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Research for fiction writers: Why do it & how

Posted on March 15, 2024 at 9:00 AM by Guest Author

You can elevate your storytelling by incorporating the right details. Discover the importance of research for fiction writers and practical tips.

Table of Contents

The Importance of Research for Fiction Writers

5 Types of Valuable Research for Fiction Writers

How to Do Research for a Fiction Book

Tips for Applying Research to Writing

Takeaway  

The Importance of Research for Fiction Writers  

If you assume a fiction book doesn’t require any real-life investigation, think again. In fact, research for fiction writers isn’t just strongly recommended — it’s crucial. It gives you the knowledge and understanding to create a compelling story that resonates with readers. Some would argue that research can enhance your creative process , helping your work reach its full potential. 

Here are just a few examples of what research does:

It adds authenticity and credibility to storytelling.

Research is critical to authenticity in fiction, allowing you to develop believable worlds and characters. By immersing yourself in the details, you can infuse your narrative with accuracy and credibility. Whether it’s the realistic portrayal of a historical event or the nuances of a character’s profession, research adds a layer of realism that readers appreciate.  

It enriches the narrative with depth and detail. 

Another advantage of research for fiction writers is that it helps bring a story to life. It adds richness and texture to your writing that can be difficult to achieve otherwise. It enables you to describe the sights, sounds, and smells of a setting so that readers feel they’re actually there. This level of depth and detail not only makes your fictional world more immersive and memorable but also enhances the reader’s understanding of the story. 

It helps avoid inaccuracies and maintain engagement.

With research, you can also avoid introducing errors and inconsistencies that affect the reader’s enjoyment or cause them to lose interest. Nearly every fictional work requires some suspension of disbelief on the reader’s part . But if you’re incorporating actual events, cultural customs, or scientific concepts, it’s important to present them in a factual way. Doing so makes your story more believable so that readers stay engaged. 

5 Types of Valuable Research for Fiction Writers  

There’s no rule regarding what kind of research you should conduct for your book. Ultimately, the exploratory work you do depends on your unique needs. That said, some are especially valuable. 

Here are five of the most common types of research for fiction writers:

HISTORICAL RESEARCH

Performing historical research helps you understand specific time periods, events, and even cultural nuances. It allows you to delve into the past so you can weave your narrative with precision. Of course, this type of research is nonnegotiable for historical fiction, but stories in other genres can benefit from it, too. 

LOCATION RESEARCH

Settings can become characters in their own right, shaping the mood and atmosphere of a story. That’s why it’s worth exploring the physical landscapes and architectural styles of a place you’re including in your book. Doing so makes it easier to depict a location’s sights, sounds, and sensations in vivid detail so that readers are transported. 

CHARACTER RESEARCH

Performing this type of research can go a long way toward creating relatable, believable, and multidimensional characters. Whether you’re including a figure from history or inventing your own, it’s important to dive deep. It’s not just about developing complex backstories and clarifying their motivations — it’s about ensuring your characters make sense to readers. And, in the case of real people, you need to get your facts straight. 

SUBJECT MATTER RESEARCH

Another type of valuable research for fiction writers is subject matter. You should aim to learn about topics relevant to the plot or themes. For instance, you may explore a specific profession, hobby, or cultural practice one of your characters has. Understanding the intricacies of a subject can help you accurately depict the details that make your narrative come alive. 

TECHNICAL RESEARCH

Getting the facts right is crucial when your story involves science, technology, or legal matters. Researching technical aspects helps you understand the principles behind these concepts. Moreover, it aids you in creating a world that feels real and immersive to your readers. 

How to Do Research for a Fiction Book  

The approach to research for fiction writers can vary from one to the next. However, there are some ways to make the process easier and more effective. Below are some basic steps to guide your efforts. 

DEFINE YOUR RESEARCH GOALS

Before diving into research, define specific aspects of your story that require exploration. What don’t you already know? Maybe you need historical context for the time period in which your story is set. Or perhaps you need to work on a character's background. Whatever the case, outlining your goals beforehand ensures you stay focused.  

READ RELEVANT MATERIALS

This may seem obvious, but the best means of research for fiction writers usually involves reading. Start by browsing the Internet for relevant reading materials. Immerse yourself in books, articles, and other online resources related to your needs. 

USE OTHER FORMS OF MEDIA

Don’t be afraid to expand your research beyond traditional sources. For example, you can explore documentaries, podcasts, and films to gain diverse perspectives. Taking advantage of other forms of media can improve your understanding of the subject matter. 

NOTE QUESTIONS THAT ARISE

As you’re researching, keep a running list of questions that pop up in your mind. Whether you want to know more about a person briefly mentioned in a source or the equipment used for a specific task, jot it down. This will help guide further exploration and ensure a thorough investigation into all key aspects of your story. 

ENLIST THE HELP OF LIBRARIANS

If you hit a road block in your research or just need to go more in depth, the library is often your best bet. Librarians can be incredibly helpful for navigating catalogs, accessing archives, and finding obscure references. You can walk away with a wealth of information for your book. 

REACH OUT TO EXPERTS

Consulting experts is another great way to gather information. You can reach out to historians, people in specific professions, or even those present during a particular time. You can often get clarification and insights you won’t find elsewhere. 

Make sure to be respectful when making such requests. If you plan to conduct an informational interview , be prepared beforehand. And don’t forget to thank them for their time. 

GET FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE

Whenever possible, visit locations and engage in activities related to your story. Getting firsthand experience allows you to gather sensory details so you can craft better descriptions. Many authors go to great lengths for the sake of authenticity, and it usually results in a more compelling book. 

FACT-CHECK YOUR INFORMATION

Part of conducting research for fiction writers is fact-checking. You should verify the accuracy of the information you compiled. That way, you can ensure reliability and avoid inaccuracies that may undermine the credibility of your story.

TIP : Don’t skip this step! The last thing you want to do is run into legal issues like defamation . So, make sure to confirm the accuracy of your research, especially when it comes to real people.

ORGANIZE YOUR FINDINGS

Finally, develop a systematic approach to organizing your research findings. Depending on your preference, this may include digital tools or physical notebooks. Either way, you want to facilitate easy access and reference as you integrate them into your narrative.

Tips for Applying Research to Writing  

Once you understand the importance of research for fiction writers and how to do it, there’s the last step — applying that research to your writing. The good news is we’ve provided some practical tips below. By following these recommendations, you can make sure you’re using your research effectively. 

Integrate findings gradually. 

Avoid dumping all your research into the narrative at once. Instead, integrate it gradually throughout the writing process. If you’ve compiled a lot of information about certain people, places, and events, this should happen naturally. Still, it’s a good reminder to sprinkle details throughout your story for a greater effect. 

Strike a balance. 

Research adds depth to your writing, but too much can overwhelm readers. Be mindful not to weigh down the narrative with excessive details. You should provide enough information to create a vivid world and believable characters while leaving room for readers to imagine. 

Allow yourself some flexibility.

The thing about research for fiction writers is that it provides a foundation for your story. But don’t be afraid to take creative liberties when necessary. Use your imagination to fill in the gaps in records. You can enhance the feeling of a scene for readers while staying true to the essence of your research.  

Acknowledge research partners. 

If anyone helped you with your research (e.g., subject matter experts or research librarians), be sure to thank them in the acknowledgments section . Along with being an expected gesture, it gives credit where it’s due. Plus, it adds credibility to your work. 

Be transparent with readers.

If you’ve made changes to historical events for the sake of storytelling, consider including a note to readers explaining your choices. Transparency builds trust with your audience. Further, it allows them to appreciate the creative process behind your work.

Research for fiction writers is the cornerstone of good writing. Even when the work as a whole is a product of your own invention, there are probably aspects rooted in reality. In that case, you can create a stronger book by incorporating details that bring the story to life. So embrace research as part of your writing process moving forward. 

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Fiction as Research Practice

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The turn to fiction as a social research practice is a natural extension of what many researchers and writers have long been doing. Patricia Leavy, a widely published qualitative researcher and a novelist, explores the overlaps and intersections between these two ways of understanding and describing human experience. She demonstrates the validity of literary experimentation to the qualitative researcher and how to incorporate these practices into research projects. Five short stories and excerpts from novellas and novels show these methods in action. This book is an essential methodological introduction for those interested in studying or practicing arts-based research.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part | 2  pages, part i. fiction as research practice, chapter 1 | 20  pages, blurred genres: the intertwining of fiction and nonfi ction, chapter 2 | 16  pages, the possibilities of fiction-based research: portraying lives in context, chapter 3 | 24  pages, designing a project: fiction-based research practice, chapter 4 | 16  pages, evaluating fiction-based research, part ii. exemplars with commentary, chapter 5 | 100  pages, the scrub club, by elizabeth bloom, chapter 7 | 16  pages, the wrong shoe, by elizabeth de freitas, chapter 8 | 46  pages, waiting room, by cheryl dellasega, part iii. conclusion, chapter 10 | 18  pages, fiction as pedagogy.

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• Tags: Fiction Research , Fiction Writing

The most basic understanding of “fiction” in literature is that it is a written piece that depicts imaginary occurrences. There is this unspoken assumption that fiction, because it is of imagined events, has nothing to do with reality (and therefore researching for a novel is not important). This is far from the truth. 

The history of fiction writing presents an inherent paradox: the most gripping of novels require you to write of imagined events in a realistic way. If we accept literature as a reflection of the world around us, then we must also acknowledge that the best of fiction stems from reality. It may be an account of imaginary events, but is still heavily rooted in the real. 

Elevate your novel after research and writing. Learn more

For a writer, this means in-depth research about various aspects of novel writing , including cultural and social context, character behavior, and historical details. 

Your task is (ever so slightly) easier if you are writing about situations contemporary to you. But the further you go back, through the annals of history, the harder it becomes to strive for such authenticity.

Grammar mistakes are jarring, but so are plot holes. An inconsistent story is off-putting to even the most immersed reader. So, here’s the bottom line: do n’t assume, and get your research down.

Why is research important for fiction?

Because even William Shakespeare, one of the most iconic figures of literature, erred in making anachronisms. One of the most famous literary anachronisms is in his play Julius Caesar , in Cassius’ line:

“The clock has stricken three.” (Act II, Scene 1)

The error is that clocks that “struck” were invented almost 14 centuries after the play was set! 

But Shakespeare was a giant. We have forgiven these misgivings because Shakespearean literature is rich even with such minuscule errors. As for us foolish mortals, it’s probably best to do our research thoroughly. 

Having a detailed understanding of the landscape that you are writing about is one of the most effective ways to draw your reader into the story world. Your extensive knowledge of your chosen topic will also give you a stable and authoritative voice in your writing.

What should you be researching?

As you might have realized by now, there are various aspects of your novel you should be researching. To start with, we’ve split fiction writing research into two categories: content and form. By content, we mean the details and elements you should focus on within your story. By form, we mean the style and genre of writing you wish to eventually adopt.

Needless to say, these two categories will overlap with each other as you make your story more streamlined.  

A story’s setting is one of the most important elements of fiction writing. It is essentially the time and space that your narrative is set in or the story’s backdrop. A story might have a gripping narrative and well-rounded characters, but it is incomplete if the reader doesn’t have a sense of where it’s all happening. As part of your setting, you can include geographical, cultural, social, and political details that you feel are relevant to the story.

In other words, you are essentially creating a “world” for your story . These may seem like tiny details to add to your otherwise imaginary story, but they provide depth and plausibility to your story.

One cool way to get a lowdown on these intricate spatial details like roads, mountains, hills, monuments, and other geographical landmarks is through tools like Google Maps and Street View . This is especially useful if you have to write about a place you can’t visit or you simply want to get geographical descriptions right.

The worst thing you could do as a writer is to assume things. This is a misstep that is quite unnecessary and can easily be avoided with some research. The information you have already gathered while researching your setting is a good enough start. What you now need to do with all these seemingly scattered pieces of information is to make sure they do not contradict each other.

Character details and human behavior

In plotting your story, you will also automatically gain an understanding of the intention and goals of your characters. In order to flesh them out and ensure that they are dynamic and interesting, research is required.

An understanding of human behavior and nature is a very important skill for a good writer. The stereotype of a perceptive and observant writer is, in fact, due to quite a practical need! Even if your characters do not exist in reality, they should seem real enough for your readers to be able to relate to them.

Historical and social background 

Your story world is not just the time, place, and immediate surroundings of your characters. Irrespective of what setting your story has, it also has the larger context of the world that your characters reside in. This could be from a real point in history (like Victorian England, 1920s jazz era, etc.) or it could be completely made up (Oceania from 1984, or Panem).

But irrespective of whether you’re writing historical fiction or creating a new world altogether, it must be thorough and consistent in supporting your plot. As a writer, you must clearly understand the culture and systems that your characters are a part of. A well-rooted universe also gives readers an insight into a character’s identity.

Writing style and genre 

If you are writing a novel in a particular genre, it’s important to be aware of writing conventions and tropes commonly used in that genre. The best, and most obvious, way to do this is to read novels and stories in your genre of choice. Look at the top-rated and critically acclaimed books and study them carefully. Be critical in your study, try to understand the author’s creative writing process, and look at the style and tone they try to evoke. 

Aside from this, you could also take a look at books about novel writing in general. These will give you general, but useful information about novel writing, like when to write long descriptions and when to cut straight to the action.

How should you be researching?

• Read about what you are researching. Books, articles, and other forms of print media are great ways to gather information on culture, history, and society. Biographies and memoirs are great for character insight (especially if you’re basing your book on a real person). If you’re basing your novel in the real world, you know what to do next. If you’re creating your own world, this is still a good basis for whatever you cook up within your world.
• Films and TV are great sources for helping you develop your character as they help you understand character traits and motivation in your story. Additionally, they might also help you visualize your story.
• If you are writing about characters with a niche profession (for example), take interviews with people who are in that field. For instance, if you are writing a detective story, talk to people in your police precinct and observe their behavior.
• If you are writing about specific locations, read up about that. In the age of the internet, there are many resources and forums where you can interact with people around the world.
• Try to visit the locations you are writing about and spend some time there , to gain an insight into what life in that place is like.

Incorporating research into fiction

Be selective about your details. Whether or not you actually incorporate the details that you have researched, knowing your world well will make your writing infinitely better. 

Because of all the information you have amassed, there is a certain bias you acquire as an “expert” on the subject of your story. So if you include a lot of information, there is a danger of your work sounding too technical.

Make sure that every detail you include is directly relevant to the plot. Keep it simple: and avoid unnecessary plot holes.

You can use these practical tips to research for your next story. Once you research and complete your story, the next step is to edit and publish your work.  As a trusted brand offering editing and proofreading services , we’d love to help you refine your work. 

Here are some other articles you might find interesting: 

• 5 Elements of a Short Story & 6 Stages of a Plot
• What is Flash Fiction? Definition, Examples & Types

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On the Fine Art of Researching For Fiction  

Jake wolff: how to write beyond the borders of your experience.

The first time I considered the relationship between fiction and research was during a writing workshop—my first—while I watched the professor eviscerate some poor kid’s story about World War II. And yeah, the story was bad. I remember the protagonist being told to “take cover” and then performing several combat rolls to do so.

“You’re college students,” the professor said. “Write about college students.”

Later, better professors would clarify for me that research, with a touch of imagination, can be a perfectly valid substitute for experience. But that’s always where the conversation stopped. If we ever uttered the word “research” in a workshop, we did so in a weaponized way to critique a piece of writing: “This desperately needs more research,” we’d all agree, and then nothing more would be said. We’d all just pretend that everyone in the room already knew how to integrate research into fiction and that the failures of the story were merely a lack of effort rather than skill. Secretly, though, I felt lost.

I knew research was important, and I knew how to research. My questions all had to do with craft. How do I incorporate research into fiction? How do I provide authenticity and detail without turning the story into a lecture? How much research is too much? Too little?

How do I allow research to support the story without feeling obligated to remain in the realm of fact—when I am, after all, trying to write fiction?

I heavily researched my debut novel, in which nearly every chapter is science-oriented, historical, or both. I’d like to share a method I used throughout the research and writing process to help deal with some of my questions. This method is not intended to become a constant fixture in your writing practice. But if you’re looking for ways to balance or check the balance of the amount of research in a given chapter, story, or scene, you might consider these steps: identify, lie, apply.

I recently had a conversation with a former student, now a friend, about a short story he was writing. He told me he was worried he’d packed it too full of historical research.

“Well,” I said, “how much research is in there?”

“Uhhh,” he answered. “I’m not sure?”

That’s what we might call a visualization problem. It’s hard to judge the quantity of something you can’t see.

I’ve faced similar problems in my own work. I once received a note from my editor saying that a certain chapter of my novel read too much like a chemistry textbook. At first, I was baffled—I didn’t think of the chapter as being overly research-forward. But upon reading it again, I realized I had missed the problem. After learning so much about chemistry, I could no longer “see” the amount of research I had crammed into twenty pages.

Literature scholars don’t have this problem because they cite their sources; endnotes, footnotes, and the like don’t merely provide a tool for readers to verify claims, but also provide a visual reminder that research exists within the text. Thankfully, creative writers generally don’t have to worry about proper MLA formatting (though you should absolutely keep track of your sources). Still, finding a quick way to visually mark the research in your fiction is the least exciting but also the most important step in recognizing its role in your work.

Personally, I map my research in blue. So when my editor flagged that chapter for me, I went back to the text and began marking the research. By the end of the process, the chapter was filled with paragraphs that looked like this one:

Progesterone is a steroid hormone that plays an especially important role in pregnancy. Only a few months before Sammy arrived in Littlefield, a group of scientists found the first example of progesterone in plants. They’d used equipment I would never be able to access, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy, to search for the hormone in the leaves of the English Walnut trees. In humans, aging was associated with a drop in progesterone and an increase in tumor formation—perhaps a result of its neurosteroidal function.

My editor was spot-on: this barely qualified as fiction. But I truly hadn’t seen it. As both a writer and teacher, I’m constantly amazed by how blind we can become to our own manuscripts. Of course, this works the other way, too: if you’re writing a story set in medieval England but haven’t supported that setting with any research, you’ll see it during this step. It’s such an easy, obvious exercise, but I know so few writers who do this.

Before moving on, I’ll pause to recommend also highlighting research in other people’s work. If there’s a story or novel you admire that is fairly research-forward, go through a few sections and mark anything that you would have needed research to write. This will help you see the spacing and balance of research in the fiction you’re hoping to emulate.

(Two Truths and a) Lie

You’ve probably heard of the icebreaker Two Truths and a Lie: you tell two truths and one lie about yourself, and then the other players have to guess which is the lie. I’d rather die than play this game in real life, but it works beautifully when adapted as a solo research exercise.

It’s very simple. When I’m trying to (re)balance the research in my fiction, I list two facts I’ve learned from my research and then invent one “fact” that sounds true but isn’t. The idea is to acquaint yourself with the sound of the truth when it comes to a given subject and then to recreate that sound in a fictive sentence. It’s a way to provide balance and productivity, ensuring that you’re continuing to imagine and invent —to be a fiction writer— even as you’re researching.

I still have my notes from the first time I used this exercise. I was researching the ancient Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang for a work of historical fiction I would later publish in One Story. I was drowning in research, and the story was nearing fifty pages (!) with no end in sight. My story focused on the final years of the emperor’s life, so I made a list of facts related to that period, including these:

1. The emperor was obsessed with finding the elixir of life and executed Confucian scholars who failed to support this obsession.

2. If the emperor coughed, everyone in his presence had to cough in order to mask him as the source.

3. The emperor believed evil spirits were trying to kill him and built secret tunnels to travel in safety from them.

Now, the second of those statements is a lie. My facts were showing me that the emperor was afraid of dying and made other people the victims of that fear—my lie, in turn, creates a usable narrative detail supporting these facts. I ended up using this lie as the opening of the story. I was a graduate student at the time, and when I workshopped the piece, my professor said something about how the opening worked because “It’s the kind of thing you just can’t make up.” I haven’t stopped using this exercise since.

We have some facts; we have some lies. The final step is to integrate these details into the story. We’ll do this by considering their relationship to the beating heart of fiction: conflict. You can use this step with both facts and lies. My problem tends to be an overload of research rather than the opposite, so I’ll show you an example of a lie I used to help provide balance.

In a late chapter in my book, three important characters—Sammy and his current lover Sadiq and his ex- lover Catherine—travel to Rapa Nui (Easter Island). They’ve come to investigate a drug with potential anti-aging properties that originates in the soil there (that’s a fact; the drug is called rapamycin). As I researched travel to Easter Island, my Two Truths and a Lie exercise produced the following lie:

There are only two airports flying into Easter Island; these airports constantly fight with each other.

In reality, while there are two airports serving Easter Island (one in Tahiti; the other in Chile), nearly everyone flies from Chile, and it’s the same airline either way. On its surface, this is the kind of lie I would expect to leave on the cutting room floor—it’s a dry, irrelevant detail.

But when I’m using the ILA method, I try not to pre-judge. Instead, I make a list of the central conflicts in the story or chapter and a list of the facts and lies. Then I look for applications—i.e., for ways in which each detail may feel relevant to the conflicts. To my surprise, I found that the airport lie fit the conflicts of the chapter perfectly:

Ultimately, the airport lie spoke to the characters, all of whom were feeling the painful effects of life’s capriciousness, the way the choices we make can seem under our control but also outside it, arbitrary but also fateful. I used this lie to introduce these opposing forces and to divide the characters: Sammy and Sadiq fly from Tahiti; Catherine flies from Chile.

Two airports in the world offered flights to Rapa Nui—one in Tahiti, to the west, and one in Chile, to the east. Most of the scientists stayed in one of those two countries. There was no real meaning to it. But still, it was hard, in a juvenile way, not to think of the two groups as opposing teams in a faction. There was the Tahiti side, and there was the Chile side, and only one could win.

This sort of schematic—complete with a table and headers—may seem overly rigid to you, to which I’d respond, Gee, you sound like one of my students. What can I say? I’m a rigid guy. But when you’re tackling a research-intensive story, a little rigidity isn’t the worst thing. Narrative structure does not supply itself. It results from the interplay between the conflicts, the characters, and the details used to evoke them. I’m presenting one way, of many, to visualize those relationships whenever you’re feeling lost.

Zora Neal Hurston wrote, “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” Maybe that’s why I’m thinking of structure and rigidity—research, for me, is bolstering in this way. It provides form. But it’s also heavy and hard to work with. It doesn’t bend. If you’re struggling with the burden of it, give ILA a shot and see if unsticks whatever is holding you back. If you do try this approach, let me know if it works for you—and if it doesn’t, feel free to lie.

__________________________________

Jake Wolff’s  The History of Living Forever is out now from FSG.

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How to organize research for your novel

Follow this step-by-step guide to learn the modern process of organizing research in Milanote, a free tool used by top creatives.

How to organize your research in 7 easy steps

Whether you're writing a sci-fi thriller or historical fiction, research is a crucial step in the early writing process. It's a springboard for new ideas and can add substance and authenticity to your story. As author Robert McKee says "when you do enough research, the story almost writes itself. Lines of development spring loose and you'll have choices galore."

But collecting research can be messy. It's often scattered between emails, notes, documents, and even photos on your phone making it hard to see the full picture. When you bring your research into one place and see things side-by-side, new ideas and perspectives start to emerge.

In this guide, you'll learn the modern approach to collecting and organizing research for your novel using Milanote. Remember, the creative process is non-linear, so you may find yourself moving back and forth between the steps as you go.

1. First, add any existing notes

You probably know a lot about your chosen topic or location already. Start by getting the known facts and knowledge out of your head. Even if these topics seem obvious to you, they can serve as a bridge to the rest of your research. You might include facts about the location, period, fashion or events that take place in your story.

Create a new board to collect your research.

Create a new board

Drag a board out from the toolbar. Give it a name, then double click to open it.

Add a note to capture your existing knowledge on the topic.

Drag a note card onto your board

Start typing then use the formatting tools in the left hand toolbar.

2. Save links to articles & news

Wikipedia, blogs, and news websites are a goldmine for researchers. It's here you'll find historical events and records, data, and opinions about your topic. We're in the 'collecting' phase so just save links to any relevant information you stumble across. You can return and read the details at a later stage.

Drag a link card onto your board to save a website.

Install the  Milanote Web Clipper

Save websites and articles straight to your board. 

Save content from the web

With the Web Clipper installed, save a website, image or text. Choose the destination in Milanote. Return to your board and find the content in the "Unsorted" column on the right.

3. Save quotes & data

Quotes are a great way to add credibility and bring personality to your topic. They're also a handy source of inspiration for character development, especially if you're trying to match the language used in past periods. Remember to keep the source of the quote in case you need to back it up.

Add a note to capture a quote.

4. Collect video & audio

Video and movie clips can help you understand a mood or feeling in a way that words sometimes can't. Try searching for your topic or era on Vimeo , or Youtube . Podcasts are another great reference. Find conversations about your topic on Spotify or any podcast platform and add them into the mix.

Embed Youtube videos or audio in a board. 

Embed Youtube videos or audio tracks in a board

Copy the share link from Youtube, Vimeo, Soundcloud or many other services. Drag a link card onto your board, paste your link and press enter.

5. Collect important images

Sometimes the quickest way to understand a topic is with an image. They can transport you to another time or place and can help you describe things in much more detail. They're also easier to scan when you return to your research. Try saving images from Google Images , Pinterest , or Milanote's built-in image library.

Use the built-in image library. 

Use the built-in image library

Search over 500,000 beautiful photos powered by Unsplash then drag images straight onto your board.

Save images from other websites straight to your board. 

Roll over an image (or highlight text), click Save, then choose the destination in Milanote. Return to your board and find the content in the "Unsorted" column on the right.

Allow yourself the time to explore every corner of your topic. As author A.S. Byatt says "the more research you do, the more at ease you are in the world you're writing about. It doesn't encumber you, it makes you free".

6. Collect research on the go

You never know where or when you'll find inspiration—it could strike you in the shower, or as you're strolling the aisles of the grocery store. So make sure you have an easy way to capture things on the go. As creative director Grace Coddington said, "Always keep your eyes open. Keep watching. Because whatever you see can inspire you."

Download the  Milanote mobile app

Save photos straight to your Research board. 

Take photos on the go

Shoot or upload photos directly to your board. When you return to a bigger screen you'll find them in the "Unsorted" column of the board.

7. Connect the dots

Now that you have all your research in one place, it's time to start drawing insights and conclusions. Laying out your notes side-by-side is the best way to do this. You might see how a quote from an interviewee adds a personal touch to some data you discovered earlier. This is the part of the process where you turn a collection of disparate information into your unique perspective on the topic.

That's a great start!

Research is an ongoing process and you'll probably continue learning about your topic throughout your writing journey. Reference your research as you go to add a unique perspective to your story. Use the template below to start your research or read our full guide on how to plan a novel .

Start your research

Get started for free with one of Milanote's beautiful templates.

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Fiction as Research Practice Short Stories Novellas and Novels

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How to Research a Novel: 9 Key Strategies

by Joslyn Chase | 2 comments

Have you ever started a story, gotten halfway through, and realized you don't know key facts about your story's world? Have you ever wondered how to find out the size of spoons in Medieval England for your fantasy adventure story? Is that even relevant to your plot, or could you skip that fact? Here's how to research your novel.

As fiction writers, our job is to sit at a keyboard and make stuff up for fun and profit. We conjure most of our material from our imagination, creativity, and mental supply of facts and trivia, but sometimes we need that little bit of extra verisimilitude that research can bring to a project.

When it comes to research, there are key strategies to keep in mind to help you make the most of your time and effort.

9 Strategies to Research a Novel

Readers who’ve posted reviews for my thriller, Nocturne In Ashes , often comment about how well-researched it is. While that can be a positive sentiment, that’s not really what you want readers to notice about your book. The best research shouldn’t call attention to itself or detract readers from the story so I’m always relieved to hear those same reviewers go on to rave about the thrills and suspense.

When you're writing, you want to get the facts right and create a believable world. Doing research for your novel is the way to do that. But you also don't want to get sucked into a research hole, so distracted by the local cuisine of a small town in 1930s France that you never actually write. And you want to hook your readers with a page-turning story , not a dissertation on some obscure topic.

Here are nine key research strategies I’ve learned to write an effective (and exciting!) story.

1. Write first, research later

Research can be a dangerous enterprise because it’s seductive and time spent in research is time taken away from actual writing of the creative process. Getting words on the page is job one, so it’s important to meet your daily writing goal before engaging in research.

So if the piece you’re working on requires research, your first order of the day should be to write something else that doesn’t need research, something you can draw purely from imagination and your own mental well. Fill your word quota, practice your skills, meet your production goals, and THEN move on to research, so you don't derail your writing process with it.

I always have multiple works in progress. I’m writing project A while researching project B and thinking about and planning projects C through M.

2. Research is secondary; telling a good story comes first

After all the precious time boosting your knowledge of historical events or the feel for a subject, this point might hurt: only use a tiny fraction of your research in the story.

Don’t give in to the temptation to dump everything you've learned into the story. Sure, it’s fascinating stuff but you risk burying the story in scientific or historical detail.

A little bit of researched material goes a long way. Only use info related to the issues your character would know about and be concerned with. Leave out the captivating but irrelevant details.

Your research should enhance the story, not dominate it.

3. Write for your fans

Your story should be targeted to the readers who love what you write—your fans. Stop worrying about the five people out there who might read your story and nitpick that your character used the wrong fork or wore the wrong kind of corset.

A lot of writers fake it or write only from the knowledge they do have. They don’t let their lack of esoteric knowledge get in the way of the story. They do research for their novels, grab a few details for the sake of authenticity, and wing the rest.

With the exception of 11/22/63, Stephen King does very little research, but there are few who can write a more riveting story.

4. Don’t obsess over accuracy

Frankly, there are instances and reasons where you don’t really want to be accurate. For example, if you write historical romance, research might show that people of that time period rarely bathed and lost most of their teeth and hair at a young age. That’s probably not how you want to portray your heroine and the man of her dreams.

Sometimes, including a historically or scientifically accurate detail would require pages of explanation to make it credible for today’s audience—almost a surefire way to lose your reader. When in doubt, leave it out.

And no matter how hard you work at it, you’re not likely to cover every detail with one hundred percent accuracy, so don’t obsess over it. Do your best, but remember—story is what matters, not accurate details.

5. Go with the most interesting version

When researching an event, you’ll usually find a number of different accounts, especially when using primary sources, none in perfect agreement with the others. When this happens, do what the History Channel does—go with the most entertaining version of events.

Remember, you’re a storyteller, not a historian. Your goal is to grab and hold your reader’s attention and keep them turning pages. If it makes you feel better, you can include endnotes with references so interested readers can dig deeper into the “facts.”

6. Keep a “bible”

This is especially important if you’re writing a series. You can’t be expected to remember every important detail about the characters and settings you put in book one when, years later, you’re working on book seven.

Record these details in an easy-to-reference format you can come back to later to provide continuity and reader confidence in your ability to tell a coherent story.

7. Don’t fall down the wormhole

I love doing research. It’s fun, fascinating, and absorbing—so absorbing, it can suck you in and keep you from moving on to the writing. You need to be able to draw the line at some point. As Tina Fey says in her book, Bossy Pants , “The show doesn't go on because it's ready; it goes on because it's 11:30.”

Know when it’s time to leave the research and get to the writing. Pro tip: set yourself a time limit or a deadline. Even if you don't “feel” finished with research, you'll have a clear marker for when you have to put the research down and get back to writing.

8. Save simple details for last

Sometimes when you’re writing along in your story, you’ll find yourself needing a simple detail. Make a notation, resolve to come back to it later, and move on. Don’t let this interrupt or distract you from getting the story down on the page.

Later, you can come back and do the minimal research to fill in these little details like a character name , a location, a car model, etc. Shawn Coyne calls this “ice cream work” because it’s fun and feels frivolous after the concentrated work of writing the story itself.

9. Finish THIS project before starting another

One great thing about research is that you learn so much and find the seeds for so many new story ideas. The challenge is to not get distracted from your current project.

Make a note to yourself to pursue these other ideas somewhere down the road. Let those seeds sprout and grow in the back of your mental garden, but keep your focus on the story you’re writing now .

Resources: Where to Actually Research Your Novel

I’ve touched on how to do the research. Here, I’m adding a few suggestions about where to go for the goods.

• Wikipedia, and don’t forget to dig into the links at the bottom of the article
• Reenactor sites for historical battles, uniforms, etc.
• Costuming sites
• Travel guides
• Writer’s Digest Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in … fill in the blank (these are loaded with details of landscape, clothing, household items, and more)
• Biographies and autobiographies, and don’t overlook their bibliographies and footnotes
• Blog posts of expert and amateur historians
• Journals and diaries
• Weather reports
• Price lists, to find out how much were salaries, groceries, mortgage payments, etc.
• Birth and death certificates, court documents
• Etymology websites
• Museum exhibits and gift shops, including the little touristy booklets, maps, tour guides
• Libraries! Talk to a reference librarian—they’re awesome at plumbing resources.

Novel Research Rocks!

Research really is intriguing and a lot of fun. There’s so much to discover, but beware because you can get lost in it and never find your way out. You’re better off under-researching than over-researching, so know when to get out and move on.

Also, be aware that your novel's research requirements will differ somewhat based on the genre you’re writing . For instance, with historical fiction, you need to give your readers a travel adventure into the past with sensory details to draw them into the time period.

With science fiction, you need to be able to extrapolate from scientific fact and theory to the fictional premise of your story. In doing so, don’t get bogged down in the journey from point A to point B. Just get to the conclusion. The more you explain, the less credible it sounds to the reader.

With fantasy, it’s the little world-building details that count for so much. Know what your reader expects and craves and meet those demands.

And no matter how much research your book requires, don't discount your personal experience with being human—those emotional, intellectual, and philosophical experiences often cross time and space.

I wish you many happy hours of successful novel research, but don’t forget to write first!

How about you? Do you do research for your novels? Where do you turn for information? Tell us about it in the comments .

Use one of the prompts below or make up your own. Conduct a little research—just enough to add verisimilitude to the scene, a few telling details. Spend five minutes researching two to three facts that will help you set the scene. Then, take the next ten minutes to write a couple of paragraphs to establish the character in the setting.

The death of her father leaves Miss Felicity Brewster alone in regency England and places upon her the burden of fulfilling his last wish—that she marry a safe, respectable gentleman.

Accused of treason, Frendl Ericcson sets out to find his betrayer and restore his honor.

Dr. Vanessa Crane makes a breakthrough in her nanotechnology research. But will her discovery benefit mankind, or destroy it?

With the help of his mortician friend, Victorian-era detective Reginald Piper must use cutting-edge forensic methods to solve a string of murders.

When you are finished, post your work the Pro Practice Workshop here and don’t forget to leave feedback for your fellow writers! Not a member yet? Check out how you can join a thriving group of writers practicing together here.

Joslyn Chase

Any day where she can send readers to the edge of their seats, prickling with suspense and chewing their fingernails to the nub, is a good day for Joslyn. Pick up her latest thriller, Steadman's Blind , an explosive read that will keep you turning pages to the end. No Rest: 14 Tales of Chilling Suspense , Joslyn's latest collection of short suspense, is available for free at joslynchase.com .

I wish I’d read point 6 – keep a bible a couple of years ago before I wrote my 450k word magnum opus, because I’m now writing several supplemental short stories in that universe and I’m forever digging through for minor character’s names, details of meeting places etc

My current WIP is involving a lot more research than I expected. I had to re-write a hunting scene twice, because the first version, which I showed to a real bow-hunter, had him going after the deer right away, and my hunter-friend said to wait a half hour before you start tracking a deer. I don’t hunt myself, so I took his word and re-wrote it, but my gut said it wasn’t right. So I did some surfing and found both his advice, and advice that said you should go after a hip shot right away (basically agreeing with what my gut said should be happening). So was he wrong, were the sources that agreed with me wrong, or was he getting a wrong impression of what was going on? I decided I was overly in love with the opening sentence of the scene and re-wrote the whole thing yet again, using the “simple details” I’d discovered to clarify the deer had taken a hip shot. Minor scene, but a major position: it’s introducing the #2 member of my hero team.

Could it wait until later? Possibly, but I’m seriously considering serializing this thing, so the beginning chapters might be getting published before the end chapters of the first book get written, and I’m hoping for seven books out of this (probably close to 1M words total).

The Devil is in the details!

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• Fiction , Writing Tips

The Importance of Research in Fiction Writing: Tips and Techniques for Incorporating Real-Life Details

Would you believe us if we told you that the most common ‘unsung hero’ in fiction writing is – [drumroll, please…] research ? Now, we know what you might be thinking: “ Research ? But isn't fiction all about making things up?” 

Well, yes and no. 

Let’s dive into why research is not just important but absolutely vital in fiction writing, and how you can seamlessly weave real-life details into your stories to make them truly come alive.

1. Why Research Matters in Fiction

Picture this: You’re lost in a book, totally enthralled in a world of intrigue and drama. Suddenly, you stumble upon a detail so out of place that it yanks you right out of the story. Frustrating, right ? This is exactly why research is crucial. It’s about credibility, authenticity, and respect for your reader. Whether it’s historical accuracy, geographical details, cultural nuances, or professional jargon, getting these elements right adds depth and believability to your narrative. It really is that secret sauce that makes your fictional world believable .

2. Starting Your Research Journey

Research can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Start with the basics: Who? What? Where? When? How? If your story is set in a specific time or place, start there. Dive into the history, the culture, and the landscape. If your character has a specific occupation or hobby, learn everything you can about it. Luckily, the internet is a treasure trove of information, but don’t forget about other resources like libraries, documentaries, interviews, and personal experiences. 

3. Balancing Fact and Fiction

While research is key, remember you’re writing fiction, not a textbook. Your primary goal is to tell a compelling story. Use research as your backdrop, not your main event. It’s like seasoning a dish – too little, and it’s bland; too much, and it’s overpowering. Find that happy medium where your research supports and enhances your story without overshadowing it.

4. Incorporating Research Naturally

So, how do you incorporate research without making your story feel like a Wikipedia page? The key is subtlety. Use sensory details to bring a setting to life. Let your characters interact with their environment by revealing historical or cultural truths with a natural touch. Use dialogue to introduce professional jargon or expertise. Show, don't tell. Let your readers feel like they’re discovering the world with your characters, not sitting through a lecture. (Zzz…)

5. Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Beware of the infamous info dump! It’s tempting to show off all the cool stuff you’ve learned, but resist the urge. We repeat, resist the urge! If a detail doesn't serve the story or develop your characters, it probably doesn't need to be there. 

6. Research for Character Development

Research isn't just about settings and jargon; it’s also key to developing well-rounded characters. Understand their backgrounds, motivations, and the world they live in. This could mean researching psychological conditions, cultural traditions, or even the smallest of details of everyday life in a different era. The more you understand, the more authentic your characters will feel.

7. Staying Flexible and Creative

Remember, research should fuel your creativity, not limit it. If you find that certain facts are constraining your story, it’s okay to tweak them for the sake of the narrative. Historical fiction often takes creative liberties for the sake of the story. The goal is to remain respectful and credible, not necessarily to provide a historical account.

8. Engaging with Experts and Beta Readers

Don't be afraid to reach out to experts or use beta readers, especially if you’re writing about experiences or cultures different from your own. This helps enrich your story but it also provides accuracy. It’s a great way to build credibility and avoid unintentional missteps.

9. Enjoying the Process

Most importantly, enjoy the research process! It’s a journey of discovery that can be incredibly fun. You never know what fascinating tidbits you might uncover or how they could inspire new plot twists or character traits. 

Incorporating research into your fiction writing isn't just about dotting your I’s and crossing your T’s. It’s about breathing life into your story, giving it depth, color, and authenticity. So go ahead, delve into the details, and let them enrich your storytelling!

Your readers – and your writing – will thank you for it.

Happy writing!

Casey Cease

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How To Research Your Novel … And When To Stop

posted on January 18, 2017

I love book research. It's one of the most fun parts of the book creation process for me , but I definitely need to make sure I don't disappear down the rabbit-hole of research and forget to actually write!

If you’d like more help, check out my book: How to Write a Novel.

Is research really necessary?

If you're writing non-fiction, research will most likely be the basis of your book. For fiction, it can provide ideas on which to build your characters and plot.

You can go into the research phase with no concrete agenda , as I often do, and emerge with a clear idea of how your story will unfold. Or, if you have pre-existing ideas, research allows you to develop them further . In terms of reader expectation , research is critical in genres like historical fiction, as it will help you to create an accurate world and ground the story in reality.

When people read a story, they want to sink into your fictional world. If you introduce something that jolts the reader, the ‘fictive dream' is interrupted. For many genres, research can help you avoid this.

Most of my J.F.Penn thrillers are set in the present day and I like to have 95% reality in terms of places, historical accuracy and actual events. Then I push the edges of that reality a little further and see what happens.

How to research your novel

Research can take many forms. Here are some of my methods for gathering information.

(1) Research through reading and watching

“Books are made out of books” – Cormac McCarthy

Your research process can happen online at the various book retailers or Goodreads, but I also like to take it into the physical world by heading to libraries and bookstores, as you never quite know what you might discover. I think of it as serendipity in the stacks!

If you're writing fiction, it’s important to read extensively in your genre in order to understand the reader expectations, but many authors also find it helpful to read a wide range of non-fiction books on the topics they're interested in.

You can also read magazines and journals; browse images on Pinterest and Flickr; and watch documentaries and films on TV and YouTube. Fill the creative well!

If you have concerns about plagiarism, take note of this quote from Austin Kleon’s book Steal Like an Artist .

“Stealing from one person is plagiarism. Stealing from 100 is research.”

For example, if you read five books on the history of The Tudors and you've written notes on all of them, then you turn that into something new, that’s considered research and is an entirely natural part of the writing process. It only slips into plagiarism if you copy lines from another work and pass them off as your own , and of course, that’s something we would never want to do.

(2) Research through travel

One of my favorite ways to carry out research is to travel to places where I intend to set a novel .

This may not fit your budget, but it’s not always as expensive as you might expect, particularly if you travel during off-season periods. For my recent thriller End of Days , we did a research trip to Israel. You can join me for a walk around the Old City of Jerusalem in this video made on site .

Information on different locations can be found on our own doorstep and museum exhibitions are the perfect example of this. Follow your curiosity – maybe one museum exhibit leads you to another and each sparks your imagination somehow.

We're also very lucky in that we live in a time where it’s possible to research travel destinations online, so you can write about a place even if you haven't been there . You can find clips on YouTube, watch travel documentaries, read travel blogs, and even get a feel for walking around a location via Google maps.

(3) Research on Pinterest (or other visual social media)

We can find inspiration on Pinterest by browsing other people’s boards, but it’s also the perfect place to gather our own research and easily record it. I have Pinterest Boards for most of my J.F.Penn thriller novels now .

For fiction authors, the visual medium can be particularly valuable for sparking ideas and bringing our fictional worlds into reality. You can even share this inspiration with your readers.

(4) Let synchronicity emerge

When I started End of Days , I only had the title and I knew it would have to have some kind of apocalyptic event, but it also needed to be original.

I found two books:  The End ,  an overview of Bible prophecy and the end of days, and also The End: What Science and Religion Tell Us About the Apocalypse ,  a mix of scientific information and how different religions see the end of the world.

From these two books, I gathered a wealth of ideas including the quote for the beginning of the book from  Revelation 20:1-6

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he sees the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him until the thousand years were ended .”

The serpent element  sparked my curiosity so I started Googling art associated with serpents. I discovered Lilith, called the first wife of Adam and a demon closely associated with serpents.

Then I found this quote from the Talmud (Jewish scripture) about Lilith:

“The female of Samael is called ‘serpent, woman of harlotry, end of all flesh, end of days.'”

Yes, it actually calls her End of Days. Talk about synchronicity!

[This type of thing seems to happen with every novel I write, which makes me agree with a lot of what Elizabeth Gilbert says in Big Magic about ideas. It's a great book!] 

Lilith and Samael emerged as my antagonists from this research, which also gave me rich story ideas for the plot. All this came from my willingness to go down the research rabbit hole.

(5) Research possible settings

The next stage was to consider a setting for my story and how I could use snakes in a much bigger way.

The setting is always a very important element of my books , so I looked initially at places sacred to serpent worship. I found an amazing documentary on YouTube about the Appalachian Christians, who use serpents in their worship, and from there the backstory of Lilith grew. I theorized that if she came from a group who were not afraid of serpents, then this might explain how she gets involved in the end of days conspiracy.

From one initial Google search on serpent worship, I had an outline for the plot of my novel .

This should give you an idea of how powerful research can be, taking you from an initial spark of creativity through to a completed book.

How to organize and manage your research

Your research will be far more effective if you keep track of it as you progress. You can put a couple of lines into your phone or write a few notes in a journal as you go along, but at some point, you need to organize this information so you can get writing.

There is no right or wrong approach to managing your research, just choose the option that works best for you and it will likely evolve as your writing career progresses. Some people use physical files, like a filing system, or a pin board .

When to stop researching

Research can be a lot of fun, but at some point you have to stop researching and start writing. Remember,  research can become a form of procrastination  and the more you research, the more information you will find to include.

Therefore, as soon as you have enough information to write a scene about a place, event or person in your novel, then maybe you should stop and do some writing about it. Keep a balance between consumption and creation , input and output.

Another way to approach this is to set a time limit . For example, if you know you need to start writing on a particular date to hit a (self-imposed) deadline, then work backwards to allow yourself a research period before this.

You can always do additional research as you write, but the important thing is that the book is underway.

Get started with what you have, fill in the blanks later.

Should you use an Author's Note about your research?

At the end of all of my books, I add an Author's Note which includes information on where my research came from and links to my videos and images along the way. It’s certainly not a requirement to do this but it can be beneficial to both you and the reader . My readers often comment on it when they email about the books.

We're all unique and that’s what sets our books apart so don’t be afraid to approach research in the way that suits you best. Whether you use research to spark initial ideas or to drive your narrative forward, the time invested in it will ultimately reap rewards in terms of the quality of your finished book.

Do you love the research process? Do you have any questions or tips to offer? Please leave a comment below and join the conversation. 

If you’d like more help on researching, plotting or writing your book, check out my book: How to Write a Novel.

Reader Interactions

September 15, 2022 at 10:39 am

I’m writing a novel about immigrants to NY in the first decade of the previous century. I’ve done quite a bit of general research, but I’m stuck with specific details that are necessary to determine for the story, but which I can’t find answers to. Where does one go/Who does one turn to for the missing details? I’m pretty frustrated.

[…] to procrastinate from actually getting words onto paper or fingers onto keyboard. Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn has a great little […]

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The Case for Reading Fiction

• Christine Seifert

It’s an easy way to build emotional intelligence.

When it comes to reading, we may be assuming that reading for knowledge is the best reason to pick up a book. Research, however, suggests that reading fiction may provide far more important benefits than nonfiction. For example, reading fiction predicts increased social acuity and a sharper ability to comprehend other people’s motivations. Reading nonfiction might certainly be valuable for collecting knowledge, it does little to develop EQ, a far more elusive goal.

Some of the most valuable skills that managers look for in employees are often difficult to define, let alone evaluate or quantify: self-discipline, self-awareness, creative problem-solving, empathy, learning agility, adaptiveness, flexibility, positivity, rational judgment, generosity, and kindness, among others. How can you tell if your future employees have these skills? And if your current team is lacking them, how do you teach them? Recent research in neuroscience suggests that you might look to the library for solutions; reading literary fiction helps people develop empathy , theory of mind , and critical thinking .

• CS Christine Seifert is a professor of communication at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she teaches rhetoric, strategy, and professional writing

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10 essential research tips for historical fiction writers

by Andrew Noakes

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EH -- Researching Short Stories: Strategies for Short Story Research

• Find Articles
• Strategies for Short Story Research

Page Overview

This page addresses the research process -- the things that should be done before the actual writing of the paper -- and strategies for engaging in the process.  Although this LibGuide focuses on researching short stories, this particular page is more general in scope and is applicable to most lower-division college research assignments.

Before You Begin

Before beginning any research process, first be absolutely sure you know the requirements of the assignment.  Things such as  

• the date the completed project is due 
• the due dates of any intermediate assignments, like turning in a working bibliography or notes
• the length requirement (minimum word count), if any 
• the minimum number and types (for example, books or articles from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals) of sources required

These formal requirements are as much a part of the assignment as the paper itself.  They form the box into which you must fit your work.  Do not take them lightly.

When possible, it is helpful to subdivide the overall research process into phases, a tactic which

• makes the idea of research less intimidating because you are dealing with sections at a time rather than the whole process
• makes the process easier to manage
• gives a sense of accomplishment as you move from one phase to the next

Characteristics of a Well-written Paper

Although there are many details that must be given attention in writing a research paper, there are three major criteria which must be met.  A well-written paper is

• Unified:  the paper has only one major idea; or, if it seeks to address multiple points, one point is given priority and the others are subordinated to it.
• Coherent: the body of the paper presents its contents in a logical order easy for readers to follow; use of transitional phrases (in addition, because of this, therefore, etc.) between paragraphs and sentences is important.
• Complete:  the paper delivers on everything it promises and does not leave questions in the mind of the reader; everything mentioned in the introduction is discussed somewhere in the paper; the conclusion does not introduce new ideas or anything not already addressed in the paper.

Basic Research Strategy

• How to Research From Pellissippi State Community College Libraries: discusses the principal components of a simple search strategy.
• Basic Research Strategies From Nassau Community College: a start-up guide for college level research that supplements the information in the preceding link. Tabs two, three, and four plus the Web Evaluation tab are the most useful for JSU students. As with any LibGuide originating from another campus, care must be taken to recognize the information which is applicable generally from that which applies solely to the Guide's home campus. .
• Information Literacy Tutorial From Nassau Community College: an elaboration on the material covered in the preceding link (also from NCC) which discusses that material in greater depth. The quizzes and surveys may be ignored.

Things to Keep in Mind

Although a research assignment can be daunting, there are things which can make the process less stressful, more manageable, and yield a better result.  And they are generally applicable across all types and levels of research.

1.  Be aware of the parameters of the assignment: topic selection options, due date, length requirement, source requirements.  These form the box into which you must fit your work.  

2. Treat the assignment as a series of components or stages rather than one undivided whole.

• devise a schedule for each task in the process: topic selection and refinement (background/overview information), source material from books (JaxCat), source material from journals (databases/Discovery), other sources (internet, interviews, non-print materials); the note-taking, drafting, and editing processes.
• stick to your timetable.  Time can be on your side as a researcher, but only if you keep to your schedule and do not delay or put everything off until just before the assignment deadline. 

3.  Leave enough time between your final draft and the submission date of your work that you can do one final proofread after the paper is no longer "fresh" to you.  You may find passages that need additional work because you see that what is on the page and what you meant to write are quite different.  Even better, have a friend or classmate read your final draft before you submit it.  A fresh pair of eyes sometimes has clearer vision. 

4.  If at any point in the process you encounter difficulties, consult a librarian.  Hunters use guides; fishermen use guides.  Explorers use guides.  When you are doing research, you are an explorer in the realm of ideas; your librarian is your guide. 

A Note on Sources

Research requires engagement with various types of sources.

• Primary sources: the thing itself, such as letters, diaries, documents, a painting, a sculpture; in lower-division literary research, usually a play, poem, or short story.
• Secondary sources: information about the primary source, such as books, essays, journal articles, although images and other media also might be included.  Companions, dictionaries, and encyclopedias are secondary sources.
• Tertiary sources: things such as bibliographies, indexes, or electronic databases (minus the full text) which serve as guides to point researchers toward secondary sources.  A full text database would be a combination of a secondary and tertiary source; some books have a bibliography of additional sources in the back.

Accessing sources requires going through various "information portals," each designed to principally support a certain type of content.  Houston Cole Library provides four principal information portals:

• JaxCat online catalog: books, although other items such as journals, newspapers, DVDs, and musical scores also may be searched for.
• Electronic databases: journal articles, newspaper stories, interviews, reviews (and a few books; JaxCat still should be the "go-to" portal for books).  JaxCat indexes records for the complete item: the book, journal, newspaper, CD but has no records for parts of the complete item: the article in the journal, the editorial in the newspaper, the song off the CD.  Databases contain records for these things.
• Discovery Search: mostly journal articles, but also (some) books and (some) random internet pages.  Discovery combines elements of the other three information portals and is especially useful for searches where one is researching a new or obscure topic about which little is likely to be written, or does not know where the desired information may be concentrated.  Discovery is the only portal which permits simul-searching across databases provided by multiple vendors.
• Internet (Bing, Dogpile, DuckDuckGo, Google, etc.): primarily webpages, especially for businesses (.com), government divisions at all levels (.gov), or organizations (.org). as well as pages for primary source-type documents such as lesson plans and public-domain books.  While book content (Google Books) and journal articles (Google Scholar) are accessible, these are not the strengths of the internet and more successful searches for this type of content can be performed through JaxCat and the databases.  

NOTE: There is no predetermined hierarchy among these information portals as regards which one should be used most or gone to first.  These considerations depend on the task at hand and will vary from assignment o assignment.

The link below provides further information on the different source types.

• Research Methods From Truckee Meadows Community College: a guide to basic research. The tab "What Type of Source?" presents an overview of the various types of information sources, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of each.
• << Previous: Find Books
• Last Updated: Apr 19, 2024 7:27 AM
• URL: https://libguides.jsu.edu/litresearchshortstories

8 Great Online Sources to Research a Fantasy Novel

I have a Bachelor of Arts in History and Creative Writing. That BA in History taught me a lot about doing research and how to pick good sources. I’ve always had a love of research, from the time I was the kid who couldn’t get her hands on enough books about horses, dinosaurs, and whales, through high school, when my term papers ran a lot longer than they were required to, and all the way to the present.

By John Cassell (Internet Archive) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I’ll give Wikipedia a cursory mention, because as much as people whomp on it as a reliable source, the fact is, it’s a great place to get a general overview and orient yourself to a subject. Don’t take Wikipedia at face value, but don’t shun it, either. A lot of articles have links to great sources off Wikipedia, as well, so it’s a good jumping-off point for research on a specific topic.

1. Medievalists.net

Your first stop should be Medievalists.net . There simply isn’t a better online source that’s friendly to hobby medievalists and writers. Peter and Sandra, who run the website, met in a university medieval studies program. They send out The Weekly Medievalverse, an email newsletter, and also publish  The Medieval Magazine , a weekly digital magazine.

2. De Re Militari

De Re Militari bills itself as “your portal to scholarly information on warfare in the Middle Ages” and it does a great job in that role. If you’re writing a fantasy novel that includes a war (and how many of them don’t, honestly?), you should definitely check out this website. They curate articles, dissertations, book reviews, primary sources, and publish  The Journal of Medieval Military History, an annual publication. De Re Militari is almost certainly the most comprehensive website dealing with medieval warfare.

3. The Internet Medieval Sourcebook

The Internet Medieval Sourcebook is maintained by the Center for Medieval Studies at Fordham University. Primary sources hosted there span a wide variety of topics, including Church councils, late antiquity, Byzantium, Islam, literary texts in various languages, medieval thought, medieval spiritual writing, and governmental, administrative, and legal documents. There’s a large section dealing with sex and gender in the medieval world, as well.

Incidentally, Fordham University’s Internet History Sourcebooks Project  has a  huge number of topics that it covers besides medieval history. Their menu options include Ancient History Sourcebook, Medieval Sourcebook, Modern History Sourcebook, Byzantine Studies Page, African History Sourcebook, East Asian History Sourcebook, Global History Sourcebook, Indian History Sourcebook, Islamic History Sourcebook, Jewish History Sourcebook, Lesbian and Gay History Sourcebook, Science History Sourcebook, and Women’s History Sourcebook. I could lose days exploring their website and the sources linked.

4. Magical World Builder

While Magical World Builder  isn’t technically a research site, I’m listing it here because it’s an amazingly comprehensive guide to world-building. There’s another great list of world-building questions written by Patricia C. Wrede .  Whichever list you use, you’ll have a document to guide your research in terms of what you should be researching and how to think about what you’re researching.

5. Mostly Medieval

Mostly Medieval is a great website if you want to find details that will give your fantasy authenticity. Even if you’re not writing a fantasy novel set in a pseudo-medieval world, you can find all kinds of great ideas there, and then spin them differently for your own setting and culture. The website has several main sections: Ballads, Beasties, Book of Days, God and War, Heraldry, and Medicine.

6. People of Color in European Art History

This blog is better known as Medieval PoC , and I think it’s an important blog to follow for people who want to write pseudo-medieval fantasy. Okay, yes, I’m a white woman, but that doesn’t mean I want to read books where all the characters are white women. (One of the most amazing books I read last year was  Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson.) We need more diversity in fiction, and there’s an historical precedent for people of color doing all sorts of amazing things in medieval society, so why not in fantasy society as well?

7. Women in World History

Just like we need more ethnic diversity in fantasy, I also believe we need to keep writing more fantasy about women. Why not take a look at biographies of dozens of women rulers and leaders, or read about the work women did in the past, or women’s property rights and how women’s rights in general have changed over the years? There are some amazing resources here, and I’ve barely begun to delve into them myself. While Women in World History is geared towards teachers, I promise non-teachers won’t be bored!

8. Medieval Middle East History

The Medieval Middle East History page hosted by Colorado State University Libraries is a great listing of reference books, websites, journals, and indexes. A lot of the full-text resources aren’t easily accessible if you aren’t a CSU student, but a lot of times your public library will have access to some of those same databases.

So there you have it–eight great websites to get you started on your journey towards writing a well-researched fantasy novel! Do you have a favorite source that I left out? If you do, please share in the comments! I’m always looking for more great sources.

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The Hidden Connection between Fiction and Academic Writing

• August 3, 2016
• Student Contributor
• Guest posts , The Writing Life , Writing Tips and Tools

I’ve been unable to spend much time writing fiction over the past few years. However, I do still spend a significant amount of time writing – just not as much fiction as academic writing.

This post is about how OYAN— The One Year Adventure Novel —has influenced my academic writing .

Now, if you are tempted to quit reading at the mere mention of the word “academic,” please don’t just yet! I understand your aversion to “academic writing”—but I endeavor to show you why that aversion is primarily because you have read bad academic writing. Academic writing is not meant to be boring—and good academic writing isn’t.

OYAN and Academic Writing

While academic writing is different from fiction writing in some important ways (although perhaps the boundaries are fruitfully blurring), there is much that can be learned from the way productive fiction writers go about their business and live out their writerly selves. – Grant and Knowles, “What can academic writers learn from creative writers?”

I believe the above quote is true. My own experience backs it up. I intentionally apply what I’ve learned in OYAN to my research papers and academic essays. Many people will say that academic writing is completely different from fiction writing, but there are definite similarities between the two modes of writing , and it’s precisely in these areas of overlap that the One Year Adventure Novel curriculum can be helpful.

No, the purpose of academic writing is not the purpose for writing a novel, but academic writing is quite a broad genre, encompassing persuasive essays, literary reviews, literary criticism, and much more. Regardless of the specific type of work you are writing, its primary purpose is to share information— to communicate on some level—even though your reasons for sharing that information will vary depending on the type of work.

In the end, we all want people to read our writing. Accessibility to targeted readers is one of the most important aspects of writing of any kind . When your work is easy to understand and enjoyable… people will actually read it. It is only then that you can benefit other people by sharing your ideas, or persuade them through the strength of your arguments. If people can’t get through your writing or resort to skimming it, then you have not succeeded in your primary purpose to communicate with your readers—and you’ve thereby missed out on a valuable opportunity.

Writing a Captivating Academic Research Paper

Believe it or not, this is not a paradoxical heading. Academic writing can and should be enjoyable to read. Conflict, unexpected humor, creating emotion, and raising the stakes are all concepts that are relevant to academic writing. Above all, having a clear, interesting voice dramatically improves the readability of your paper. Academic papers do not have to be dry or abstruse.

The Five Elements of… Essays?

Now let’s get down to the specifics—how has OYAN specifically impacted my academic writing? Well first of all, through the Five Elements of Story—which can be translated to the Five Elements of Essays.

In academic writing, “something to care about” doesn’t take the form of a protagonist or hero—instead, it’s a bit more abstract. But you do need to tell your target audience why they should care about what you are going to say—why it is relevant, and why it is interesting . This is generally your thesis statement, which is a valuable hook that shows your readers from the beginning why they should care about your paper.

You also need to give your readers “something to want”—which is distinct from “something to care about.” You are not merely showing your readers why your paper is relevant to them, you are revealing that it will actually give them something valuable —whether this is by presenting new research, providing new insights, or persuasion. Your readers should want something after reading only the first page of your paper—just as they should after reading page one of a novel .

“Something to dread” is related to this, just on the exact opposite side. Consider “something to want” from a different perspective… what will your readers dreadfully miss out on if they do not read it? Having a “something to dread” is incredibly helpful in ensuring readers will stick with your paper.

Even “something to suffer” is applicable to academic writing—and hopefully not because your reader has to suffer through it. The “something to suffer” of academic writing is including counter-arguments and opposing viewpoints to your own. Just like suffering makes a hero’s victory feel more earned, dealing with opposing viewpoints and counter-arguments will make your conclusion feel more earned .

And finally, “something to learn” should be obvious— your reader must finish your paper having learned something new and substantial. If a reader gets to the end of your paper and realizes that nothing has changed—no new insights, or ideas, or opinions—then there is a definite problem.

The Four Defining Moments (of Your Research Paper)

Just like your OYAN novel, your academic papers should have four defining moments.

The inciting incident should contain conflict, such as a fight (the presentation of differing opinions), a new arrival (the announcement of new ideas or research), or trouble (an issue that you are going to present a solution to).

By this point, you should have established your something to care about/want/dread and convinced your readers to embrace their destiny— which is to read every word of your paper.

“Something to suffer” comes in with the black moment . This is when you scare your reader into momentarily thinking that you might be wrong after all, but then you deflect the conflicts and counter the counter-arguments, further proving the strength and validity of your points. Placing this black moment directly before your conclusion will help your victorious concluding statement to be all the more glorious.

Finally, the showdown . This is your conclusion, where you fight the final battle to win over your readers or teach them something. Your final points must be satisfying and substantial, otherwise readers will wonder why they read all the way through in the first place. Your conclusion should not be merely a summary—it should also contain new information, and that information should be surprising and earned (no deus ex machina allowed).

Difference between Fiction and Academic Work

Now, it’s also important to recognize the areas where academic writing and fiction writing differ. Some say that in academic writing, you must “distance yourself from the reader.” And that academic writing should “provide information, not entertainment.”*

To an extent, this is true. Formal language is preferred in academic writing over informal and colloquial language. It is also important to be accurate and, usually, you are expected to take an objective stance. But while academic writing is primarily meant to provide information, that does not mean that it can’t—or shouldn’t —be entertaining as well. In fact, if you want people to read the information you are trying to share with them, it is critical that your arguments be compelling and that your writing be entertaining. To phrase this another way:  yes, the primary purpose of academic writing is to provide information, but utilizing the power of entertainment is an excellent method to get readers to read, understand, and remember that information.

Many students or academics will say that they can’t write creative academic work because it will hurt their grades or reputation, or because it won’t be published. If you write a narrative story with loose academic undertones and try to submit that as literary research, then yes, you will probably get a bad grade. But none of the strategies I discussed in this post should at all hinder you from excelling in these areas—especially because when these strategies are properly employed in your academic writing, they should be indistinguishable. These strategies will enhance the content and readability of your papers by fitting into the academic structure . If your professors and other readers notice anything, it will be that they are oddly captivated by your academic papers, have regressed to re-reading them for fun, and now can’t wait until you submit your next one.

Creativity in Academia

The split between academic and creative thinking, writing and identity is a relic of Western Enlightenment thought, which unfortunately persists in the twenty-first century university. Rationality, intellect, and logic—the ‘academic’ —are reified, whilst imagination, emotion, and physical and natural rhythms—the ‘creative’—are denigrated… …the production of academic writing is not solely an intellectual activity. …The problems experienced by academics in their writing are rarely intellectual ones. Rather, the difficulty is with creativity. – Maria Antoniou and Jessica Moriarty, “What can academic writers learn from creative writers? Developing guidance and support for lectures in Higher Education”

These authors go on to discuss how the majority of published academic writers, even though they know how to present their ideas in a logical, orderly fashion, know how to research, and are familiar with proper academic structure, don’t really know how to write well . Nearly every one of the points they go on to make about learning to write relates to something that is taught through OYAN.

To conclude: don’t view academic writing and fiction writing as two entirely different activities. Academic writing should be creative— even though it is different from novel writing, or poetry writing, or screenplay writing. Academic writing has its own unique purposes, and its own methods of expressing ideas and communicating information, but there are many creative aspects that can be translated over from fiction writing, because academic writing is also creative— and it is an art of its own .

* See https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/980/03/ and http://www.lib.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/attachments/page/Academic%20Writing%20Guide%20Part%201%20-%20Academic%20Writing.pdf

If you have taken The One Year Adventure Novel , have you found hidden connections with other writing genres or activities?

Addison Lucchi (B.A. in English Literature) has been an OYANer since the very beginning. He will soon graduate with his master’s degree in Library & Information Science—and while he does love fiction writing, he is also an academic teaching librarian who is passionate about learning, community, and the arts.

Addison enjoys numerous forms of music, literature, and theatre – and he also enjoys adventuring to and exploring new places. His favorite author is C.S. Lewis, his favorite book is Till We Have Faces , and his favorite animal is the magnificent penguin.

He also has a blog of his own:  https://adventuringinfairyland.wordpress.com

* Please note that links on  The One Year Adventure Novel Blog  to other websites and blogs do not constitute an official endorsement. We are not intimately familiar with all the writing and opinions contained in outside links.

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Great post.

Hi! Thank you for this very inspiring post. Academic writing can indeed gain a lot by implementing elements found in fiction writing. However, not all academics can write fiction, and it is not an easy feat to pull off, which leaves them in a bind because they still need to communicate their findings. I believe you’ve left out a specific part of the academic world: those whose research falls way outside the established paradigm in their field. Those authors may abandon their research or continue to work on it outside of the traditional academic institutions. I believe that kind of research can sometimes be qualified as quasi-fictional, as in the case of my research. I write about the intersection of science and Christian theology in ways that are currently not scientifically verifiable. This means that most impact factor based journals are not willing to publish my work. Still, I find that researching this field provides ample opportunities to exercise originality of thought and creativity, which is why I enjoy it so much. Although my essays are written in an academic style, I view them as part fiction, for accepting them requires a great deal of imagination and open-mindedness. Those essays are published on BarbourianMeditations.com, and you are welcome to browse through them. Any input as to content or style would be much appreciated.

Loved this article Addison <3, very well-written! Writing good literary fiction requires some time and practice. No one becomes a good and skillful fiction author overnight. If you want to improve your skills and produce more quality fiction stories, then you must read, observe, learn, and write all the time. Check this out How to Improve Your Fiction Writing Skills? Hope this will help. Thank you.

Cheers, Collete

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How Researchers Are Using Fiction to Make Their Reports Accessible to the Public

"Knowledge shouldn't belong to the few who have highly specialized education but must be opened up for review and discussion among the many."

Most research reports are about as interesting to read as car manuals or insurance plans. They're long, boring, inaccessible, jargon-filled and impossible to make sense of. This is how most people feel about research articles across different fields -- medicine, health, psychology, education and so forth -- and with good reason. Honestly, who among us actually reads this stuff?

Here's the issue: because research is too boring and too difficult to read, very few people actually read it. The problem is that much of the research we're not reading is impacting us, or could. Moreover, we may want to be involved in how this information is used or what research receives funding and attention, but it's so inaccessible that we're uninvolved.

In recent years there has been a big push to make research findings more available to the public. The public has become increasingly engaged and aware of a myriad of health and social issues (as a result of Internet-based knowledge sharing). Simultaneously, the hierarchical structure of academic and research institutions has been challenged (with people frustrated at the idea of researchers in 'ivory towers' who seem out of touch and cut off from the communities in which they are enmeshed). As a result, there has been a movement towards using fiction as a vehicle for representing research findings. If this sounds far-fetched, it really isn't at all. Remember, there is a historical precedent for trying to share information by telling good stories. For instance, in recent decades reporters have shifted their writing style to draw on creative nonfiction as a way of making newspaper articles more interesting. Using literary tools to present research findings also makes a lot of sense for several reasons.

First, people like fiction. In fact, most of us like it so much that we elect to spend our free time enjoying it -- at the movies, theatre or reading novels. Let's face it, two of the most crowded places on any given Saturday are your local movie theater and big chain bookstore (which now include coffee shops because people like to hang out there for as long as possible). The turn to fiction as a way of sharing research findings taps into what many people already elect to spend their time doing. This is also important because exposure to research studies promotes learning (we read studies and learn more about something). Learning isn't a passive activity, and it doesn't have to be miserable either. Learning should be engaged and joyful.

Second, conducting research is resource-intensive. It takes money, time and energy. By using fiction as one way to represent the product of that research, our effort becomes more worthwhile because the distribution of the research findings is maximized.

Third, there is an ethical mandate for making research more accessible to the public. Knowledge shouldn't belong to the few who have highly specialized education but must be opened up for review and discussion among the many. This is a foundational principle guiding the structure of our society from our public school system to public libraries to our democratic political system. We need to find ways to bring sophisticated research studies into the public domain as well.

Researchers across different fields are developing ways to use fiction in different mediums in order to reach broad and diverse audiences and to include more stakeholders in the research process.

For example, healthcare researchers have created theatrical productions about topics ranging from living with mental illness to philosophical questions surrounding genetic testing. When these plays are performed in hospitals, schools and other community spaces, audience members are exposed to new learning, prompted to engage in reflection and/or invited to engage in productive debates about issues such as medical ethics, harmful stereotypes, caregiving, health policy, and medical technology and morality (Jeff Nisker chronicles this work in his 2012 book  From Calcedonies to Orchids: Plays Promoting Humanity in Health Policy ).

For another example, social scientists are writing novels informed by their research. They are drawing on popular genres like "chick-lit" and mystery in order to share their knowledge about topics ranging from corporate greed to eating disorders to the psychology of dysfunctional relationships and self-esteem. For instance, Sense Publishers, an academic press in the field of education research, is publishing the  Social Fictions series  which exclusively publishes books written in literary forms but informed by scholarly work. Although the first series of its kind, one imagines there will be more.

Social research is making its way to the silver screen too. Recently the  New York Times  online edition  featured a story  about a three-year study out of Bournemouth University in England called "The Gay and Peasant Land Project." Led by sociologist Kip Jones, researchers studied gay identity in older people living in rural areas. Jones partnered with film director Josh Appignanesi to produce the short film  Rufus Stone  which has since been screened at various festivals and received numerous accolades.

It is clear from even this cursory glance that researchers are developing creative ways to use fiction to make their research available for public consumption and engagement and this seems like a very good thing for all of us.

Follow Patricia Leavy, PhD on Twitter . 

Visit Patricia's website: here  

Books by Patricia Leavy:

Buy " Fiction as Research Practice: Short Stories, Novellas, and Novels" here .

Buy "Essentials of Transdisciplinary Research: Using Problem-Centered Methodologies" here .

Buy "Method Meets Art: Arts-based Research Practice" here .

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Our Critic’s Take on the 100 List: Books That ‘Cast a Sustained Spell’

Dwight Garner writes that voters, who “seemed to want a break from contemporary social reportage,” looked for immersive reads.

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By Dwight Garner

A long friendship between two girls in a poor neighborhood in Naples, Italy. The exodus of nearly six million Black Americans from South to North. The rise of Thomas Cromwell in cutthroat Tudor England. A series of unsolved murders in a Mexican border town. The Underground Railroad reimagined as a literal one, rails and all.

These are stories from some of the 100 books that — in the opinion of more than 500 novelists, nonfiction writers, librarians, poets, booksellers, editors, critics, journalists and other readers polled by the Book Review — are the best of this still-young century.

What do we mean by “best?” We left that to the respondents. Most appeared to agree with E.M. Forster, who wrote that “the final test for a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of our friends, and of anything else which we cannot define.” The only criterion for eligibility was publication in English on or after Jan. 1, 2000. (Somebody — one of you pedants who celebrated the new millennium a year after everyone else — is going to point out that the year 2000 is technically part of the 20th century. Don’t let it be you.)

The best of the best, Nos. 1 through 10, are linked for sure by sensitive intelligence and achieved ambition. But other connections can be made. Most are historical novels or narrative histories, as if readers, weary of the vacuity and smash-and-grab belligerence that dominate much of American political and social discourse, desired either to escape or to gaze backward, to better understand how we arrived here.

Memory and identity are especially strong concerns in the top 10. Readers seemed to want a break from contemporary social reportage; they wanted immersive and unfractured narratives that cast a sustained spell.

The highest tier also underlines a generational cohort. Each of the 10 writers, save the comparatively young Colson Whitehead, was born close to the middle of the last century. Besides Isabel Wilkerson, all of them are represented by novels. Three — Elena Ferrante, W.G. Sebald and Roberto Bolaño — made the list with books in translation.

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The Secret Meaning of Prime Day

A day of reflection on the delight and absurdity of the online-shopping age

This year marks the tenth Prime Day, the shopping holiday that Amazon invented for itself in 2015, in honor of the company’s 20th anniversary. The marketing effort was so successful, according to Amazon , that sales exceeded those from the previous year’s record-breaking Black Friday. Early Prime Day success was also measured in Instant Pot 7-in-1 multifunctional pressure cookers: 24,000 were purchased on the first Prime Day; on the second, 215,000.

The event has only grown since then, and not just in revenues but in meaning. Black Friday celebrates (and laments) the commercialization of holiday gifts—things people want, and that people want to give. Prime Day, as a ritual observance, has a different focus: not the desirable, but the ordinary. It celebrates the stuff you buy for boring reasons, or for no particular reason at all. This looseness is the point: Laptop computers are on sale, but also batteries; you can find a deal on ceramic cookery, or microfiber cleaning cloths. Yet what was once essentially a colossal summer tag sale, created for the sole purpose of enriching one of the world’s largest companies, has somehow managed to take on certain trappings of an actual holiday. I hate to admit it, but Prime Day has attained the status of tradition.

When I say, “It’s Prime Day,” you know what I mean. In that respect, it reminds me of other holidays, in the way that other holidays suggest a time of year, a thing to do, and a memory of how they’ve been before. Easter, Purim, and Día de Muertos are repeating events that work like keyframes in our lives. Their rituals used to be grounded in cultural systems such as religion, but everything is fair game now. Today is Prime Day; but it’s also corn-fritters day . A couple of weeks ago I somehow missed National Ian Day . Arbitrary, invented celebrations have become so numerous that they descend into parody. To make every day a holiday is to undermine the very idea of allocating a day on the calendar to mark something notable.

Read: I got lumberrolled

But Amazon has, I must confess, earned such a marker. Although the company was not the first to sell goods via the internet, it did become the world’s symbol for doing so. For two decades it expanded and perfected that craft, and then for 10 years more it marked the fact with Prime Day. I have spent nearly 30 years buying things on Amazon, and over those years I have earned degrees, moved cities, had children who themselves grew up, started hobbies and abandoned them, grayed and wizened. The dumb certainty of Amazon’s made-up holiday accompanied me, and now I can recall previous Prime Days like prior Halloweens.

I lost my first Amazon account, from 1997, but my current one still stretches back 20 years. Looking back across my purchase history, I find a surprisingly touching summary of my life through commerce. At the start, mostly media: the third Lord of the Rings movie on DVD, Angelina Ballerina for my then-2-year-old daughter, esoteric books for my scholarly research. By 2005, the lure of the everything store had taken hold, inspiring my purchase of a little Le Creuset demi kettle whose loud whistle and tiny capacity I forgot I remembered. I bought not one but two CDs by the French dance-pop artist Alizée—a fact I can’t believe I’m admitting in a national magazine. I would rip and listen to those tracks, beside others, on my iPod Nano on the international flights I took to give lectures using the Kensington wireless laser pointer I also bought from Amazon. I bought microwavable noodles, a red pocket camera as a Valentine’s Day gift for my wife, a 1080p HD television when such a resolution would have been impressive, a 52-piece socket set I still own and use regularly, the unreasonably high-end Italian ice-cream maker that runs my gelato hobby .

Read: Amazon returns have gone to hell

I am embarrassed to have felt feelings while browsing my Amazon purchase history, but Amazon—like any brand that manages to infuse itself into American life (Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Apple)—has had a role in my actions, and therefore my accomplishments, memories, accidents, and errors. Prime Day makes me think back to all the purchases I made before the holiday existed, when the mere act of buying something from a website felt miraculous. My first-ever purchase on Amazon.com, when the site still sold only books, was of three copies of the philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s book about his contemporary Michel Foucault for a (very 1990s) reading group. The existence of the site allowed me to realize my interests and identity at the time, in a way that was distinctively Amazonian. Now the goods I buy (and sometimes try to return ) reflect the person I’ve become: a guy who needs foam paintbrushes, bags of roasted coffee beans, weatherproof outdoor-outlet enclosures, M6-size machine screws; a guy who would sooner read the instruction manual for his neighbor’s drill than revisit French philosophy from the 1980s.

Amazon wants you to celebrate Prime Day by buying things. But you can mark the event in other ways. Maybe think of buying things for others. Prime Day strips Black Friday of its gift-giving aspects, but these might be worth reclaiming—perhaps with an eye toward everyday necessities: a gift of diapers, or a ream of paper towels with a ribbon, or a package of the deodorant your partner likes. Another option is to use the day to avoid all online purchases—or even as an excuse to cancel your Prime membership . Or else just look back at all the stuff you’ve bought this year. In reviewing my own order history today, I wondered whether I might like to share past orders with my friends and family, as a kind of retail reminiscence.

Read: The rise of the micro-holiday

Amazon itself seems more or less indifferent to the meaning that Prime Day has accrued, as a moment for reflection on the delight and absurdity of the online shopping age. The company has tried only to supersize its holiday, extending what was once an actual Prime “Day” to 30 hours of discounted prices in 2017, then 36 hours in 2018, before landing, in 2019, on the excessive conclusion that it should be a two-day event. Amazon “celebrates”—if that’s the word for what this $2 trillion company is doing—Prime Day the way it always has, by moving goods and collecting dollars. Today it’s hawking Amazon Echo devices, prebiotic sodas, dietary-supplement powders, electric toothbrushes, and pickleball paddles, among a zillion other products. There is no logic to this sale. The ritual is randomness.

Prime Day’s holiday spirit is simple: It doesn’t matter what I buy, so long as I buy something. But Amazon’s accomplishment, and the cultural gravity of its annual event, comes from having done the opposite. It has given me a way to find what matters in the things I buy. Through itself or the copycats and competitors it inspired, Amazon popularized a way of life, and one that we’ve been living for 30 years now. Like the summer solstice, that’s notable enough to be observed.

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