I’m used to two different research plans for two different types of writing. There’s academic writing, and then creative writing, which, in my case, is novel writing.

I teach academic writing in college, and while I tell students there are multiple ways to write and research papers, I recommend at least doing some preliminary research to make sure a thesis statement is sound and can be defended.

But when it comes to writing a book, I pretty much look things up while I am writing. This is probably not the most efficient way to operate, but too much research beforehand takes away from precious writing time. And while researching can interrupt the flow of writing, I find that if I do not have what I need in that moment, I can’t continue on anyway. My brain doesn’t let me.

For example, in The Name and the Key, I needed to know how to describe a dead body that had been underwater for a while. Not too long, but a matter of days. It all depends on the weather, the temperature of the water, the body fat content, and other factors. Well, I was about to describe the body based on what I thought it would look like, but didn’t have a clue, so I stopped right in the middle of it and did research. When I had a good idea of what I wanted to write, I went ahead and wrote it.

I’ve done this with alchemy (although I knew a lot about that before writing this version of the novel), with Regency clothing, health and treatment of illnesses, and more.

I also do it with names. I’ll usually try to make a name up off the top of my head based on how it sounds, but sometimes I need extra help with that, especially if the name comes from a certain culture. This doesn’t really happen in The Name and the Key because characters don’t journey or travel, but it does in The Step and the Walk. My go to is Behind the Name. I’ve used it for years.

Readers, when do you research when you’re working on a book? Before you start? As you write? After your first draft?