Do your research~

This is just another attempt at bring this forum to life~

So, do you research unknown topics first before writing a story? Or are you the type of person who tries to wing it? Do you think it's important to research something you don't know about? Discuss~

For me, I do research a lot. I find it's better because I don't like to upset readers with a lack of knowledge of something they know about. I do think research is VERY important in writing. I mean, you wouldn't want to write a story about someone with social anxiety and make them really outgoing, would you? No. Research the condition first, then decide what works for you and what doesn't work. That's usually how I do things.

I do as much research as possible. I want to be accurate when I am writing about something I don't know about. If I know people who have gone through things I am writing about, I ask them. If there's any real account of something I want to use, I'll read it.

I feel like people should research if they are writing a topic they have no idea about. Especially if it is important to the story. It feels disrespectful not to.

Oh god, I get so caught up in researching that I inevitably end up using it as an excuse for procrastinating from the actual writing. I end up becoming obsessed with whatever I'm researching for a short while. It's a habit I need to drop ._.

Research is very important, I think. If you write about something you don't know about, then the readers that do know something about it are going to be very annoyed. Sometimes research can be difficult, but it's necessary to building a realistic world for your characters to go through. I'm a bit lazy about researching myself, so I guess I should take my own advice.

I admit for one of my stories it featured a blind character (in a AU setting). I haven't really done any much research or ask questions about blindness saved for a quick look through on Braille. I thought I could wing it as I've read some fiction stories featuring blind people. One of the readers noticed several mistakes I did and yeah, I was embarrassed by it. When writing about blindness, don't be like me guys haha.

Otherwise, I made sure to research the best of my ability. I would research various cities, mountains, caves, etc. so I can get the setting right. Back when I wrote original fiction I researched several historical events, depending on the time period. There was one time I was researching the violin as I never played that instrument, but I know a friend that did and she was a big help.

90FC3C said:

Oh god, I get so caught up in researching that I inevitably end up using it as an excuse for procrastinating from the actual writing. I end up becoming obsessed with whatever I'm researching for a short while. It's a habit I need to drop ._.

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That happens to me too, lol. I'll be using a lot of time to research the writing would be stalled for a while. Or in some cases, sometimes I haven't gotten the chance to write that story.

I research a lot. Maybe more than anyone else here. Last summer while planning Vaira I read books on classical mythology, the globalization of English, Maori culture, space-time, Wiemar Germany, Hinduism, communism, raising bats and other animals, guest labor systems, and Guyana.

I research even more if/when I go with a physical or mental disability. I'm always super paranoid I'll get called out on it if I don't.

I always do research while writing. Doing research has lead to me learning about a multitude of new subjects I wouldn't have known about otherwise. It also means that readers won't notice something wrong in my stories, which could cause them to stop reading. I've done that myself. If I run across a story that's very apparent that the writer didn't do the research, I'm thrown out of the story and can never get back into it.

Rediamond said:

I research a lot. Maybe more than anyone else here. Last summer while planning Vaira I read books on classical mythology, the globalization of English, Maori culture, space-time, Wiemar Germany, Hinduism, communism, raising bats and other animals, guest labor systems, and Guyana.

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Your list is reminiscent of what I've looked at for my own stories: Japanese culture (holidays and food, for examples), Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, how to open and run a restaurant, Japanese real estate, Japanese campsites, martial arts, the ways of the samurai, psychology, and so on. My personal favorite piece of research (so far) is the future of Japanese toilets.

A lot of these subjects I've researched for tiny details in my stories, but I feel better knowing that I've done the best I could to make sure I was correct.

90FC3C said:

Oh god, I get so caught up in researching that I inevitably end up using it as an excuse for procrastinating from the actual writing. I end up becoming obsessed with whatever I'm researching for a short while. It's a habit I need to drop ._.

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This happens to me as well. Especially while looking at Google Maps. I spent a few hours just looking at various landmarks in the area that I was writing about.

Oh, I'm bad with research. Usually I try to be vague or altogether avoid writing about stuff I don't know much about. Like how certain machines or societies work, for example. But if I would write something more serious than fanfiction or roleplays, such as an original novel, I would definitely put a bigger effort into my research! It's important, of course. But not in fanfiction, tbh.

Subsonic said:

I do as much research as possible. I want to be accurate when I am writing about something I don't know about. If I know people who have gone through things I am writing about, I ask them. If there's any real account of something I want to use, I'll read it.

I feel like people should research if they are writing a topic they have no idea about. Especially if it is important to the story. It feels disrespectful not to.

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This is how I am too. I try to talk to friends or people I know have gone through these things. Like, if I wanted to write something about Bipolar Disorder... well, I have a friend who has this. I would ask her for some advice while doing my own research of the condition.

Yeah. There's actually this story on Wattpad this girl has been writing using Autism. She doesn't know a damn thing, and she's going on with it based on what she thinks and also on stereotypes. It's pissed off a lot of people who have autism, including me. The story has probably been reported a dozen times, yet Wattpad can't do anything because they feel it's not breaking any of their community rules. So, here we have this girl running around spreading false information about Autism in her fucking story. :/ She won't listen to us autistic people. Plus, most of her readers are encouraging her to keep writing it too.

That's why I feel it's important to research things. I hate it when people go by what they think they know. I mean even I research on Autism myself as well, even though I have it. My Autism is more mild, so if I wanted to write a character more Autistic than I am... I research it, pic some symptoms and traits that are true and go from there. I do the same with other things too. Even if it's not a certain condition, I'll look up things to help build certain characters. For example, I have a character named Takeshi who can be a little childish and quite immature. However, he's not childish in a sense that he does childish things (ex. sleeping with a teddy bear, throwing tantrums, watching cartoons). It's more the way he acts emotionally since he has panic attacks and such.

Wow... didn't know that would turn into a long thing. XD