Writers in the Storm

by Ellen Buikema

Whichever genre of fiction you are writing: fantasy, historical, horror, literary, mystery, romance, science fiction, or thriller, getting the facts straight can make a difference between satisfied and disappointed readers.

A fictional story doesn’t need real-life investigation, right? But it does! Research for fiction gives writers the knowledge-base to create a story that resonates with readers and may assist the writer’s creative process—gifting them with more ideas.

Research:

Adds authenticity to storytelling

Research helps writers develop believable characters and worlds. While learning the details, you can weave facts into your narrative adding accuracy to the tale. Whether it’s the realistic depiction of a historical battle or the subtlety of a character’s job, research adds realism readers enjoy.  

Enriches the narrative’s detail and depth

Research infuses life into a story. It adds depth and feeling to your writing. It helps with sensory descriptions—the sights, smells, and sounds of a setting. This allows readers to feel a part of the story, making it more memorable.

Shines a light on inaccuracies and keeps the readers engaged

Use research to avoid errors that pull the reads out of the story. Most fictional stories require at least some willing suspension of belief. However, if you weave in some true concepts, customs, or events that really happened, your story will be more believable. That will make your readers happy.

4 Types of Useful Research for Fiction Writers

How you conduct your research is totally up to you. There is no one best method. Your exploratory work depends upon your needs. Here are some suggestions.

Character Research

Do a deep dive with this type of research. For example, you may explore a character’s cultural practices, hobbies, or profession. Understanding these details can help accurately portray character details that will make your narrative blossom. It’s a great way to create multi-dimensional characters who are believable.

If the characters are fictional be sure they feel real. For real people, their personal facts must be accurate.

Historical Research

Performing historical research helps a great deal with the culture of the time. You can find interesting events that may be woven into your story. Your characters might cross paths with a historical figure in the middle of a rebellion. Anything can happen.

This type of research can benefit all genres, not only historical fiction. Have a care though. It is easy to find oneself falling down rabbit holes, chasing topics.

Location Research

Look at the architectural and physical landscapes of the setting you’ve chosen for your story. The details of a location’s sights, sounds, and vibes carry your readers there. The setting can shape the mood of the story, much like a character does.

Technical Research

Getting the facts right is essential when your story involves legal matters, science, or technology—no matter the era. Researching helps you create a world that feels real. Learning the technical side helps you understand the basics behind these subjects.

How to Conduct Research for a Fiction Book

Define Your Goals

As a first step, decide what elements of your story need to be explored.

• Of what are you unsure?
• Do you need historical context for the story’s era?
• What about the character’s background?

Whatever you need to know, determining your goals early on will help keep you focused.

View Pertinent Materials

One of the best means of research for fiction writers involves reading. Browse the Internet for useful books, articles, and other online resources related to your needs.

Consider exploring documentaries, movies, and podcasts, for more perspectives on the subject matter. Reach out to subject matter experts, not just in an academic sense!

Contact people who may be able to give you information local to your search. For instance, I needed information about a bar in Wausau, Wisconsin for a historical fiction story. The bar, now named The Glass Hat was originally the Langsdorf Boarding House and Saloon.

I contacted the owner, and we had a lovely hour-long chat about the bar’s history. She sent me photos of ornate, copper ceiling tiles that once graced the saloon, along with several other photos. Knowing what the saloon looked like for the era of my story helped me write a better setting.

Fact-Check

Verify the accuracy of the information you’ve put together to avoid inaccuracies that undermine the credibility of your work.

This is an important step. No one wants to have legal problems. Confirm the accuracy of your research, particularly for real people.

List Questions That Come Up

While researching, make a list of questions that come to your mind. It might be about a person’s background, a particular location, technology, or machinery. This will ensure that you cover as much as possible and have a thorough investigation into all aspects of your story.

Ask the Librarians

If you are stuck, the library is a great place to go. Librarians can be wonderfully helpful for accessing information. You may come away with a plethora of information for your book. 

Obtain Firsthand Experience

If it’s possible and legal, visit locations and engage in activities similar to your story. This will help with sensory details for better descriptions. Going to great lengths for authenticity’s sake can results in a better book.

Organize Your Information

Research Log

A research log can help you track your process, preventing duplication of effort and keeps your research organized. Keep your list of search keywords and links here.

Folders and Labels

Organize your articles into folders by projects. Use labels, putting articles in categories to find them easily.

Notes

Write short summaries of each source. This helps when writing your bibliography, if needed, as well as your acknowledgements.

Depending on what works best for you, consider:

• Digital tools. Some of these are free and have additional storage for a monthly fee.
• Physical notebooks.
• Color-coded sticky notes to be used on any surface.

Whatever way you decide is best, the goal is easy access and reference as you weave researched information into your narrative.

Tips for Applying Research to Writing

Blend in findings bit by bit

Instead of info-dumping all your research into the story at once, include it gradually so it feels natural to the reader. Sprinkle details. Torrential detailing is not as effective.

Find a balance

After many, many hours researching it is tempting to include a lot of details. My editor said, “You are showing off your research. No one wants all that detail.” She was right. Use enough information to make a vivid world and relatable characters. Your readers need the space to imagine.

Be flexible

Think of your book as if it were a house. Research is your foundation, ceiling, and walls. Your creativity and imagination provide the interior and exterior details; colors, textures, sounds, scents. Use creative liberties as needed. You can enrich the feeling of a scene for readers and still be true to your research.  

Final Thoughts

Research is vital to the writing process. Even though the manuscript is your own creation, there are probably aspects of reality lurking about. A visit to your local library for research can send you further along the storytelling path and may help you find more of your writing community.

Do you use research in your books? Have you read stories that had too much detail? If so, did you have a difficult time getting through to the end of the story?

* * * * * *

About Ellen

Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written Parenting ... A Work in Progress, non-fiction for parents, and The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon chapter book series with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works in Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and The Crystal Key, MG Magical Realism/ Sci-Fi, a glaze of time travel.

Find her at https://ellenbuikema.com or on Amazon.

Top Image by Dorothe Wouters from Pixabay

by Liz Talley

Hate to break it to you, but we’re already over a third of the way through 2026.

Sound the alarm—the end of May is looming!

<cue weak knees and a frantic search for the fainting couch>

Hard to believe four and a half months have already flown by and summer is knocking at the door. Which makes right now the perfect time to stop, take stock, and adjust your goals for 2026.

Back in January, you probably stared down that shiny new year full of possibility and set some writing goals. I’m a big believer in two things when the calendar flips: choosing a guiding word for the year and creating a business plan. But even if you didn’t sit down with a fresh notebook and color-coded markers, I’m willing to bet you at least had a mental list of what you wanted to accomplish.

Maybe you planned to:

• finally finish that first draft
• revise the NaNoWriMo manuscript that’s been collecting digital dust since 2021
• start an entirely new project
• snag that elusive agent
• figure out Amazon ads without losing your sanity

Whatever your writing goal was (or still is), this is the perfect time for a gut check. Because if you want to kick butt in 2026, you need to know exactly where you stand.

Before we deal with this year, let’s take a quick glance in the rearview mirror.

How was 2025?

Did you accomplish what you set out to do? Looking back isn’t about beating yourself up—it’s about honesty. Accountability matters in a writing career.

So… what did you accomplish?

I’ll wait.

drumming fingers…

Still waiting.

more dramatic drumming…

Okay, got it?

Maybe you’re thrilled with how last year went. Or maybe, like many writers, you didn’t quite get there. Maybe last year’s goal became this year’s goal.

That happens.

Life gets messy. Doubts populate like dust bunnies. The publishing industry does what the publishing industry does. Rejections pile up. Family needs you. Health takes you on a detour. But, whatever happened in 2025 is done.

Finished. Finito. In the books.

Forgive yourself. Then move on.

What now?

At this point, some of you are thinking, “Well, it’s too late to make a plan now."

Um… no.

No, it is not.

We still have nearly two-thirds of the year left.

That’s seven and a half glorious months to:

• draft a manuscript
• revise a manuscript
• write a query letter
• research agents
• build a website
• learn social media strategy
• finally figure out what the heck Amazon ads do for you

That’s not “too late.” That’s opportunity.

So pick the goal that matters most.

Here’s the key: don’t try to do everything at once. Pick the goal that absolutely needs to get done.

For me? It’s drafting a new book.

Is that doable with the time left in 2026?

Yes.

So that becomes Priority One.

Now comes the important part: making the goal actionable.

Right now, I have the tiniest spark of an idea. Before I can send a synopsis to my editor for approval, I need to flesh out the story.

That means:

• brainstorming with trusted writing friends
• drafting three chapters to find the story’s voice
• creating a three-page synopsis
• getting all of that done by mid-June so I have six full months to draft an 80–90K manuscript.

Once the project gets approved, I can reverse-engineer the writing schedule and calculate exactly how many words I need to write each month.

See what happened there?

I created a deadline.

Okay, sure. Setting deadlines is easy. Keeping them? That’s where the rubber meets the road. Because ultimately, you have to honor the timeline you create.

One of the tools that helps me stay on track…

A business plan.

Every year, I sit down with a few trusted writing friends and walk them through my goals. That accountability makes all the difference. Something about saying your plans out loud and then pinning them to the bulletin board in your office makes them real.

(Download the Sample Business Plan above by clicking here.)

For me, the top priority is always writing new material or revising a book. Always. But the secondary goals matter too. Because modern writers aren’t just writers. We’re marketers. Brand strategists. Social media managers. Website coordinators. Networking professionals. Occasional emotional support humans.

It’s… a lot.

My secondary goals for 2026 include:

• building a website for my new pen name
• hiring a branding consultant
• researching publicists
• getting updated headshots
• requesting blurbs
• developing a social media strategy

Honestly? It all feels a little overwhelming. But overwhelming goals become manageable when you assign deadlines.

Of course, setting deadlines can feel a bit like chasing a Slinky down the stairs. Remember those? One minute you’re motivated. The next minute it’s three weeks later and somehow you’re looking for your escaped slinky instead of writing Chapter Five.

That’s exactly why timelines matter. And why writing friends who lovingly hold your feet to the fire are priceless.

Final Thought

Creating a business plan and setting measurable goals can feel about as appealing as sticking your hand into a hornet’s nest. I understand. I am not naturally organized. Not even close. But I do believe visible, actionable goals help writers finish projects and move forward.

So let’s do a check-in.
What’s your big goal for 2026? How’s it going? Have you drifted off course? Do you have deadlines in place? Are you ahead of schedule?
(Or are we all collectively pretending May isn’t happening?)
Tell me where you are down in the comments!

About Liz

Liz Talley is the USA Today best-selling author of over thirty heartwarming stories. A finalist in both Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart and Rita Awards, Liz has published with Harlequin, Hallmark, and Montlake where she reached number one in Kindle romance and was named to Publisher’s Weekly mass market bestseller list. Her stories are set in the South, where the tea is sweet, the summers are hot, and the porches are wide. In 2023, she also added screenwriter to her accomplishments, co-writing an adaptation of her novel The Wedding War, which landed in the Top 20 of the Louisiana Film Prize.

Find Liz Talley's books here.

Featured image purchased from Depositphotos.

By Jenn Windrow

I was on vacation in Vegas celebrating my daughter’s 21^st birthday, and suddenly I was tagged in a post. A review popped up that I had been waiting a year for. One I had given up on. But there it was. This reviewer was known to be blunt and honest, but not brutal. My little author heart started pounding, my hands were shaking, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to click and read. But curiosity won out over anxiety, so in I went.

And this is some of what it said…

“This voice heavy urban fantasy is off to a sleazy, gloriously over-written start. Too much, even, but in a good way.”
“The colors are bold. The sleaze is very sleazy. The stink is caked on.”
“It’s melodramatic. It reads fast. It has a sense of flair.”

While I was reading, my smile grew until my face hurt. Not just because of the positive review, but because it nailed something I care about deeply as both a writer and a developmental editor.

My author voice.

My voice is probably the single most important thing to me when it comes to writing. I work hard to make sure that the words on the page reflect me as a writer. My sass, my snark, my attitude, and well, just me. And this reviewer not only saw that, but he appreciated it.

And here’s the part that mattered even more.

It showed me that being authentic to my author voice doesn’t hurt me.

What “Voice” Actually Is

You author voice is so many things. Word choice. Cadence. Rhythm. Style. But it is also the way your narrator sees the world and how they respond to it. What they notice, dismiss, judge, and believe to be true.

That’s why two writers can describe the same scene and land in completely different places. They’re not just choosing different words. They’re telling different truths. They see things differently.

My voice is quirky and sassy and sarcastic. My characters have sharp edges and even shaper tongues. And I like it that way. I don’t write in a world of black and white, I like to explore the grey areas in between.

I guess you could say your “voice” is your author signature. It’s a promise to a reader right from the start. It gives them an idea of what kind of ride they are going on. Funny, serious, quirky, gothic.

What That Review Really Said

On the surface, that review talks about style. Sleaze. Over-the-top prose. Noir turned up to eleven. Melodramatic.

Some of those words could have sent me into a tailspin of depression, I mean, who wants to hear that their writing is melodramatic? Over the top? Sleazy?

(raises their hand) ME!

Because that is how I write. I put it all on the page and leave nothing behind. And when I read the review, my brain was going check, check, check, and check.  

But it was what was underneath those words, the deeper meaning of the review that really caught my attention. That showed me that even though my voice is irreverent on the best of days, my very LOUD voice is not taking away from the story itself.

And here is the proof in a few other lines that were mixed in as well.

“It doesn’t sacrifice anything in terms of clarity or focus.”

And this one:

“We get a very good sense of our MC’s situation.”

That’s voice holding the line. That’s a narrator who knows exactly what she thinks about her situation, even when the prose is big, loud, and unapologetic. That’s control.

Strong Voice Gives You Range

When your voice is anchored, you get to make bold choices. You can push your prose. You can lean into tone. You can be dramatic, sharp, messy, or restrained.

Let’s look at modern authors known for unmistakable voice:

• Colleen Hoover leans hard into emotional immediacy. Her narrators feel everything in real time, and that intensity is the voice. Strip that out and the books stop working.
• Sarah J. Maas writes with a sweeping, immersive intensity that blends internal emotion with high-stakes fantasy. The voice is declarative, emotional, and deeply committed to the character’s experience.
• Leigh Bardugo shifts voice depending on POV, but each one is anchored in a clear worldview. Kaz Brekker doesn’t sound like anyone else because he doesn’t think like anyone else.
• Tamsyn Muir in Gideon the Ninth is chaotic, irreverent, and wildly specific. The voice is so strong it borders on polarizing, and that’s exactly why it works.
• Rebecca Yarros drives voice through urgency and emotional stakes. Her narrators are grounded in what’s at risk right now, and that perspective shapes every line.

None of these authors are playing it safe. And none of them would benefit from someone “toning down” their voice.

Why I Don’t Edit Voice

As a developmental editor, I will tear apart your structure. I will push on your pacing. I will question your character choices and motivations. I will tell you if you a messy mid-point. But I will not rewrite your voice.

Because voice isn’t a problem to solve.

It’s the part of your writing that is entirely yours. The part no one else can replicate, even if they tried. It’s what makes your writing, well…you.

And the second an editor starts smoothing that out? You don’t have a stronger manuscript. You have a safer one. And safe is forgettable. Safe is boring. Safe gets skimmed instead of sucking a reader into your world.

No one wants to be safe.

The Real Danger: Flattening Your Voice

A lot of writers try to fix their voice. They tone it down. Clean it up. Try to make it sound more professional or more polished. They try to write like other authors in the genre in order to fit in.

But in the end, they strip out the very thing that made their writing theirs.

I see this when writers chase:

• Cleaner prose
• Safer sentence structure
• “More lyrical” language

None of those are bad. But they come at the expense of you being you on the page. You’re not improving your voice. You’re diluting it.

Right now, I am working on a romantasy. A genre that is wildly different than my normal urban fantasy series. And while I understand that romantasy is less punchy, and fast moving and sarcastic, I learned switching my voice so that I wrote like other romantasy authors was hurting the book more than it was helping it. In fact, I put the book aside because there was something off about it.

Then I figured it out. It was my voice, it was gone, and my writing was flat.

I decided I would rather stand out than fit in.

I am taming my voice a touch, cutting out cuss words, smoothing out the prose, but I am leaving in the sass and snark and melodrama that makes me…me. And now that I have stopped worrying about voice, the story is flowing again and I am happy with the outcome.

If You’re Worried About Your Voice

That means you care. That you have something to say, and you know exactly how you want to say it.

Lean into it. Learn to love. And stop worrying about fitting in, and allow your words to shine.

The Takeaway

Voice is not the thing holding your manuscript back. It’s the thing that will make it stand out.

So, protect it. Develop it. Let it be bold. Let it be specific. Let it be a little too much. Because the right readers aren’t looking for safe. They’re looking for something they can’t get anywhere else.

They’re looking for the authentic you.

Which authors make you feel their voice instantly, and why?

About Jenn Windrow

Jenn Windrow once attempted to write a “normal” book—and promptly bored herself into a coma. So now she sticks to what she does best: writing snarky, kick-butt heroines, broody supernatural men, and more sexual tension than a vampire in a blood bank.

She’s the award-winning author of the Alexis Black novels and the Redeeming Cupid series, where the undead never sparkle and the drama is always delicious. Jenn moonlights as a developmental editor, helping other writers wrangle their wild plots and tangle-free prose.

When not arguing with her characters or muttering about Oxford commas, she can be found binge-watching trash TV, wrangling the slew of animals that live in her house (husband and teenagers included), or telling herself she’ll only have one more cookie.

You can find her at jennwindrow.com or lurking on social media where she pretends to be an extrovert.

Photo by Hussein Abdullah on Unsplash