Now if you want to write a little 2k short (is 2k considered short?) then chances are that you won’t require any to little research time but if you’re planning to have chapters, a longer, or just an overall intricate and delicate piece, it will most likely require a lot more research time.

            So before starting, lets define research in the purpose of a writer. Research is educating oneself in the elements that surround his, her, or their writing. What do I mean by this? After having finished writing up the detailed outline of the story, many people jump straight into the writing but this isn’t the best way to go about it. Just like how any writing must be proofread and edited, the same must be done to an outline. Just because it’s an outline doesn’t mean you can get away with writing a crap outline and expect an amazing story.

            Now before I get to the questions you should probably ask while proofreading/editing your outline, first let me forewarn you that the amount of research one needs to perform typically correlates with the genre of the piece. The rule of thumb is that the more experiences you have with said topic, the less research you’ll have to conduct (since you can always pick at your own self experiences). So for example, a slice of life piece would require little to no research assuming that it’s strictly slice of life* (like a typical high school setting) while a fantasy type pieces would require extensive research since it will more likely then not deal with otherworldly aspects like subspecies (mermaids, genies, etc), pseudoearths (a location outside of earth), and other non realistic factors that can be changed and manipulated to the writer’s will. There’s also characters and backgrounds that you need to take into consideration. Basically, if you have no personal experience, research.

            Oh, also, google will be your best friend during this research portion. If you’re like me and like to have everything physically in front of you and would like your notes to look semi okay, if not perfect, you’re going to need a lot of paper, a really good eraser and if you like writing with a pen (like me), you better get used to pencil for a while because this will definitely get messy.

            So a question I like to ask myself whether or not I should research a topic is:

• Do I really know this topic?
• Do I have any type of personal encounter with this topic?
• Do I know a first account story of the topic from a close friend or relative?

If I answer no to any of these, then google it is. Typically googling the topic or any questions you may have about it should suffice. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest going broad and then narrowing your search as you read through the descriptions of whatever topic you’re googling. It will get a bit repetitive, I’ll admit, but if you can pull through it, I promise that it’ll turn out for the best.

            While researching, I found it helpful to jot down everything I found relatively interesting or something I feel would work for my piece. And never be shy to look at other topics that may be loosely affiliated with whatever topic you’re researching. Like if you’re looking up school life in a certain country, take a sneak peak into the culture that inhabits that country, some of the religions maybe or what would be considered common courtesy because it can help to further define your storyline or might help you discover traits for your characters that you didn’t know they needed until now.

            When you are doing your research, you’ll notice that some things will and won’t work for your outline and typically, you’ll begin to see a lot of changes happening in your outline. When you see this happening, don’t be afraid! You have to be fluid with your story and allow things to change in order for it to get better. Through research, you’ll find things that you do and don’t like which in turn will lead you to putting in or taking out events in your story respectively. By the end of your research, you’ll probably end up with a completely different story and hopefully you’ll adore it further.

            A second to last note, research, like everything else, takes time. The less you know, the more you’ll have to research. Remember, if you don’t really get it, there’s a good chance your readers won’t.

*Disclaimer: this turned into a little rant but is very important.

Just because your piece may be slice of life doesn’t mean you can write blindly.

            What do I mean by this? Slice of life is the everyday hullaballoo but it’s the little things writers like to add to it that makes it different which is great. Of course there’s nothing wrong with writing cliché scenes, some people live for it, and there’s equally nothing wrong with wanting to get a little creative but always remember the rule of thumb: if you have no personal information, research.

            This is a really big pet peeve of mine and probably for a lot of writers/readers as well. You know that trope of Character A going into a coma, waking up and not remembering the love of their life and having to fall in love with that person all over again or however this cliche ends? It’s a big thing not only in writing but in cinema as well. Now before I rant, I understand the appeal in it, I really do. I wrote one (1) piece like that before when I was naïve and stupid (I think I like 12-14) and God how I regret it to this very day.

            If you did your research, you’ll know that there are different types of comas (drugs, diabetes, brain trauma induced, etc). Pieces I’ve seen that depict comas are typically caused by brain trauma which is one of the harder ones to wake up from because the brain has suffered a certain degree of damage that causes a person to become almost unresponsive. I find this terrifying and I’m a biology student that has worked with cancerous substances and chemicals that can make you go blind. I can talk about death and disease and decaying bodies like it’s nothing while I’m eating. A lot of things that typically leave people uncomfortable doesn't phase me in the slightest but the one thing that has scared me the most is brain damage. With current advances in medicine, it’s not possible to reverse brain damage. The nerves in the brain does not perform mitosis so basically when you lose them, they’re gone. The brain is the central nervous system of the body. It tells you when to breathe, it controls your heart beat. If you damage it and it can't fix itself, how do you fix it? 

            People who suffer from brain trauma don’t normally wake up from a coma if it’s not within the first couple days (this length varies depending on the type of brain trauma) and if they do wake up after a long period of time in a coma, they’re at high risk of suffering from brain damage (or even death of some parts of the brain). A person is blessed if they wake up perfectly fine after a couple months and if forgetting the love of their life was the only thing wrong with them, they would still be considered a miracle. How do I know this? I’m a Biology student and this topic has been repeated many times in plenty of my major classes lectures. I had conversations about this with my university professor. I’ve read plenty of research articles about comas. Google.

            And it doesn’t even have to be as grand and elaborate as a coma. This goes for even the “everyday” things such as mental illness such as depression, OCD, schizophrenia, anxiety, etc. Depression isn’t just about being sad. Depression doesn’t go away when you fall in love. Depression doesn’t go away when you’re swept off your feet. It’s different for everyone and it’s a serious problem. Some people may experience it as extreme sadness. I suffer from it by the lack of emotions and feeling. My depression is chronic and I can feel it coming when it does. It leaves me empty and hollow and it’s an aching, throbbing, emotional pain I don’t really feel but I know is there. I know I should hurt but I don’t and it scares me. People can tell me horrible things when I’m depressed and I won’t cry over it. I won’t complain or fight it. I’ll silently agree because I believe that the horrible things they tell me are true. My mind is a ticking time bomb and I’m only degrading myself further the longer I stay. I don’t care if someone tells me they love me. I don’t care if prince charming walks into my life when I’m overrun by my depression. No person will ever make it go away for me because it’s my problem and I’m the only one that really gets how much it truly hurts me. How is someone supposed to fix my problems when they’ve only been around me for a certain amount of time? How is anyone supposed to fix another person’s personal problems?

            This became a rant and I want to apologize but this is someting I feel extremely strongly about so I won't apologize. I know people love to romanticize everything and believe me; there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Romanticize it by all means. The world is your oyster and you can do what you want but you have to remember: You are a writer. People are reading your work, even if you believe that no one does. People pick up the messages an author leaves. My sister is a pre med student and she believed that people woke up from comas like they do from dreams. There’s a stigma following mental illness that it’s not real or that it can be healed with true loves first kiss. As a writer, our number 1 priority is to have fun with our pieces but it should also be to break these stigmas and enlighten the masses because you’re given a voice and people are willing to listen to your voice. We have the ability to speak for those who cannot. We can make people understand through our words. Much of the stigmas that surround real problems like mental illness is due to lack of knowledge. If we have the ability to show people the real struggle of these serious problems through our words, why should we lie? Love can be found in the horrors of life. Empathy can shine through hopeless events. If we have the ability to show these things and enlighten the masses than why don't we?

            I know this came out a lot longer than expected but please, I cannot stress this any more than I already have. Research is important. Writing is important. You’re given a voice and people will listen. We need to aim for positive representation in our pieces.