How much research should I do for my story? | Writer Questions #4

How much research do you do for a story and how faithful are you to said research? Are there times when you knowingly take a creative liberty for the sake of your story or do you stick to the research for the sake of authenticity? With fairy tales I tend to go either way. As long as I keep the rules internally consistent, I'm not too concerned with hardcore research. When I'm writing mystery, I am married to the research. But having a bit of world knowledge allows me to find reasonable loopholes that others might consider a Critical Research Failure. For example, without the amount of required hours and training a civilian cannot be a private investigator. But a consultant or paid informant can assist the police in an investigation, which is how I got away with having a stage combat trainer as an amateur sleuth.

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Dear Writer,

You've essentially answered your own question in paragraphs two and three. To a large extent, genre determines the degree to which we stick to real-world limitations.

Provided we are not being intentionally avant-garde with our fiction, coherence should always be the storyteller's goal—you've said this. In my mind, this is the essential philosophical concern for fiction writers.

The first paragraph is a question for conversation's sake, and I'm fine to indulge you: I do as much research as is necessary for my goals. My nonfiction and academic work are air-tight, as far as I can help it. My fiction intentionally adapts or deviates from the norm so far as it serves the story being told. I don't research up-front, I start with the story and conduct research as it becomes necessary given the sorts of things I write.

Best,

DR-M