It doesn't take a professional author to realize there is a great more to writing then just sitting down with your laptop (or notebook) and... writing. It takes research. It's not always fun, but it's 100% needed depending on what you're writing. Without googling how fast a horse can go, looking up a word in the dictionary when you're unsure the meaning, or figuring out the layout of a ship when you're writing a pirate story, can lead to an embarrassing moment when someone points out that you made a BIG mistake. It can also lead to confusion or ruin the story, when someone, depending on your lack of research, reads it.
When I began to write a fantasy in 2014 (I am currently re-reading), I thought there would be a lot less research involved then when I tried a short historical western story. Actually google was even more so my friend this passed year then ever! I googled a snake's habits, what is feels like to be poisoned (no, I'm not a killer, if you're wondering), sword fighting, and how different governments work. I tried out my bow skills (which are poor) more then ever so I could get a feel for it in my story.
It was fun at times and cool at times! Then though, there were the moments where I would be upset that I spent a whole hour trying to find out something I needed to know, before I could go on in writing.
Let me just say... do your research. No matter what - don't give up on learning everything possible about things to make your story (even a fantasy or sci-fi), seem real. It will be so worth it!
Yes, yes! I agree. Research is so important to any good story, no matter what kind of story and what kind of research.
ReplyDelete~ S. F.