Down the Research Rabbit Hole
Where to Start and How to Stop
"Write what you know" is common advice for authors, but SFF is all about make-believe, right? Most of us aren't starship pilots, sorcerers, or sword-wielding warriors, but we write about them all the same. And as fantastical as these ideas are, it doesn't take long for a writer to hit a speed bump when they realize they need to know how to describe the weight of a broadsword, how long before an astronaut's oxygen tank runs out, or how many "Goldilocks" planets can be in one solar system.
Even the most outlandish fiction needs to incorporate facts and have some grounding in reality for readers to find it accessible, but how do we, as writers, research the myriad topics necessary to write an entire novel?
Fortunately, we live in a time of accessible information through technology. Gone are the times when the average author has to spend hours upon hours at the library, requesting obscure books from libraries far from home. Here are easy ways to get started researching for your novel. All you need is an internet connection and patience.
Start with Wikipedia
Yes, really. Wikipedia may get a bad rap from high school teachers, but for me, it's the easiest way to get started on any topic. There's a Wikipedia page for nearly every subject imaginable, and that page can provide a home base for my research adventure. Oftentimes, Wikipedia can point me in directions that I didn't know existed before and spark ideas that I wouldn't have thought up otherwise. However, on behalf of high school teachers everywhere, I will echo that it is vital to check other, more valid sources to verify your research later. However, Wikipedia is an excellent springboard to lead you down the research rabbit hole.
Virtual Tours, Videos, and Street View
Are you scouting locations for fictional inspiration, historical settings, or the layout of a city for an urban fantasy? Visiting real-life locations is a barrier many of us can't cross due to time or cost, but the internet is filled with virtual tours, videos, and satellite or street view images to bring the location to us. These can be either run by an official site for the location, Youtube videos uploaded by tourists (which sometimes give you more detailed walk-throughs), or Google Maps Satellite or Street View. Just take care with historical locations in particular - the ruins of a medieval wall from the 1300s may follow a different boundary than the 1500s renovation, for instance.
Books for “Dummies”
No chance you'll become an expert physicist for your hard sci-fi novel in your lifetime? Luckily, books and articles exist that put complex subjects into laymen's terms, at least well enough to add some grounded science into your sci-fi novel. So, cast aside your pride and embrace being a "dummy" for a little while.
Time to Verify
Found all the inspiring facts you need for your novel across the internet? Depending on your level of desire for facts vs fiction, you may want to take the time to verify the information you've discovered. Government, university, or historical or academic organizations are all valid sources for fact-checking.
How Much is Too Much?
Now that you've researched the ins and outs of your subject, you'll want to infuse as much of that hard work into your novel as possible, right? Believe me, I know the feeling. But sometimes you have to recognize that yes, you spent hours researching a topic for a single sentence in your book. And that's okay because it's better to know when to rein in all those facts and only deliver to the reader what they need to know for your story than to overwhelm them with details. We research so the reader doesn't have to, all so they can be immersed in the world of your novel.
Question for Our Authors! What’s the weirdest or most interesting topic you’ve ever researched for a novel?
“The habits and visual acuity of crows” - Gabrielle Ash
“What happens when the human body is introduced into the vacuum of space?” - Angela Super
“How to adequately cripple the UN” - Liam Quane
“What human meat tastes like” - Jonathan Hernandez
“How to stack a deck of cards, cheat at the Shell Game, and do all other kinds of petty scams” - M.J. Kuhn
“Can ancient infectious diseases survive in human remains?” - Katherine Forrister