Very well done. I remember when I started to write my first big historical fiction I had to get everything I needed from the library. It was in the days before the internet--early 80s. I'd take the books to work and photocopy them. But I loved doing the research. I just wasn't motivated enough to finish the story properly because it was getting too long. But when Wikipedia came out I realized I had all the information at my fingertips. It didn't matter if it wasn't accurate. I'm writing fiction. Who cares if the sacrificial knife had to be held in the left hand rather than the right? (I made that up.) Now, I write short stories--okay, long ones. You still have to do the research, and I still get side-tracked...so I get it.
And yes, for short stories too. It's easy to get sidetracked. I love the research part of it—but I need to get some distance from it to hold back from info dumping it all on the reader.
And oh yes, I recall those before the internet days. Research was a lot different then.
Very well done. I remember when I started to write my first big historical fiction I had to get everything I needed from the library. It was in the days before the internet--early 80s. I'd take the books to work and photocopy them. But I loved doing the research. I just wasn't motivated enough to finish the story properly because it was getting too long. But when Wikipedia came out I realized I had all the information at my fingertips. It didn't matter if it wasn't accurate. I'm writing fiction. Who cares if the sacrificial knife had to be held in the left hand rather than the right? (I made that up.) Now, I write short stories--okay, long ones. You still have to do the research, and I still get side-tracked...so I get it.
Thanks for this Ben (I'd missed this comment).
And yes, for short stories too. It's easy to get sidetracked. I love the research part of it—but I need to get some distance from it to hold back from info dumping it all on the reader.
And oh yes, I recall those before the internet days. Research was a lot different then.
Thanks for reading!