, and sticking to minimum viable research can help you do that.
Now, it’s worth noting here that minimum doesn’t mean very little.
Minimum is subjective, and it will vary based on the kind of book you’re writing.
If you’re writing a story set in Ireland in the 1700s and you know nothing about that place and time, minimum is going to mean…quite a lot.
It’s all about how much do you need to do to get out a first draft. No more, no less.
Method #2: Interview an expert
Now on to actual ways of gathering information. Method #2 is the interview.
One of the best ways to learn about something is to actually ask someone who knows about it.
Writing a story about lawyers? Find a friend or friend of a friend who is one. Writing a sci-fi book featuring a mysterious pathogen? Talk to a doctor, or someone who studies viruses!
In my experience, most people don’t have people asking them about their jobs or lives every day, so if you show up asking to pick their brain for 20 minutes, they’re pretty happy about it!
My last novel, Palm Beach, involves insider trading, and since I’m absolutely not a finance person, I interviewed someone who works for the SEC, as in, the Securities and Exchange Commission.
I was surprised he was willing, but once we were on the phone, he said, “Are you kidding? This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in ages—a novel!”
And no, you don’t have to have been published already. I encourage the writers I work with, most of whom are unpublished, to put themselves out there and just ask, and they’re often pleasantly surprised.
Just say, I’m working on a novel about X. Would you mind chatting with me for 20 minutes?
I’d say 20 because most people are happy to take 20 minutes. Then make sure you go in with questions you want to ask so you can make the best use of your time.
Method # 3: Do the thing yourself
This next method isn’t always feasible, but if your story involves something that you can experience yourself, just go and do it!
It may not be the best fit if you’re writing about, say, astronauts, but hey, maybe you might take a ride on one of those zero gravity plane rides to see what that feels like.
Or if you’re writing about a chef, take some cooking classes.
That’s what I did when I was writing my first novel When You Read This with a character in it who’s a chef at a high-end restaurant. It was fun. It was…a good excuse to do something fun, actually.
A writer in my program took a trip to a town of psychics. Another one followed the circus.
Another idea: If something just sounds fun, maybe do it, and then decide if you want to write about it. Use writing as an excuse to go take those trapeze lessons you’ve always wanted to take.
In general, I think trying new things is almost never something you regret, and expanding your range of experience will make your writing and your characters richer, even if you’re not writing about doing trapeze or making a souffle right now.
You never know what you’ll be inspired to write later.
Method #4: Compartmentalize your work
My last research method is an important technique for tackling research for a book: compartmentalize and separate “writing time” from “research time”.
You don’t want to get distracted from writing your book because you fell down a research wormhole.
To keep this from happening, I like to separate my writing time from my research time.
While working on my draft, if I hit a part where I feel like I need to research something before I write that section, I’ll put in a placeholder note so I know to go back to it when I’m done writing for the day and I go back to do research on the parts that need it.
For people who type their drafts, you can mark these sections with the letters “TK”—two letters that don’t often appear next to each other in English—so when you use the find or search text function, you can quickly jump to the placeholder sections instead of scrolling through your draft forever.
Whatever system works for you, I recommend keeping separate, designated times for writing and research so you can keep up your writing momentum while also setting aside time to fill in the blanks.
My most creative time is the mornings, so I make that sacred writing time when I’m actually working on a book. Then I do research in the afternoons, when my brain is more fried. This works really well for me.
I recommend doing something similar—saving your best time of day for writing, and carving it out then if you can. I know we all have work and life and whatnot, but if mornings are you best, can you take 30 minutes before breakfast, or as soon as you sit down at your desk?
What can you pull off?
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