I like to do research. It's learning new things. I was one of those kids who looked forward to the new school year. Doing research is one of the joys of writing for me.
But there are times when I think I overdo it. In HM, the protagonist has a job that I know only a little about. So I need to research it. No problem there. Buy a magazine that caters to the person who does this job. Except it isn't one magazine. It's all 4 titles on the shelf. For several months in a row. Do I really need that much information?
The same with D&D. They own a particular type of business. This one doesn't have a lot of magazines on the shelf, but I buy what I can find. Then I decided that someone they know should make jewelry. Ali and Mary are both wonderful jewelry makers. Great sources. But I also bought 5 jewelry magazines the other day.
Maybe it's not a research problem, but a magazine addiction.
To emulate Ali, I'll pose a question: How much research is too much?
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4 comments:
Ooh, I'm being emulated. Hrm... somehow that sounds dirty :)
Tough question. It's one of those un-quantifiable ones, too. Kinda like how Deb was wondering about the times when page count doesn't correlate with really being productive, i.e. no quality.
The only way I can think of to draw a line is to try to plan ahead of time what you need to know. Like with jewelry making, ask "If I learn peyote stitch, am I going to use it?" or "Do I really need to learn how to do lampwork if I don't have a torch?"
With writing, it's more along the lines of "If my character does X in the book/story, do I really need to know about Y?"
When all else fails, I'd say write it with what you know already then go back and fix the facts later. Then you know exactly what you need to know more about.
I say if it adds to the content of your story--and keeps you from looking like an ignoramus--then you must do it. However, if you find yourself spending more time 'researching' than writing I'd say you've stepped over the edge.
Jodi Picoult, a hero, however, does something like nine months of research and three months of writing. I may be off on the numbers, you'd have to check her website, but my point is that you have to know what works for you and what blocks you.
That is a tough question. In MMG, I found myself stopping to look up one little fact then spending hours surfing the web. It was always related content, but not necessarily necessary.
So I started using brackets to indicate where I needed data like [what shows would have been on TV Monday nights in this year]. Then I could go back and look it up later.
I like the brackets idea a lot. Then you're not over-researching and can narrow down research time to exactly what you need.
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