Beware the Rabbit Hole
By Victoria Fortune
In an interview about writing News of the World, Paulette Jiles said, “If you are a writer, research is really kind of an investment, a storehouse of stuff, facts, images, and documents ready to hand . . . . To get things right, you have to love research. It’s an addiction.” Research is necessary for any writer, but it is particularly critical when writing historical fiction.
A while back I took a class at Grub Street on Technique in Historical Fiction with Tim Weed. He described his process as doing just enough research up front to get a feel for the setting and characters, then starting to write and doing additional research as he goes. This is also historical fiction writer Hannah Kohler’s approach, according to her article “How to research a historical novel”: “Establish your characters and narrative, and then be strategic about what you need to find out. Research as you write.”
Despite doing extensive research before I begin, there’s always more to do as I get into the nitty gritty of scenes. I have no trouble when the topic is one I only want to know the bare minimum about in order to write the scene. There is little risk that I will get swept up in the intricacies of intestacy, for example, and waste a whole morning reading about it. However, I can easily get caught up for hours in old letters, diaries or newspaper articles that don’t serve my story.
While the research demands are greater for historical fiction, those who write it are generally drawn to the genre by a love for researching history. The paradox is that love of research can also be a downfall. Shakespeare’s description of what alcohol does to man reminds me what research can do to a historical fiction writer: “it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance.” Though I would add the distinction that overindulging is what “takes away the performance.” Doing just the right amount is the key.
The danger lies not only in spending all your time researching and never getting to the writing, but also in including unnecessary details in your writing. Even the most devoted fans of historical fiction do not want a history lecture. “Don’t chase accuracy so relentlessly that it gets in the way of telling your story,” says Kohler. It can be easy to get carried away with those fascinating details you uncovered and waste time on tangents that detract from your plot.
In his class, Tim Weed cautioned against using scenes as a means to display your knowledge of historical detail. His advice was similar to Hannah Kohler’s: “[B]e sparing in building the historical setting of your novel. Only include historical details that advance your narrative. As for everything else you’ve learned — just feel it, sitting in your brain, giving you the confidence to write your story.”
If you enjoy research, it is easy to go down the rabbit hole. (Perhaps one of the reasons I haven’t finished my book.) I find it best to treat research like a controlled substance: only do as much as necessary, know the dangers of excess, and be mindful of your own tendency toward overindulgence.
Image credit: Illustration 99924749 / Down Rabbit Hole © Anna Velichkovsky | Dreamstime.com
