Tag Archives: nonfiction

How To Use Research as a Writing Tool in Fiction & Non-Fiction

scattered books

Why is research a necessary tool in writing fiction and nonfiction?

1) Brainstorming ideas, 2) Polishing a project, and 3) Developing future work

What are the keys to implementing research?

1) Have fun, 2) Stay focused, and 3) Earn more readers.

Here’s how to develop your own Research Plan: (see details below)

  • Determine your methods of research based on the type of project
  • Outline your research process
  • Set a research timeline

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Methods of Research:

  1. Live it: Extract nuggets from real life events (yours or others) such as a wedding, a birth, a natural disaster, running a marathon, being a lawyer, etc. For example, in my thriller, The Race, I used the Chernobyl nuclear disaster as a setting for my characters to smuggle bombs, using the actual timeline of events.
  2. Take a trip & visit a location to build ideas or enhance your setting. For example, Matthew Reilly (Contest) flew from Australia to visit the NY Public Library. Douglas Preston admitted that he and his wife visited a prohibited island in NY Harbor to enhance a book’s setting. In The Race, I visited the 12 sites in Rome, Italy where I’d set bombs to ensure accuracy of detail.
  3. Active Field Trip: Gain insights from actively participating in the activities that your written work dictates, such as target practice at a gun range (which I did to enhance my female protagonist/amateur sleuth in my mystery novel The Sculptor; a ride-along with the local police force; work at a cattle ranch; attendance at a flower show or a hockey game, etc.
  4. Online/Library Because you can’t visit the moon or the Old Wild West, go online, talk to a librarian, and read old newspapers.
  5. Personal Interviews Call, email, or visit/Skype pros in the field (like a member of the police force) or experts in the field. I spoke with a renowned wine expert on grappa and a number of water conservation experts when writing my latest suspense novel, Formula. I also interviewed the people involved in my nonfiction collection of essays, Un Momento: A Taste of Italian-American Pastimes.
  6. Workshops & Conferences featuring writer panels and speakers.
  7. Expert Conferences – ie medical conference
  8. Read the genre you’re writing – the more you read, the more you learn (whether facts and ideas, or rather style and technique.)
  9. Hire an Intern – high school, college, professional. Compile a list or an outline of specific questions to be answered and let someone else do the work, for you to read or review in detail later, thereby leaving more time for writing the story or marketing the work.
  10. Develop and publish freelance articles/blog posts/op-ed pieces Stretch your research muscles by learning new material or enhancing knowledge on a topic, for use in longer works or for speaker opportunities.Outline Your Research Process: 
  • Research Part 1: Brainstorm ideas, generally for the story, and specifically to develop and outline.
  • Write first draft – Keep writing, but highlight areas for additional research later.
  • Research Part 2: Comprehensive fact-finding, like homework. Flush out details of first daft, and make sure the work is credible and accurate.
  • Revise:  In fiction works, ensure there are no info dumps. Also, be practical and interesting when peppering prose with research, not preachy or boring.
  • Research Part 3: Tie up loose ends. Find nuggets of info to add richness to the story so that it resonates with the reader. Build on theme. Add extras like quotes. At this stage, you might come up with sequel/series ideas or freelance story articles.

Set a Research Timeline:

  • Stay organized and keep resources in one location (ala Scrivener, etc.)
  • Avoid Paralysis by Analysis Set an end date, and know when to say “when.”
  • Once accuracy and authenticity are met, don’t delay publication for research
  • Once project is complete/published, if you want to say more or want to add…
    1. Issue a revision to the current work;
    2. Create a new edition (non-fiction);
    3. Create a sequel or new stand-alone (fiction)
    4. Create short pieces: blog posts/articles; short story/novella.

Remember the keys to using research as a writing tool in fiction and nonfiction:

HAVE FUN. STAY FOCUSED. EARN MORE READERS.