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How Much Research Do You Need?

When considering how to write a book, ask yourself this 1 Simple Question:

     How much in-depth information do my readers need? 

A good rule of thumb is a balance between generality and specificity. No need to dive deep into every measure of time, distance, era, or political climate. It can become laborious and slow your story's progression. 

In one of my books, I glossed over how far a French town was from a place in Belgium and my beta readers balked that the trip was unrealistic. In their minds, it was A WHOLE OTHER COUNTRY!!!! I'd lost my readers. They needed more information to understand that distance so more research was necessary and I had to research routes on the internet. Readers needed to know it was typically a 40-minute drive. That was easy enough to do by having a character remark, "She's always speeding! The way she drives, she'll get there in half an hour." Boom! We were back in business. 

Fiction gives writers more latitude in what to research but salient information can take your readers deeper into your story. Historical detail can make for a richer story, just take care that you're not showing off your knowledge in a history lesson that veers your story into textbook territory. If quite a bit of history is needed, be selective in where to impart it and find a pace and informative devices that keep your audience feeling intelligent rather than lectured to.


Case in point: Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code imparts a whole lot of history and science, but we gain that knowledge by solving problems with Sophie or by Robert Langdon recalling something he'd researched. We feel smart, too. It doesn't matter whether the Holy Grail is in Rosslyn Chapel or not, we got some cool history on the chapel and the lore sticks.

Right now I'm researching a book set in a region that was repeatedly attacked and occupied by numerous countries but realized that after all my reading, I needed to simply say with authority that the town was set amidst a war-torn countryside that hadn't known lasting peace since Alexander the Great. Done. 'nuff said.

What can you drop and keep moving? And what needs to be explained?

-- Anna Erikssön Bendewald 












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