When Is It Time to Stop Your Research and Start Writing?

I love research. It’s like a detective chase. I’m on a hunt for every clue, assembling each one into a carefully sorted and organized collection. In fact, I might be a “bit” obsessive when it comes to research. (Maybe that’s a quality writers need for staying power?)

The problem is you may not need all that info you’ve collected, so at the midway point it’s time to stop the joyful digging and start writing.

When Are You the Subject Expert?

Novels from the era can be a great source of “telling details”.

How do you know when you’ve gathered enough to start writing? That’s a tough one. You need opinions and insights, backed by crosschecked and verified facts. You also need details about the time, place, customs and morays; along with telling details and sensory descriptions. These are the things that will bring the subject of your writing to life. You don’t, however, need to have chased down every possible lead because research will continue as you write. This is where you stop: at the point where you’re able to tell friends about the subject with a sense of passionate authority—but no more.

As you write you’ll find unexpected themes emerge, sending you off in search of material that follows a new tangent. And here’s why. Questions arise as you write because the process of articulating and summarizing the details makes you think more deeply.

It’s best to save up a number of these questions for further research, rather than slipping in and out of writing and research mode. And be wary when you do head back to the internet or the archives. Stay just long enough to chase down the facts, and get back to your writing.