Today, Bonnie and Miranda talk with JC Lynne about doing research for your fiction manuscript and how to incorporate research into your writing on this episode of The Writing Forge.

Tips and Tricks:

• Start your research with these questions: What are you writing? (What is the topic that needs researching?) Who are you writing it for? Who are your characters and what would they know?
• [Specifically for sci-fi] Find your science track, whether concrete or theoretical, and read up on it to give yourself a basic understanding of the subject.
• Be aware of your audience and the level of research they may be expecting. Experts as compared to non-specialized readers will pick up on different things in a manuscript.
• Having interviews and conversations with experts is a great way to get a more in-depth analysis of a topic or to receive insight into a subject that isn’t covered by papers. Make sure to have a basic understanding of your chosen topic before speaking with the expert.
• It’s very easy to go down research rabbit holes. This can be a good thing if you have the time. Research rabbit holes can help discover topics and information that you might not have previously considered for your novel. 
• If there’s no time to get drawn into research rabbit holes, try making a list of specific information you’re looking for, get basic answers to those questions, then get back to writing the manuscript.
• Don’t try to put all of your research into your book. Don’t throw your research away, but understand that you’re going to do a lot more research than is going to make it into the novel.
• Prioritize your writing first and foremost

This week’s question: Where do you get your research? Or, alternatively: Wikipedia, yea or nay? Drop a line and let us know!

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Cover art by Maggie Walker

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Seveneves by Neal Stephenson