We writers like think of ourselves as metaphoric magicians—sitting at our desks, spinning worlds out of nothing but words and imagination. Pour a little research into the recipe, and our alchemy is complete. Yet an ongoing question among writers is the evergreen quandary about whether or not we must “write what we know.” In short, […]
May 5, 2017 by 68 Comments NarrativeHow to Write in an Authentic Historical Voice
Let’s say you’re writing a book set in the 14th Century. Naturally, as a diligent and conscientious writer, you want to do your research and write with an authentic historical voice. In fact, you’re so good and so authentic that what you end up with is something like this: Whilom, as olde stories tellen us, ther […]
April 10, 2016 by 130 Comments Researching Your NovelNovel Research: 12 Ways to Ace Your Book
I’m starting to get paranoid. It happens with every book I write. I reach the end of the first draft, start tying off loose ends on the first round of edits, and prepare to send the book to my first round of beta readers. That’s when I inevitably start asking myself panicked questions about the accuracy of of […]
November 27, 2015 by 43 Comments Researching Your Novel7 Easy Ways to Research a Historical Novel (What I Learned Writing Storming)
This week’s video offers seven can’t-ignore tips for streamlining your process in figuring out how to research a historical novel–or any type of novel. Video Transcript: I hope you’ve enjoyed this series of lessons I learned while writing my historical/dieselpunk novel Storming—which releases in one week on Dec. 4th! This is the series’ fourth and […]
September 30, 2015 by 32 Comments Researching Your NovelHow to Research Your Book Smarter, Instead of Harder
Writing is hard. How’s that for a downer first thing in the morning? But it’s true—particularly when it comes to finding time to write. There are so many necessary tasks—marketing, networking, running a business, etc.—fighting for your time. And then, once you do get down to the planning, drafting, or revising you’ve been longing to do, you’re often […]
February 6, 2015 by 16 Comments Researching Your NovelHow Important Is It for Authors to Do On-Location Research?
Location, location, location: That triple endorsement of any piece of real estate’s prime value also serves to remind writers of our need to do on-location research of the venues that star in our story worlds. Or, to corrupt one of our profession’s prime idioms: every once in a while you need to get your rear out of the […]
January 2, 2015 by 31 Comments Researching Your NovelNovel Research: When Should You Consider Working With a Technical Consultant?
Three years ago I embarked upon an insane journey to do novel research on a series about a world I knew almost nothing about. Fortunately, I was rescued from this shaky course when I found a technical consultant who is an expert on the subject. And not just any expert: the expert. My subject was the NYPD […]
November 27, 2013 by 19 Comments Researching Your NovelResearch Your Book Without Even Trying
This week’s video encourages you to research your book before you even start thinking about writing—and offers techniques on how to do it. Video Transcript: Even when we write what we know, most books usually end up requiring us to do research, to one extent or another. Personally, since most of my stories seem to […]
March 23, 2012 by 22 Comments Researching Your NovelDo Authors Need to Travel for Research?
This post is by Sanjida O’Connell. Stef Penney, bestselling author of The Tenderness of Wolves, is famously agoraphobic. To research her novel, set in the Canadian wilderness, she barely made it to the British Library. At least she had an excuse. Two authors of books recently published on Haiti and China have both answered the question, Do authors need to […]
February 3, 2012 by 25 Comments Researching Your NovelWhat Non-Fiction Authors Can Teach Novelists
Do you aspire to write a novel as breathtaking as Huckleberry Finn? Mark Twain cheated. He brought to his fiction a skill set he developed under his given name, Samuel Clemens, as a journalist. Twain the novelist knew that a riveting opening, skillful incorporation of dialogue, and compelling details are all tools he could mine […]
