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Research For Writers
What you need to know
I think my research is what I’m most proud of in the books I’ve had published. It’s also what I enjoy doing the most. The writing of books? Eh, not so much.
Full disclosure, I teach a course in Internet research skills. It’s a one-hour slide presentation where I begin with the most basic tools and then branch out in a process to find accurate, true information and how to avoid unsubstantiated junk on the Web.
Research is my passion. And, of course, I must update my presentation for every engagement as things change online in a millisecond.
I’m a nut for accuracy, whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction. After all, there is still a lot of fact in fiction.
Unless you are writing fantasy, you still want to get things right. Whatever the topic or genre, is your history accurate? What about the geography? Are you writing about a medical procedure or the government of a foreign country?
It has to be right. Otherwise, you can be sure someone reading your book will call you out for your errors. Ugh! That would be awful.
You must get your facts right. With all the tools available today, there is no reason you can’t find out what happened in London in 1940.
