It used to be, when I began work on a project, that I would begin with the research. This was particularly true with The von Strassenberg Saga. I would spend months and months researching. Then I would start writing and come across something that required more research and so I would stop writing and research and research and research.
And my book would just be there waiting.
And then I would have to reread everything.
And then I would fix all the problems I saw.
Then I would inevitably research more.
Then I’d have to read again.
And then, maybe, I might start writing again.
Maybe.
It was incredibly inefficient and really just a brilliant form of procrastination (which is the true craft of any writer).
These days, research only comes after the first draft. While most of my current projects take place in the present, I’m still plodding along with the next book in The von Strassenberg Saga. All require some degree of research. If I know the basics (were there cars, were there phones, was there electricity in the area at the time, what are the Emmy categories for documentary filmmaking), I leave all the research for the end.
Everything begins with the plot and the characters. Now when I write, I get through the first draft. In the second draft, I’m looking for weak points, perhaps threads that I lost track of that need resolved. In the third draft I’m looking for inconsistencies (what day did we start on, what time did this chapter start at, what was she wearing when she woke up). Fourth draft: plump it up with detail. This is where the research comes in. Sometimes it’s just for the sake of small details (what kind of furniture was prevalent in the 90s, were they still wearing corsets in the 1880s). Small details paint a sharper picture. Fifth draft is for a final check for flow and consistency. Six is for typos and grammatical errors.
I have to work on one point at a time or I get distracted and start missing things.
When you start expanding a series it gets crazy. That’s a lot of details to keep consistent.
I keep telling myself that next time I’m writing a stand-alone. Writing a series is wildly stressful.
And yet it’s also easier. You just slip back into the scene. You know the main character’s house as well as your own. You know where the piles of laundry are. You know the dog’s favorite spot to nap. You know the third step up to the back porch creaks every time. You know Mama is sitting at the kitchen table reading while she’s waiting for that batch of cookies to finish.
And so, I will continue to drive myself insane with writing a series. But I will not waste time procrastinating with research anymore. Just strip down to the bare bones of the story and get through that first and then hang all the finery and detail on it. The plot’s the thing. And for me, it works better to go in reverse that to try and know everything from the outset.
Gwenn Wright 