IAD Ep 21: Serious Research

Indie author diaries

In this episode Sara and Lisa discuss their different approach to research.

Sarah shares

• The three main things she researches when researching the location her books are set (to make them more authentic and real for the reader).
• The extra level of research she does for certain characters (she uses the example of a hearing impaired character and another character who is in a domestic violence situation (for an upcoming book) .
• The steps she takes for market research (especially when writing in a new genre) and understanding the reader expectations in different genres and sub genres.

Lisa shares

• Her method-like approach for researching locations and characters so that they are authentic for the reader (without getting stuck in the rabbit hole).
• The four things she asks herself when she's at a place she's going to set a book.
• The things she takes photos of when she's researching a location.
• Things that you only see and learn from being in the location where the story is set.
• How she researches characters.
• The importance of checking the reliability of information and fact checking when using resources like. interviews, books, websites.

And more!