The Stages of Writing: Stage 2: Doing Research

When it comes to writing, some writers advise you to "Write what you know." However, this doesn't mean writers can't write about things they aren't familiar with. After getting their facts straight, they have the tools to write about anything. This is where doing research comes into play, which involves reading books and looking up information about what you want to write about in a story. Doing research isn't required for writers to complete all their stories and books, but there are instances where they may need to research to aid them during the creative writing process, and especially for non-fiction books or full-length novels or plays. Let's go over some important points below that can be helpful when conducting research. 🔍

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WATCH THE EPISODE

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See episode 9 of season 2 of my Journey of a Christian Writer series The Stages of Writing: Stage 2: Doing Research or continue reading the blog post below for more information.

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WHEN TO RESEARCH

Although not all short stories and novels require writers to research, there are some where they may need to in order to make a particular story realistic and believable to their readers. Some stories and books writers may need to do research for the completion of includes historical fiction, non-fiction, or any stories with a medical background or terminology, such as a diagnosis that a character has in a story, such as my debut novel "Eva's Promise" in which my lead male character Andre suffers from a severe brain injury and goes through rounds of medical treatment and therapy. Overall, when in doubt, it's best for writers to research what they don't know or are uncertain about for accuracy.

💡TIP: CAN'T FIND IT? Sometimes writers aren't able to find information they're looking for to include in their stories or books. If this happens, consider leaving it out, especially if it isn't absolutely necessary to complete the writing project.

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WHY RESEARCH?

So, why should writers research?

Research is important because it allows writers to write their stories and books with accuracy, keep their facts straight, and give their writing more credibility. If they write about historical events, medical diagnosis, or other things they don't know without research, readers may discover inconsistencies with the real facts and events, which can make their stories less believable to readers and result in bad reviews. Therefore, never GUESS about anything! Find out the real facts; and if you can't, just leave it out of your stories.

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2 TYPES OF RESEARCH SOURCES

There are two different types of research sources:

Primary sources: are raw, firsthand information that was recorded during a historical era or event. Some of these sources include written letters, some interviews or speeches, pieces of artwork or music, photographs, or memoirs.

Secondary sources: are the studies gathered by people who weren't present during different historical eras or events. Some of these sources include books, online or journal articles, or documentaries.

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TIPS FOR DOING RESEARCH

The following are some helpful tips for doing research:

• Create a mind map (Check out Gitmind, a mind map organizer program).

• List topics in a bullet list

• Form questions based on your topics (E.g. Topic: World War II, Question(s):"When did the World War II end?" or "Who was president during World War II?")

• Use a note-taking or writing software program to keep track of your notes, such as Coda, Notion, or Microsoft OneNote.

• Use the collections feature if you have Microsoft Edge to organize your online articles under your topics, giving each topic its own folder.

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CLOSING REMARKS:

Research makes every book better when writers are writing about subjects they don't know or aren't familiar with in their real lives. If you want to grab your readers' attention, make sure your writing of these kinds of stories or books are factual and realistic. It could make the big difference between them smiling from a satisfying read or being irritated by misquoted historical events or the wrong symptoms of a medical diagnosis. For more writing videos or tutorials, subscribe to my writing channel Journey of a Christian Writer series. Okay, that's all for this post. If you liked it and found it useful, please, give it a (heart❤️), take part in the poll 🤔, and share your thoughts or comments 💬 below.)

🤔Hey, writers, have you ever needed to research for one of your stories or books?

• 👍Yes
• 👎No

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