Saturday Story Building - Research

It doesn't matter what genre you write, research is the key to your writing.

Research can be as simple as reading books in your chosen genre to see what others are writing. Or looking up information on the city you're using for your setting. It can be as complex as researching the lives and cultures of different races to incorporate them into your world. It can be simply looking at maps or it can be poring over old documents to get a better feel for how things were done.

I've done a lot of research on what life was like in medieval times. Most of the books I've read detailed medieval England, but there was enough in them to show me what medieval life was like in other parts of Europe. I've started doing research on Ancient Egypt, on Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire. These things will all find their way in some form into my stories, whether I borrow whole cloth or use just snippets of information to create my societies.

I know one author who researched how to cook over an open fire. Another one researched food in the Middle Ages to make a feast scene she was writing more believable. I know authors who have researched the etymology of the names they're using to make sure they fit with the story.

It doesn't matter what type of research you do, just do it. Open your mind. Expand your knowledge. Even if what you're researching isn't precisely what you need for the story you're working on, don't discard it. Keep it. You never know when you might need it for a story.