Classic Research in Fiction Writing

How do you know when enough research is enough?

How do you avoid getting trapped in research without writing?

And most importantly, why this workshop is called Depth #3, is how do you use your research with information dumps and other boring lumps of information in your stories.

All writers struggle at one point or another with research.

— When to do it and when a story doesn’t need it.

— For a piece of fiction, how much is enough, how much is too little research?

— How to work in the research and knowledge you do have without making your story dull?

— And most importantly, how do you make a story feel like you know every detail about the place and the details, but you have never been to the location or know many of the details. How do you do you get that verisimilitude without taking days of your time?

Over the years, Kris and I have gotten what we call “The research question…” more times than we could ever count. And there is no really simple or easy answer to it. But there are answers and that is what this workshop is about.

This is a craft workshop. We assume you know how to look up something of interest to you and your story. We will show you when you have enough and how to avoid too much. And how to make readers say, “Wow, felt like I was there.”

Depth Workshop is required before you can take this workshop.