Or, at least when it’s not the right time for research.
We’ve previously discussed the seductive allure of research when you’re writing. It’s easy to get sucked into a rabbit hole trying to find some little tidbit of information and suddenly you’ve lost a whole day.
That happened to me last night. I was looking for one specific quote from a musician. I couldn’t remember where I had read (or heard) this quote. I googled the musician and the quote. I ended up on YouTube. Then I ended up on a variety of torrent filesharing sites. Then I was back to Google. Then I was sifting through a stack of magazines here in the house. I’m proud of my research skills and so I’m going to find that damned quote. I’m on a bunch of messageboards related to the band. I’m back to VH1 trying to buy an episode of a documentary.
And suddenly it’s 3:30am. I’ve just lost four hours and I have nothing to show for it.
So let this be a warning to you. If you’re working on the first draft, if your bit of needed info isn’t absolutely, positively crucial to the entire basis of your story, then skip it and move on. In my case, this little quote was just a small bit of refinement. My story is completely valid and can be complete without it. The quote would just be nice to have.
I shouldn’t be devoting hours and hours to “nice to haves.” Not right now. Not at this point in the process. So be careful of the detours that research can offer. Don’t get so caught up in finding some esoteric data for your story that you don’t actually write the story.
I was just blogging about the “Don’t research the first draft” rule this morning. It’s the hardest thing to learn, and I think it bogs down too many amateur writers–especially the unpolished thrillers, spy, and fantasy novels that fill up writing websites all over the Internet.
When your book begins with research, anything from gadgets or elves, you end up with stilted, boring technical prose that takes all the joy out of a first draft. It’s much more organic when you weave that material into the manuscript a couple drafts down the line.
Thanks for this post…
Good advice. I also can get sidetracked sometimes when I really should be pushing forward with the writing itself. “Keep moving forward” is a chant I sometimes hear, and it makes me plod onward regardless of what I might be leaving behind for later revision.
In sales they talk about the four boxes. The first box is doing the primary task, the second box is researching the primary task, the third box is thinking about the primary task and the fourth box is counting paper clips and cleaning your desk. The idea is that any time spent outside of the first box is time wasted and a road map for failure. If we enjoy research more than writing, that’s a problem.
That’s a great way to think about it, DJ. When I was in college, I would brag about studying for 12 hours straight. But the reality was that I spent four hours straightening my desk, four hours getting my study music lined up, a couple of hours at the grocery store collecting drinks and snacks for my studying marathon, a couple of hours talking to my roommates about how they were going to study, and only a few hours actually studying myself. It was definitely the “counting paper clips and cleaning your desk” syndrome.
These days, I’m not that bad. But I do periodically get sucked into research black holes, like the other night. It bugs me when I can’t find something out. Someone asked me about a cartoon character earlier this morning and it’s been driving me batty ever since.
“If you’re working on the first draft, if your bit of needed info isn’t absolutely, positively crucial to the entire basis of your story, then skip it and move on” – that’s the crucial point.
Really good advice.
Unless the lift capacity of a Jet Ranger is imperative to the plot, just make a [ ] to search later.
I still feel I’m standing on a wobbly stool though.
I know exactly what you mean. I’ve spent hours searching for a particular quote or bit of information, when I could have left it out altogether.
Just discovered your blog tonight, and I’m glad I did…there’s a lot of valuable information here.
Thanks!