Novel Writer's Toolkit: Revised Edition

Research: The Story's World and Get the Details You'll Need

Research is one of my favorite parts of writing. Also, the more prepared I am to write the novel, the less likely am to get lost or write myself into a corner.  Research is something I also do on a daily basis with simply watching TV, reading, or looking around me.

The Video for this section I took while writing and researching my epic novel on The Civil War: Duty, Honor, Country.

There are two types of research:  primary and secondary.  

Primary research is related to specifics of the story you are going to tell.  

Secondary research goes on all the time and should be second nature to a writer—it’s called living and being tuned in to the world.  You should be observing things around you all the time.  You should also be well read.  Many times your ideas come out of research in the first place.

I had a demolition’s man on my Special Forces team and whenever we went anywhere he was always looking at things around him and figuring out how he would blow them up.  Every dam we passed, power line, bridge, etc. he was estimating how many charges it would take and where he would place them.  As a writer you should be always thinking like that—how you would write things you see, describe people you observe?  How would you show what you observe without telling?

The number one thing a writer must do is write.  I would say the number two thing is read.  Read for information and read for style.  Read for format.  Reading books like the type you want to write is probably the best possible research you can do.  

Every Book You Read, You Should Be Taking It Apart In Two Ways  

• Overall narrative structure 

• Scene by scene plot/character development.

When I get stalled writing, I’ll turn my seat and look at the wall behind me that is filled with bookcases.  I’ll look at titles of the books there, remembering the stories, and it will both inspire me and also give me ways around problems I’m facing in my current manuscript.  Remember, as a writer, you are not alone if you have books.

Watch Films

Although the medium is different, the dramatic concept is basically the same.  Another key to watching film is that a screenwriter must absolutely show not tell.  Watch how they get ideas and emotions across strictly through showing.  Also, focus on the camera work—the point of view the director chooses to tell the story.  Where is the camera location for each shot?  When is there a cut?  When does the camera move in on a character and move out?  Why?  How is light used?  Shadow?  Tone?  Colors?  

In many cases, research helps you construct the story after you have your initial idea.  Research is not just looking outward for information, it’s also looking inward.  Make sure you know the real reason you are writing the story you’ve decided to.  Whatever you feel about the story is going to bleed out onto the page.

Setting

Research your setting (place & time).  There is nothing equal to actually standing in a place and getting the feel for it.  I call it ‘walking the terrain.’

You can never have enough information.  Even while writing I look for more information about the topic I am writing about.  All my books have started from the Kernel idea and then the story developed out of the research I did on that idea and related areas.

One question people ask is how factual their stories should be?  Where is the line between realistically portraying something and making things up?  That's a difficult question to answer.  My science fiction books are only science fiction in that I give a different explanation for things that actually exist.  It is a fact that there are large statues on Easter Island.  The fiction in my Area 51 series comes in when I give my own explanation for why those statues were made.