None!
Unless you're only researching and not writing, or your
fiction novel reads like a text book.
Research is the way to make a story or book come alive, take
shape, and educate while entertaining your audience. At least that's the way I
feel about research. I think there is never too much you can research about
anything you write about. Spirit of the Mountain the first book of my Spirit Trilogy is
set in the 1700's among a band of the Nez Perce tribe. I researched their way of life,
found Nez Perce who were willing to help me make the story correct, learned
about shape shifting for the paranormal element, and studied the myth and
legends of the Nez Perce. By researching and gleaning all the information I could it helped me write a fictional story that read an authentic happening at that time.
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| Paiute bark water containers |
For my historical westerns I enjoy visiting the area, going through the historical museums, and getting my hands on books, articles, and newspapers written at the time or near the time of my story.
Now you say, all well and good, that was a historical story.
I put as
much time into research into my contemporary action Adventure trilogy, Isabella Mumphrey
Adventures, to make the books ring true as I do the historical westerns. The first book, Secrets of a Mayan Moon is set in the Guatemalan
jungle. The second book, Secrets of an Aztec Temple is set in Mexico City and the third book, Secrets of a Hopi Blue Star is set in Arizona and dealt with the Hopi tribe. For all of these books, I had to read maps, go to online sites about the government, read
newspaper articles about what is happening in the areas to help make the setting come across as if my characters were there and to 
I could have just written the first book with Spanish language using online sites as my research, but then the story wouldn't have been
accurate. As my contact in Guatemala said, "I appreciate the fact you are
going to great lengths to show the real Guatemala. Many books I read, the
writer doesn’t have a clue what we are about and they lose me as a
reader." So while the larger populace may not have a care about the difference
in the language, or the fact the rain forest has been getting smaller and
smaller due to fires, those people from or who live in the countries will know
I have taken the extra care to get it right.
Great research resources are your local, state, and
university libraries; historical museums or societies; in the case of other
countries, their government websites; or googling a certain area. For maps I
like Google Earth and Mapquest. And always try to find at least two sources
with the same information. Especially if you're using online information. And
if you can find a person in a particular field you are using or living in a
country you are writing about, it makes the story come to life with tidbits that
only someone in that field or that country would know.
