Researching a novel can begin with a question your story needs answered or with a discovery that gives you a new idea. Books, archives, photographs and documentaries can help you understand a time or place, while conversations with people can bring in the details of lived experience. Start by asking what your characters and readers need to know and let those questions guide your search. Visiting a setting, whether in person or virtually, may reveal something you would never have thought to look up. I have compiled some articles and podcasts that discuss researching your novel.
How to Research
How to Research for a Novel with Mike Gayle | The Novelry
Mike Gayle describes how researching All the Lonely People helped him write about a time and experience beyond his own. He began with family stories, then drew on first-person accounts, novels, historical footage and documentaries to understand his character’s world. His point is that research can give a story both accurate detail and emotional depth, but once it has given you enough to begin, it’s time to write.
How To Research Your Novel … And When To Stop | The Creative Penn
This article tells the writer to treat research as a source of story ideas as well as a way to make a fictional world convincing. It suggests reading, watching documentaries, visiting places or exploring them online, and keeping useful discoveries organised. The practical stopping rule shared is to begin writing when you know enough to draft a scene: you can look up the remaining details as questions arise.
Researching: 9 Key Strategies
How to Research a Novel: 9 Key Strategies
Joslyn Chase encourages writers to keep the story at the centre of their research. Gather the details that help readers believe in the characters and setting, but resist putting every interesting fact on the page. She also recommends keeping a record of facts for consistency, setting limits on research time, and leaving small questions to check later so they don’t interrupt a draft.
How to Research for Your Novel Without Getting Bogged Down: A New Method — Mary Adkins
This article offers a simple way to stop research from becoming overwhelming: as you reads, you can jot brief notes in the margins about how a fact or idea might serve your particular story. Afterwards, review these notes and transfer only the promising ideas to a writing to-do list. The small space will help to keep you focused on usable possibilities rather than trying to fit everything you has learned into the novel.
3 Research Hacks for Your Novel – Jerry Jenkins
In this guest post, Dave Chesson suggests three ways to make novel research more useful: identify what your readers will expect and turn that into specific questions; talk to people whose experiences can bring characters to life; and explore your setting, whether in person or through online maps and videos. Together, these approaches help you find the facts and human details that matter most to the story.
Podcasts on Researching Your Novel
15.41: Researching the FCK out of Things, with Cory Doctorow | Writing Excuses
This episode form Writing Excuses covers fact-checking as part of the writing process, including marking questions to investigate later so you can keep drafting.
S10 E07 Hot Take on Research f… – The First Draft Club – Apple Podcasts
The First Draft Club discusses when research helps a draft and when too much of it can narrow your imagination.
Writing Excuses Episode 24: Research | Writing Excuses
In this episode, the hosts chat explore why fiction writers research, how much they need to know and how to decide when they’ve done enough.
Conclusion
The challenge is knowing when you have enough research done to start writing. Keep brief notes on discoveries you might actually use and remember that only a small part of your research needs to appear in the finished novel. Once you know enough to draft a scene, give it a go; you can mark any gaps and check them later. Research can make a story richer and more convincing, but it is often the act of writing that shows you what you need to find out next. I hope you have found this week’s column useful. As always, get in touch if they are any topics you would like me to cover.
(c) Lucy O’Callaghan
Instagram: lucy.ocallaghan.31.
See here for previous Really Useful columns on Writing.ie.
