Today’s episode is about how I've used research to inspire the content and themes of my play. What’s been useful to research - and the tools and exercises I've used - have been different from draft to draft. So in today’s episode I speak about how it’s played a different role in Draft 1, Draft 2 and Draft 3. I cover:

Draft 1
- Letting the themes guide the content I was consuming (audiobooks, podcasts, radio interviews etc) and letting them be on in the background during my day-to-day life. 
- Consciously curating a thematic container.
- Journaling on the themes as I was writing.
- 'Writing under the influence' of what you let in.

Draft 2
- Imposter syndrome.
- Letting content guide the research - knowing the difference between details that the narrative hinges on versus details that become the backdrop for a more human/universal moment or scene to take place.
- My process for using brackets in the text to flag the details you need to research later. 
- In the middle of a writing session is not the time to research a small detail.

Draft 3
- Asking people who live and breathe the world of the play to note any red flags.
- Making sure all the small details are cohesive and speak to the heart of the story.
- 'Furnishing' the play in a way that's well-researched. This can be so fun and satisfying if you do it at the end of the process. If I did this in Draft 1 it would be way too overwhelming and feel like a test.

This episode was originally recorded in September 2021. You can watch the video diary here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CT6HtOblSxl/

You can learn more about my work on my website http://www.emilysheehan.info or say hi and ask me a question via @emilysheehan__ on Instagram.