“Oh, I usually don't know a whole lot about a subject when I begin; the process itself teaches me a lot as I go along. Usually I know enough about one narrow area of the subject to start myself going, and then everything - including a lot more research - follows from that.” KnowsEnoughWholeProcessTeachSubjectsResearchAreasIncluding Author:Jim Shepard
“Does research get in the way of the story? It certainly can. Anything can, given that as writers we're all geniuses at procrastination. But mostly research teaches me about the world. Which often shows me the way, in terms of the story.” WorldWayDoeStoriesShowsGivenTermTeachGeniusResearchProcrastinationShow Me Author:Jim Shepard
“I don't beat at the details, but I do always keep in mind that anything that isn't A) moving the story forward or B) enlarging my understanding of the central characters has to be sacrificed. I have huge folders of details - research - with a story like Netherlands. Only a very small part of it gets used. The old iceberg analogy again.” MindCharacterStoriesMovingUsedUnderstandingHugeBeatsResearchDetailsAnalogiesSmall PartsIcebergNetherlandsFolders Author:Jim Shepard
