How much research is enough?

[BubbleC]

Just a new writer looking for some research tips. I always seem to get caught up in the weeds of research, spending hours wading through information I ultimately don't use in my story. I know going through useless info is kinda the point of research (it's why there's a search in the word), but I can't help but feel like I'm too inefficient.

Sometimes I just want to know the answer to a simple question so I can write a sick scene but end up spending my whole day caught up in research instead. It's like I had a full-on raging writer's boner, but I didn't have a condom so I had to walk ten blocks to get one. By then the boner's gone, y'know?

So, how do you guys conduct your research? When do you know to start researching and when to stop? How do you draw the line between relying on your imagination versus research? Most importantly, how do you make research bearable and not lose your writer's boner (at least not completely)? Or do you not research at all and just jump in, guns blasting?

I know this isn't a one-size-fits-all issue, so any tips, tricks, thoughts, etc. are appreciated.
(Also if you got any favorite research sources, plz share them with this lazy, parasitic pleb. I welcome all genres.)

 

[hauntedwritings]

I'm a rather new writer, but I haven't encountered this problem that severely myself. So my answer will be quite broad.
Mostly I try to remember one of the rules of writing.

If something doesn't serve the purpose of bringing the plot forward, it shouldn't be mentioned.

It makes it easy to differentiate between needed and aesthetic research in my opinion. Of course, you might add a few things to make the story feel more alive. But if your plot needs something very detailed to be explained, it's also important to remember: less is more. Nobody is going to fault you for not going into the depths of the laws of physics, just because you want your MC to use that knowledge as a mental image to cast magic.

 

[WasatchWind]

Just a new writer looking for some research tips. I always seem to get caught up in the weeds of research, spending hours wading through information I ultimately don't use in my story. I know going through useless info is kinda the point of research (it's why there's a search in the word), but I can't help but feel like I'm too inefficient.

Sometimes I just want to know the answer to a simple question so I can write a sick scene but end up spending my whole day caught up in research instead. It's like I had a full-on raging writer's boner, but I didn't have a condom so I had to walk ten blocks to get one. By then the boner's gone, y'know?

So, how do you guys conduct your research? When do you know to start researching and when to stop? How do you draw the line between relying on your imagination versus research? Most importantly, how do you make research bearable and not lose your writer's boner (at least not completely)? Or do you not research at all and just jump in, guns blasting?

I know this isn't a one-size-fits-all issue, so any tips, tricks, thoughts, etc. are appreciated.
(Also if you got any favorite research sources, plz share them with this lazy, parasitic pleb. I welcome all genres.)

World builder's disease can be an annoying thing, in any intensity.

It is a balance. My biggest recommendation to you - write. Keep writing, even when you feel you haven't planned everything out. Write even if you feel like it's coming out crappy.

That I think will help.

 

[Horizon42]

I try to think about what I need to research and I designate a full day to just researching. That way I can focus on writing when I need to write and I use my imagination for the rest.

If you're writing about technicalities that fundamentally change how a scene or the story might play out. Specific procedures and jobs, things you need to be aware of when doing an activity like hiking, or specific technologies should all be researched to a reasonable depth. You don't want to explicitly include anything that doesn't affect the story or scene, though you should be aware of it at a deeper level than what you're writing on. The focus isn't on the research, it's on the story.

 

[Deleted member 45782]

I am limited because of a language barrier, but I also want to write stories someday that pulls certain influences from certain myths. Even though, I know I should just start writing, part of me also want to get those details and influences down more accurately. So I feel this, on one hand, I believe if you have done some research, then you should just give it a go and write. On other hand, I too also feel like sometimes I have not done enough research.Hence, I haven't written any of these stories yet that incorporate certain myths and cultures.

Here's some suggestions:
https://www.godchecker.com/ - list many gods and goddesses from many religion and cultures
https://www.worldoftales.com/#menu2&gsc.tab=0 - many culture tales and myths listed. thu idk how accurate to myths present in said culture. the four dragons chinese myth im still trying to dig up bc no one in person has ever heard it before. there was another site similar to this but i forgot what it was.
https://www.behindthename.com/ https://surnames.behindthename.com/ -has names + meaning, great to avoid picking one that means something.....

This is bit more into some of the research I've been doing, so it may not resonate with what you're trying to write:
https://academia.issendai.com/chinese-fox-stories.shtml - learn huli jing vs kumiho vs kitsune
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43629/43629-h/43629-h.htm#t-note i think i finally found this site again. project gutenberg. strange stories from a chinese studio - pu songling

Some sites I just found, also based on what I want to write on, so maybe not related to your topic:
https://chinesemythologypodcast.com/blog/ - random blog i just found

Mythology- Myths, Legends, Folklore - Ready Reference Center at Middletown Thrall Library - Web Research, Websites, Internet Resources

https://www.windows2universe.org/?page=/mythology/worldmap_new.html

And ofc Wikpedia. It may not be as accurate bc people can edit anything there, but generally the info I find seems pretty decent.

 

[BubbleC]

I am limited because of a language barrier, but I also want to write stories someday that pulls certain influences from certain myths. Even though, I know I should just start writing, part of me also want to get those details and influences down more accurately. So I feel this, on one hand, I believe if you have done some research, then you should just give it a go and write. On other hand, I too also feel like sometimes I have not done enough research.Hence, I haven't written any of these stories yet that incorporate certain myths and cultures.

Here's some suggestions:
https://www.godchecker.com/ - list many gods and goddesses from many religion and cultures
https://www.worldoftales.com/#menu2&gsc.tab=0 - many culture tales and myths listed. thu idk how accurate to myths present in said culture. the four dragons chinese myth im still trying to dig up bc no one in person has ever heard it before. there was another site similar to this but i forgot what it was.
https://www.behindthename.com/ https://surnames.behindthename.com/ -has names + meaning, great to avoid picking one that means something.....

This is bit more into some of the research I've been doing, so it may not resonate with what you're trying to write:
https://academia.issendai.com/chinese-fox-stories.shtml - learn huli jing vs kumiho vs kitsune
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43629/43629-h/43629-h.htm#t-note i think i finally found this site again. project gutenberg. strange stories from a chinese studio - pu songling

Some sites I just found, also based on what I want to write on, so maybe not related to your topic:
https://chinesemythologypodcast.com/blog/ - random blog i just found

Mythology- Myths, Legends, Folklore - Ready Reference Center at Middletown Thrall Library - Web Research, Websites, Internet Resources

https://www.windows2universe.org/?page=/mythology/worldmap_new.html

And ofc Wikpedia. It may not be as accurate bc people can edit anything there, but generally the info I find seems pretty decent.

Many thanks, kind stranger, for helping a parasite like me so generously. These resources are much appreciated. In the future, should you require my assistance in any way, shape, or form, I will be sure to reciprocate this favor. (This goes for others in this thread too). *inserts kowtow*

I won't lend money though.

 

[Daitengu]

Depends? At least the physics of things is nice. Stopping a megaton hammer is cool and all, but forgetting the character would just get hammered in to the dirt really messed with me.

Then you got guys like Tolkien who wrote his novels just to give his created languages life. Basically he wrote his passion. If you're getting lost while researching it just means it's something you can be passionate about it. Which would make for a better story imo. So I'd say research as much as you want. At least if it's a hobby. Going in for pay means sometimes you gotta just get the jist of it to meet a deadline.

 

[JayDirex]

Just a new writer looking for some research tips. I always seem to get caught up in the weeds of research, spending hours wading through information I ultimately don't use in my story. I know going through useless info is kinda the point of research (it's why there's a search in the word), but I can't help but feel like I'm too inefficient.

Sometimes I just want to know the answer to a simple question so I can write a sick scene but end up spending my whole day caught up in research instead. It's like I had a full-on raging writer's boner, but I didn't have a condom so I had to walk ten blocks to get one. By then the boner's gone, y'know?

So, how do you guys conduct your research? When do you know to start researching and when to stop? How do you draw the line between relying on your imagination versus research? Most importantly, how do you make research bearable and not lose your writer's boner (at least not completely)? Or do you not research at all and just jump in, guns blasting?

I know this isn't a one-size-fits-all issue, so any tips, tricks, thoughts, etc. are appreciated.
(Also if you got any favorite research sources, plz share them with this lazy, parasitic pleb. I welcome all genres.)

quick advice because I understand your situation but this is how I handle it. for the most part things should just be surface level as explained (meaning do not give more than a two-sentence explanation for things). However...A few times in your novel there's going to be that one thing that the MC gets to show off their nuanced scientific knowledge, and you want to explain it to the reader. Then make sure you explain it in a fun analogy type of way. If it is a fun and or entertaining scientific explanation, it will help the reader retain it since it is delivered in a digestible way and it will also show off the MC's knowledge of whatever it is that he knows well.

The point is that one thing that you want to explain in detail do that ONCE every 20 chapters Don't do it every chapter. everything else just skim the surface of the information established that yes your MC understands it, and keep the story moving. (we all know that a light switch works on some sort of open and closed circuit. That is all you would have to say to a reader. explaining anymore about how a light switch works would serve no purpose to your story.)

 

[Ai-chan]

Just a new writer looking for some research tips. I always seem to get caught up in the weeds of research, spending hours wading through information I ultimately don't use in my story. I know going through useless info is kinda the point of research (it's why there's a search in the word), but I can't help but feel like I'm too inefficient.

Sometimes I just want to know the answer to a simple question so I can write a sick scene but end up spending my whole day caught up in research instead. It's like I had a full-on raging writer's boner, but I didn't have a condom so I had to walk ten blocks to get one. By then the boner's gone, y'know?

So, how do you guys conduct your research? When do you know to start researching and when to stop? How do you draw the line between relying on your imagination versus research? Most importantly, how do you make research bearable and not lose your writer's boner (at least not completely)? Or do you not research at all and just jump in, guns blasting?

I know this isn't a one-size-fits-all issue, so any tips, tricks, thoughts, etc. are appreciated.
(Also if you got any favorite research sources, plz share them with this lazy, parasitic pleb. I welcome all genres.)

How much research is needed? Not much at all! Don't get bogged down by the extras, just write what you know. This is your first work, right? Then act like an amateur, write like an amateur. Being an amateur is not an insult, it just means that you're not at the quality of professionals yet. What's important is writing it and getting it out.

If you don't write, you can't put it out there. If you don't put it out there, nobody will see it. If nobody sees it, nobody can tell you how to improve. All those details, science and all such crap, leave it for when you can actually write properly. You are a beginner, so act like a beginner. You have to start somewhere, so start first.

As long as what you write is logical, you can bullshit and justify almost everything.

That being said, Ai-chan is also one of those guilty of over-research. Ai-chan has entries after entries in Zim regarding the various details on Ai-chan's stories. Ai-chan even went to a kenjutsu (not to be misunderstood as kendo) dojo to learn how to wield katana and naginata in order to make a realistic fighting scene. But Ai-chan isn't a beginner, so it okay for Ai-chan to go that far.

You're a beginner, do beginner things. You know, short stories, poems, blurbs, short serials and the like. Don't be overambitious. Just get it out.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Sometimes I just want to know the answer to a simple question so I can write a sick scene but end up spending my whole day caught up in research instead. It's like I had a full-on raging writer's boner, but I didn't have a condom so I had to walk ten blocks to get one. By then the boner's gone, y'know?

Reminds me of trying to find out why butter is used in Tibetan rituals. Yes, I know it is used, but WHY?

 

[CadmarLegend]

(Also if you got any favorite research sources, plz share them with this lazy, parasitic pleb. I welcome all genres.)

Google.






Wikipedia

Encyclopedia Britannica

Explore the fact-checked online encyclopedia from Encyclopaedia Britannica with hundreds of thousands of objective articles, biographies, videos, and images from experts.

www.britannica.com

 

[Deleted member 45782]

View attachment 6790
Many thanks, kind stranger, for helping a parasite like me so generously. These resources are much appreciated. In the future, should you require my assistance in any way, shape, or form, I will be sure to reciprocate this favor. (This goes for others in this thread too). *inserts kowtow*

I won't lend money though.

Got it. I'll be collecting all these favours to be used in the future when the time arises hehe...

Google.

Of course one can google. We all probably do. But it may be more helpful to list more specific sites such as in fantasy lore, names, etc.

 

[CadmarLegend]

Got it. I'll be collecting all these favours to be used in the future when the time arises hehe...

Of course one can google. We all probably do. But it may be more helpful to list more specific sites such as in fantasy lore, names, etc.

I did

 

[Deleted member 45782]

Encyclopedia Britannica

Explore the fact-checked online encyclopedia from Encyclopaedia Britannica with hundreds of thousands of objective articles, biographies, videos, and images from experts.

www.britannica.com

Ah I see.

 

[gaylolis]

i don't really research since i don't have a lot of time due to work.

most of my 'research' came from reading my favorite novels and a lot of things i experience naturally in real life.

i try to make my novel's concept that it needs as little factual research as possible, so i can fully write for fun, not giving myself a headache.

 

[bigbear51]

A simple and quick preliminary search is enough for me. Most readers ultimately don't care, but I have seen some funny things whenever I'm curious about the facts on something that's occurring in my stories. Funny enough that I end up putting it in for jokes since I write comedies.

For example, did you that one can temporarily fix a leaking radiator with just some pepper? People reading probably assumed that I was making that up for the humor, but it is a real thing. Basically my point is that it's not really necessary most of the time, but it's fun for me so I do it anyway.