I have just walked from Kings Cross to the Paddington basin along the Regents Canal, courtesy of YouTube.
Why? Research! A character in my next novel walks this route. I’ve done sections of it in the past but my memory is hazy. I needed to check the details I remember are right.
This blog looks at the importance of research for writers, and how to go about it.
Why do you need research?
Unless your novel is set in an entirely fantasy world of your own creation, you are going to need to do some research.
Contrary to popular myth, authors don’t sit in attics for hours dreaming up fiction solely from their imaginations.
While it’s true that skilful writing can make readers suspend their disbelief, most fiction is rooted in the real world.
If your narrative plays out in a real, identifiable place, at a time in living memory, it’s crucial that you get the basic facts right. If you don’t someone will be sure to point it out to you!
How to research place
Visit in person
If you can, go to the location and spend some time there.
Immerse yourself in the place. Observe the sights, sounds and smells and listen to the people.
If possible, visit at different times of year, talk to people, test out your own reactions and get a feel for the vibe.
Visit virtually
If it’s not possible to visit in person, you can do it vicariously via your keyboard!
Thanks to the Internet, we can go to places we’ve never personally visited. So there’s no excuse not to research settings as thoroughly as we can.
Research has never been easier
As 21st century authors, we have a huge wealth of material at our fingertips. We can explore places without ever visiting and can mine the vast store of human experience recorded through blogs, vlogs and podcasts.
If your character goes on a journey, however mundane, chances are someone has made that journey and filmed it. I recently came across a video of my old bus route to school! It’s amazing what you can find without looking very far.
The other day I climbed Glastonbury Tor from the comfort of my armchair to fill out a scene set there. Again, I’d been before, but not for some time. Making the journey virtually reminded me of the lie of the land and prompted me to put in extra detail to make the scene more real.
Researching time
Of course if you write historical fiction, research takes on a much more academic dimension. You need to be very familiar with the period you are writing about.
Even if you write contemporary fiction, you still need to do your research as a lot can change in a short space of time and our memories play tricks on us.
Back to the ’80s
My next novel includes a chapter set in Ljubljana in the early 80s. I needed to write a scene that takes place in a nightclub in the city.
I’ve been to Ljubljana a few times, but had no idea what it was like in 80s. But I know that it’s a Unesco City of Literature, as is my home town of Nottingham. I put out feelers through the team at Nottingham and they put me in touch with their opposite number in Slovenia.
That person put me in contact with others who could help. I sent them a list of questions and they were all really helpful. For my club scene, one of them even dug out some video footage from the early 80s filmed inside a venue in the city!
Use your contacts
What are you researching? If it’s a place, do you know anyone who lives there? If it’s a work environment, who do you know who is in that field? If it’s a cultural reference you’re after, think about who you know who is likely to have that knowledge and background.
Consider what you need, and who you know, and don’t be scared to approach them.
Blue Tide Rising is set largely on an eco farm on the Anglesey coast. I have a cousin who lives near the (fictional) location, so I arranged to visit, parked up on the beach and immersed myself in the sights, sounds and smells of the place.
I also approached Manor Organic Farm in Leicestershire, a place where we get our meat and veg. The owners invited me to sit down with them over a brew in their farmhouse kitchen, where they answered my questions and made suggestions.
I also got in touch with a local smallholding owner and spent a muddy morning roaming freely with a bunch of ducks and chickens.
Imaginary settings
One way to avoid the need for meticulous fact-checking is to create an entirely fictional setting. It may be based on, or inspired by, a real place, but have a different name, and not be identifiable as that place.
That way, you can play with the details and not worry too much about getting it exactly right.
Fictional settings based on real places
Literature is awash with fictional places inspired by real locations.
Moseley Bog, the marsh behind Tolkien’s childhood home, inspired many of his descriptions of Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings series, and Ashdown Forest in East Sussex inspired the fictional location for Winnie-the-Pooh.
Charlotte Brontës Jane Eyre contains vivid descriptions of places which featured in her own life. The locations in Jane’s early life are said to be modelled on Cowan Bridge in Lancashire, where Charlotte went to school. Morton, where Jane washes up after leaving Rochester, is based on Hathersage in Derbyshire; while both North Lees Hall and Norton Conyers lay claim to being the original inspiration for Thornfield Hall.
My own inspirations
In my first novel, Blue Tide Rising, Amy’s teenage years are spent in a village in Derbyshire, loosely inspired by Duffield on the edge of the Peak District. I’ve given it a fictional name – Stanlow – and changed some of the details. But it was still really important to spend time in that part of Derbyshire to get a feel for the area.
Likewise in my second novel, which comes out next year, the main character comes from a small town in Somerset called West Melcombe. It doesn’t exist, but it’s similar to several places near where I grew up.
Should you stick to writing what you know?
This is good advice, but if we only ever wrote from first-hand experience, there’d be no room for imagination.
Our life experiences, the people we’ve met, the situations we’ve encountered – personally or through others – inevitably find their way into our writing.
The skill is in weaving these details into the narrative. Out of the mix will come great art – hopefully.
Research is fun
The writer’s life is a solitary one. Hours on end spent at a keyboard can get lonely. Research gives us an opportunity to get out and about, meet people, and immerse ourselves in their worlds.
While writing Blue Tide Rising, I spent time with a bee-keeper, had lunch with a coroner, and got acquainted with a herd of Alpacas – all in the name of research!
Try not to regard research as a chore. It’s often hugely enjoyable.
Don’t be afraid to ask!
With a background in journalism I’m used to asking people about their lives, and I find people endlessly fascinating. Having a bona-fide reason for asking – a book coming out – helps validate those requests.
I’ve found that most people are only too happy to help. They like the fact you’re showing an interest in their lives. And they love to see the insights they’ve given you make it into print.
