You have heard the "write what you know". It doesn't mean that you should only write about things you know right now, it means that you should learn to know things you want to write about.
One of my biggest problems with Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness is the sloppy (or nonexisting) research. It is especially important when one writes historical novels, or novels set in history. It is really easy to find out what people wore, how they lived, what they ate, and all that kind of stuff, so it's inexcusable to make stupid mistakes in this. You can bet some of your readers (not just one!) will know about these things. Don't write about how corsets are awful if you have never worn a corset (and a corset that has been fitted to you, put on and used properly). Don't say people can't move or bend or breathe in corset, because people can. The easiest way to "research" about history is to find a SCA or another historical re-enactment group close to you and discuss with people. Let them revise your draft, ideas, thoughts and prejudices.
The same goes with everything else in your book. You can, of course, just copy an exciting description of a battle, if you don't know anything about a battle, but you can also count on that you will get caught. Someone will know exactly where you copied it from, and what's the problem with it. Research is your friend. Research everything you don't know. Just think about something you love doing, something you are good at, and how people can mess it up in books. Like knitting, baking, riding, archery, dancing, hunting, running... what ever it is. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
(Unless you don't, in which case, just ignore research and write what ever you want. It works for a lot of popular authors, so why would you need to bother.)
Top 7 Tips For Researching Your Novel
How To Research Your Novel … And When To Stop
How to Research Your Novel Effectively
How to Research a Novel: 7 Tips
One of my biggest problems with Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness is the sloppy (or nonexisting) research. It is especially important when one writes historical novels, or novels set in history. It is really easy to find out what people wore, how they lived, what they ate, and all that kind of stuff, so it's inexcusable to make stupid mistakes in this. You can bet some of your readers (not just one!) will know about these things. Don't write about how corsets are awful if you have never worn a corset (and a corset that has been fitted to you, put on and used properly). Don't say people can't move or bend or breathe in corset, because people can. The easiest way to "research" about history is to find a SCA or another historical re-enactment group close to you and discuss with people. Let them revise your draft, ideas, thoughts and prejudices.
The same goes with everything else in your book. You can, of course, just copy an exciting description of a battle, if you don't know anything about a battle, but you can also count on that you will get caught. Someone will know exactly where you copied it from, and what's the problem with it. Research is your friend. Research everything you don't know. Just think about something you love doing, something you are good at, and how people can mess it up in books. Like knitting, baking, riding, archery, dancing, hunting, running... what ever it is. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
(Unless you don't, in which case, just ignore research and write what ever you want. It works for a lot of popular authors, so why would you need to bother.)
Top 7 Tips For Researching Your Novel
How To Research Your Novel … And When To Stop
How to Research Your Novel Effectively
How to Research a Novel: 7 Tips
*Print or prep any research and notes you'll need
*Bookmark useful sites and hashtags for quick reference
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