Research Tips for Fiction Writers
By Victoria Fortune
In an excellent cross-genre workshop on research during the January residency of the Newport MFA program, nonfiction writer Bernadette Murphy and poet Mary Kim Arnold highlighted the ways in which research can be a means to gain new insight or perspective, create subtext and develop themes, and even provide structure.
I was already a big fan of research--as a writer of historical fiction I had better be. Perhaps I am too much of a fan. In a previous post on the topic, I talked about the dangers of going down the rabbit hole. At the time, I was struggling with a book I was working on and research had become distraction, something I would turn to when I bumped up against intractable problems with my plot.
I was going down rabbit holes because I lacked a clear vision for my story, so interesting tangents were like shiny objects that easily led me astray. I have since started a new project with a much clearer concept. Discussions in the research workshop, as well as my own trial and error, have helped me approach research with more purpose and intention.
Do Just Enough Research to Get Started
All writers have to do research, but historical fiction writers have an added burden. They cannot rely on personal experience to inform the daily lives of their characters. In order to build a world that seems authentic, they must do extensive research on everything from major historical events to everyday minutiae. It can be easy to get so bogged down in research that the original thread of the story sags under the weight of it.
Historical fiction writer Tim Weed says he does just enough research to get started, then “the draft tells me what I really need to go in-depth on in research.” Author Whitney Scharer has a similar methodology; she researches obsessively for about three months, and then “toggles back and forth” between research and writing.
I have followed this approach with my current project, partly out of necessity; I began my book when I started the MFA program and had only six weeks for initial research before my first chapter was due. It felt a little like driving fast in the dark, unnerved by limited visibility down the road. But as I wrote, I began to understand what I needed to find out. By the time I was finally able to do some in-person research, I had a clear focus on what information I was looking for and a long list of specific questions. I was more easily able to set aside the fascinating but tangential details for some future use.
In-Person Research (when possible) is Invaluable
As Bernadette Murphy put it, “The historian will tell you what happened. The novelist will tell you how it felt.” No website can tell me what it’s like to walk around the town where my story is set, or how it feels to lift a sandbag or hold tools that were used at the time I’m writing about. If I had just had a phone conversation with the curator of a local museum, she would not have invited me to lunch with a local reporter who has spent years amassing a personal collection of first-hand accounts of the event. Even though you can’t go back in time, visiting the site where an historical event took place can provide valuable information.
Don’t Get Bogged Down in the Facts
Research is essential to getting at “what it felt like” but can get in the way if the writer feels too beholden to factual details. Whitney Scharer, author of Age of Light, said during a talk at the residency that some readers question why she combined several affairs of her subject, photographer Lee Miller, into one. While not factually correct, the one affair left the reader with the same impression of the character’s situation and state of mind, without cluttering the story with multiple minor characters who weren’t necessary and would have taken time to develop. Scharer researched the details and knew the facts but didn’t need to stick them exactly in order to convey Miller’s perspective at the time. “You sometimes have to forsake accuracy, but you should never forsake truth,” she said.
Know the Purpose for the Information You Include
As you consider what research information to incorporate in your story, it is helpful to ask yourself how you will use it:
Whose information is it? Is it accurate? Does it matter?
What character(s) in the story will own it?
For what reason are you including it? To illuminate character? For verisimilitude? To establish authority? To advance the plot?
Make sure it doesn’t overwhelm the story or character. As Scharer says, “Research should be palpable but not visible in the work.” Or, as Mary Kim Arnold put it, a book, story or poem should contain “the residue of research.”
Be Open to Where the Research Takes You
It can be a fine line between getting sidetracked on tangents and following the research where it leads you. If you maintain focus on your concept and underlying themes, research can provide a way to reinforce themes and add subtext. For example, I was writing a scene in which my characters attend a dinner party. The guests would have been discussing the news of the day, so I researched newspapers from the week preceding the date the party takes place. I came across an article about an artist I’d never heard of whose work addressed a major theme in the book. I created a dinner party conversation about this artist that allowed me to reveal the cultural milieu and the character of certain guests, developing underlying themes of the book.
For further information on doing research for fiction, check out the following websites:
Top Seven Tips for Researching Your Novel
