Thank you for this. I think details such as the type of metal used for cutlery can really add authenticity to a story if they’re added in seamlessly like that. I use two approaches with regard to research. I do some generalized reading before I start writing, but then, like you, I research in response to the needs of the story. I find that sometimes it’s hard to know what I need to research until I’ve started writing.

Thank you for your comment. You’re not wrong—these authors have sold millions of books. But whenever my mind wanders off the page of a book I’m reading, it’s invariably because the author is info-dumping. So, for me, that kind of writing doesn’t engage me in the way that present-moment scene does.

I am a fan of the author “Dan Simmons” who info dumps chapters and chapters worth of information knowing that it will be useful later in the tale or just because he wants to. “William Peter Blatty” did the same with religious philosophy and for that matter “Stephen King” does that too (remember all the stuff about baseball collectors’ cards in “The Girl who loved Tom Gordon”).
Now that it is in my head, I realise that JRR Tolkien constantly info dumped and also Robert Jordan. Robert Heinlein, Issac Asimov and Gregory Benford also. All of them have sold millions of books, how could they have, and all been wrong?

I remember spending a substantial amount of time looking for what metal was used for cutlery using in workhouses for a Victorian era novel, but it made the sentence work well.

My approach is to research in response to the story. For example, if I were writing about a character about to raise a glass to the monarch, I would look up who was monarch in the chosen year.

That’s great. And I’m sure your readers will appreciate learning more of the world that lies behind your work.

Yes, historical fiction and fantasy share a lot of common ground. Everything in this post could easily be applied to fantasy writers.

Yes! I had tons of research that didn’t make it into my historical fiction novels, so I incorporated it into my website. It’s never wasted time.

Haha, thanks, Becca. Infodumps are definitely the easy way out, but we must resist the temptation to use them!