A short article about the craft of writing fiction and the importance of research.

Can you imagine the joy, if we could just sit at our computers or with pen and paper in hand and create the most spellbinding piece of fiction that has ever been written and read? If it was that easy, I suppose we would just be churning out quite a few novels each year, never having to research a thing. 

It is an engaging dream, a dream no less!  But a great piece of fiction relies on months and even years of good, solid research. I am sure that imagination plays an important part in this creation, but can we rely only on that if we want an unforgettable masterpiece?  Maybe there are those who are so gifted that the possibility of that happening is real.  But for many of us, we have to rely on the truth of existing material to bring believability to our not so real stories.

The thing about fiction is that, while the story is all made up, you want the reader to be drawn into it and believe that what you are saying is possible. For me, nothing says writing success like a story where it is difficult to tell the difference between fact and fiction. That’s because the details are so accurate, it allow you to be an integral part of the journey.

When you can relate to the reality of a situation, the characters come alive, the plot is forever intriguing and you cannot wait to reach the ending, to know if it turned out the way you suspected. That’s what good research can do for your fiction -’true lies’ as it were.

You might be working on your fiction right now.  It is important that you make sure to put in adequate time for research. Don’t rush it. Don’t let imagination rule the project. Find that balance between imagination and good research, and commit to producing the best piece of fiction ever.