When I was growing up, commercials for Tootsie Pops used to ask, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?” Even the wise owl didn’t know the answer, because no one could be that patient about enjoying the candy, or so the commercial went.
University studies have been conducted to answer the question that stumped the owl, but even those are inconclusive. A quick Google search yields a variety of answers from 70 to over 800.
I image a study on how many links it takes to research a novel would be equally debatable with the answer varying by author and by book.
When I started writing, I chose to set my stories in the modern day, in part, because I was intimidated by the research that would go into accurately writing about the past.
Little did I know how much research I would end up doing to write a contemporary story!
As I wrote my upcoming release, A Surefire Love, I collected about 50 different links to online resources I used to educate myself about elements of the story. In addition, I interviewed two people, casually asked questions of/got comments from at least four others with firsthand experience in various arenas, and I’m currently reading a second non-fiction book to ensure I realistically portray the circumstances my characters face.
This is a lot for me for one book. Why so much?
In part, it’s my personality. I like to get things right, include details, and explore challenging topics in (what I hope are) meaningful ways. If I haven’t personally experienced a major topic I’m writing about, research is a must.
Back when I was writing the Rhythms of Redemption Romances, it didn’t take long to find myself out of my depth in regards to the lives of rock stars. I did a bunch of reading about that. Surely my new series, about characters in more common careers, was going to be easier, right?
A Surefire Love, which kicks off my Many Oaks Romance series, is about a youth pastor and a car sales manager.
On the surface, those careers aren’t that far outside my wheelhouse. Still, some of my links are about the car sales strategy. There are one or two about youth pastoring.
What are all the other links about?
The bulk of them (as well as the two interviews and one of the non-fiction books) center around ADHD.
When I initially decided to have characters with undiagnosed ADHD, I had no idea there was so much I didn’t know! Little by little, I realized there was more and more to learn. For example, according to the book ADHD 2.0 by Edward Hallowell and John Ratey, having ADHD can shorten life expectancy (though they are quick to assure reader it doesn’t have to be that way!). It’s also just as common in females as in males, though it often manifests differently. That’s just a little of what I learned, and I’m sure there’s a lot the materials I read didn’t cover.
Though I don’t have ADHD, I do have other problems (there’s a shocker, right?). Books that deal with the issues I face in educated, tender, and meaningful ways really touch me. I firmly believe God works through fiction, and I want my fiction to honor him and serve his people. Part of that is staying as faithful as I can in the research, especially when I’m writing about something as wide-spread and impactful as ADHD.
How many links does it take to research a novel in order to achieve this? I might’ve used about 50, but really, only the Lord knows the answer. Despite my research, I know I don’t get all the details of my stories perfect, but it’s my prayer that God will lead me to the links (and other resources) I need for each story—and then get that story into the hands of the readers he has for it.
If you think one of those readers might be you, I’d love for you to check out A Surefire Love!
Is there a Christian romance that dealt well with a subject close to your heart? I’d love to hear about it!
I did not realize how much research went into a book. It’s fascinating to learn about the writing process. I read one christian book about PTSD that I felt was really good.
I’m glad the behind-the-scenes info was helpful! I’m sure there’s so much that could be written about PTSD. That’s another one that affects a lot of people!
As readers, we appreciate your diligent research!
I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂
Your attention to detail is really impressive. You can always tell when authors make an effort to research – I work in healthcare and I have had to give up on books with a medical setting in the past, nothing is perfect but a couple of writers had clearly barely set foot inside a hospital!
There are so many facets to medical settings and professions. I’m sure it’d be hard to get it all right, but I can see why glaring inaccuracies would result in a DNF. Hopefully the scenes and story lines I have in medical settings at least land somewhere in the ball park!
As a reader, I really appreciate your attention to detail. Research is important to get certain things right when writing. As well as other things. This is one reason I am so frustrated with people destroying “history”. We learn from history and it is all there as reminders. As my son is wont to say “destroy history and human kind is doomed to repeat it” My son is a history major. From the age of 4. Thanks for what you do.
Truth really is important, whether we’re talking about fiction or history! If we don’t know the truth, it certainly can negatively impact our decisions.
I had a hysterectomy at 34, just about two months shy of my 35th birthday. I wasn’t married (still not), but it was causing me a lot of health issues, one of the major ones being anemia. I found out after I got the hysterectomy that there were SIX pages of protocol I had to meet to get it! I met everything on those six pages but one. When my GYN talked to my insurance company’s doctor, he waived that one requirement, as it was just going to cost them more money and put me through an unnecessary procedure. So, anytime I read a book with this type of thing in it, I can so relate!!!!!! Or, one based on the Biblical story of the woman with the hemorrhage.
I had no idea there were so many hoops to jump through. I suppose they have their reasons, but that’s a lot to go through when you’re already not feeling your best due to the medical issue. I can see why you’d relate when you see that reflected in fiction.
Hi Emily! This retired high school English teacher enjoys doing research. As a student I always aced my research projects. As a reader, I enjoy books that make me look up for info – setting, occupations, medical conditions, cuisine, cultural facts, wild life, vegetation and more. Lots to get right. This reader enjoys hearing about an author’s research behind their story – especially cultural tidbits or medical info. This is more common with historical fiction or non-fiction books. In my travels regardless I much research I did on a location or country before I visited, I always came home with so many more questions than when I left. Example: Just returned from a week of vacation in Bradenton, Florida. I live in SW Michigan within 5 miles we have several beautiful sandy beaches. The sand on the Gulf Coast side of Florida is different than East Coast, or beaches in California, or Japan or the Great Lakes. Different texture – doesn’t brush off easily – seems to be more crushed seashells. I am still researching that. Enjoy your weekend and happy researching.
I bet you have so much information you could share! I never really thought about the differences in sand, but it’s details like those that could really make a fictional setting come to life.
I can’t pinpoint any one book, but I am so happy that I can google and research. I research something every day, but I always say a quick prayer and ask God to lead the way for me.
Oh, I love that reminder to ask for God to lead us to the right resources. With so many out there, we could easily land on the wrong one!
Good morning, I am very grateful for social media where I can just google anything I need to look up. When I need to now about something, and need to research it, I am really grateful for being able to just google it and it is right on my fingertips. Thank for for being such an Awesome author. God Bless you and your family.
The internet is SO helpful for research! I’m always looking things up–for fiction and my real life!
Just when someone’s parent or close one died as I just lost my 96 year old grandfather 2 months ago after he fell and broke his hip we are sad but also happy that he is no longer in pain and is reunited with his wife who died in 2020 he lived in an apartment at our house the last 9 months of his life
I’m sorry for your loss, Kendra! I lost my grandma in 2019, as I was editing To Belong Together, which deals with the loss of a parent. I’m sure loss is different for everyone as relationships are so different. Having your grandfather in your house toward the end must’ve made the loss that much more personal, but I’m sure he appreciated being with you over being in a facility of some kind.
When I read your series, my first thought was that you had either worked with a band or had been part of a band. So, great job on the research; the storyline rang true!
Poorly researched books frustrate me because if a researchable detail is false, it makes me question the rest of the book, and then I no longer enjoy the read. My biggest example of this was a book by an incredible author who had their characters snorkeling in a murky lake known for alligators.
On the flip side, when writing, I research thoroughly for the same fear. I actually tell myself not to have my characters snorkeling with alligators lol. It absolutely scares me to death that I’m going to have someone write me and tell me I got it allllllll wrong.
So, great job on those past books. I look forward to your next series! Keep up the fantastic work:)
~ Jennifer
Whew, well I’m off the hook because I’ve never had characters snorkel at all, let alone with alligators. If I ever set a story in the south, I’d have to do a bunch of research on wildlife, because I’m not sure my northern sensibilities would keep me alive where there are so many dangerous creatures. Ha!
I like that you took the story as a motivation to get things right. I’m sure we all make mistakes despite our diligence, but hopefully the big stuff gets weeded out along the way. If not, God is still sovereign and can use our offerings 🙂
Yes He is!
I’m not exactly sure it’s “a subject close to my heart”, but Staci Stallings’ “More Than This” really made an impact on me with her research about dyslexia and how she portrayed it in her MMC.
How wonderful that she tackled that subject. Dyslexia impacts some of my family members. Thanks for sharing about the book!
This was such an interesting post to read! I am so grateful for authors who do research in order to accurately portray their characters and the experiences that the characters have. I know that it is always cool for me to find books with Asian American characters but I am also more critical of them because I am Asian American.
When we find characters like ourselves in some way, authenticity becomes so important! I hope you’ve been able to find some good ones.
I’m thankful for the authors who are very diligent in their research. It is very disappointing when you read the story and realize that something is not true or not even possible.
It certainly can be! Hopefully research keeps me on the right track, but I’m sure some things slip through.
I am appreciative of the effort an author makes to do research for her book. I personally love twin stories since I am an identical twin. It is always wonderful to read about the bond between twins and see how an author uses it in a story.
So fun! One of the first times I interviewed someone for a story was when I was writing a novella about a set of twins. I interviewed a twin to try and get some of the dynamic right. Hopefully I did! It’s my email freebie if you’re interested and haven’t read it yet – Between The Two of Us.
Thank you so much for sharing. I am pulling a blank on any Christian books that have dealt with a hard subject right now. Sorry, I am dealing with bad headaches from a whiplash. God bless you.
Praying you find relief from the headaches. I’ve experienced whiplash too, and it’s no fun!
Thank you for all the research you put into your books. With all the information on the internet, it could become easy to get lost down a rabbit hole looking through all of it.
So true! Eventually, it’s time to call it enough and just start writing! 🙂
Yeah, for a few years my daughter kept getting stuck going down rabbit holes with her school work/projects, no matter how much we kept trying to talk to her and tell her not to keep clicking on so many links. She was at the point where she had no life outside of doing her schooling, eat, & sleep. It made me want for when they had textbooks. This year, her senior year, is the first year she is actually getting to enjoy it finally.
I’m so glad she broke through and is enjoying school more now!
no
Im late blame the cat she decided someone should wake up at 3am and kept tapping my face and jumping over me on the bed would settle for 5 – 10 mins and start all over again. I forgot to come back.
I read a book by Virginia Smith Sincerely, Mayla. there is a secondary character Aunt Louisa who is a carer for Mayla’s Grandmother. Her Grandmother puts so many things in the way of Aunt Louisa doing things. when she has a new boyfriend grandmother becomes more needy. Mayla calls her out for it and makes Aunt Louisa go out on the date saying she will look after grandmother. I was a carer for my mother for many years and I could see what Louisa’s mother was doing to her. the guilt trips, the manipulation etc. But Louisa being able to date and with the chance of a future love actually gave me hope. her mother like mine had become very self centred. mine because her world became so small, she rarely went out and it revolved around her which made things difficult at times.
I’ve never been a primary caretaker, but I have heard that the role comes with many challenges. I love that a story was able to shine a little hope on your situation!
I really admire your dedication and your commitment to yourself, your work and your readers and look forward to reading your books. Thanks for the interesting post. 🙂
Thank you, Dianne! I hope you enjoy them!
I have always loved books, reading, and research, which the Lord used to lead me to a degree in Library Education and working for 15 years as a school librarian. I appreciate all of the research you and other authors do to “get things right”–or at least make a valiant attempt! 😉 When my daughter wrote a retelling of Snow White set during the Revolutionary War, she did extensive research to make sure she was as accurate as possible. Among other things, this included finding out where famous people and troops were at any given time during the story. She also did research to find out in what newspaper, of what date, and on what page a character living near New York city would have read the Declaration of Independence when it was first published.
I was able to help one of the authors for whom I am an ARC reader through my library experience. Her story involved an extensive personal library that was being cataloged. I was able to give her a better estimate of the number of books the library she described would actually hold, which was over three times the number she had guessed. I also helped her in what would be the most common method used to catalog a collection like that.
Wow, I bet your experience as a librarian is invaluable! A course I took on writing once had an assignment where we were to go to the library and talk to librarians about which resources to use. Librarians are so knowledgeable!
I have read many books that touch up on PTSD and grief that have helped me as I deal with both.
I’m so glad you’ve found helpful books on those topics! Such important ones to handle well.
The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold was amazing dealing with family issues, generational cycles, and legacy passed down.
Thanks for the recommendation! I didn’t know that book touched on those!
I really appreciate all the hard work authors do in research for their books. I love reading a book that immerses you in a time period or in a person’s issue that you otherwise wouldn’t/couldn’t understand.