Yesterday, I finished the first draft of my current WIP. Which means I get to move onto one of my favorite parts of the writing process—RESEARCH!
I do very little research before starting a first draft. The bulk of my researching is done immediately before diving into the first round of major revisions. Since I've decided to do my first round of major revisions right away with this novel, it means I get to move on to the research. I don't normally start revising right away, but I thought this way, I'm still fresh in the story, and I already have a pretty good handle on what needs to be added/expanded.
Which is where the research comes in.
The first thing on my list of things to research is place to set this dang thing. I mean, I know it's going to be somewhere along the Mississippi or Ohio Rivers (but not in Ohio), but I don't have a specific location picked out. I'm also tossing around the idea of creating a fictional town in a real state.
Then I'll move on to researching all the special stuff. For example, items on my list so far include football and death investigations.
Once I've done all my research and have stuffed my brain to capacity with knowledge, I'll hit the revision, which will include using all that knowledge to expand and add depth to the story.
When do you do your research for a given project? How much research do you do?
I do very little research before starting a first draft. The bulk of my researching is done immediately before diving into the first round of major revisions. Since I've decided to do my first round of major revisions right away with this novel, it means I get to move on to the research. I don't normally start revising right away, but I thought this way, I'm still fresh in the story, and I already have a pretty good handle on what needs to be added/expanded.
Which is where the research comes in.
The first thing on my list of things to research is place to set this dang thing. I mean, I know it's going to be somewhere along the Mississippi or Ohio Rivers (but not in Ohio), but I don't have a specific location picked out. I'm also tossing around the idea of creating a fictional town in a real state.
Then I'll move on to researching all the special stuff. For example, items on my list so far include football and death investigations.
Once I've done all my research and have stuffed my brain to capacity with knowledge, I'll hit the revision, which will include using all that knowledge to expand and add depth to the story.
When do you do your research for a given project? How much research do you do?