Are you writing a novel that depends on factual accuracy?

Want to learn strategies for research that leads to authentic, believable fictional worlds?

Even a contemporary short story set in a familiar location might still require some research to get everything just right. But where do you find the answers you need? How much research is enough? How much is too much? And how do you know when to stop researching and start writing? This class will cover the basics of conducting research for novels and short stories in any genre. Particular focus will be given to strategies for effective researching, how to locate useful source materials, and most importantly we’ll discuss techniques for incorporating facts and details seamlessly into your fiction, so that your story doesn’t sound like an encyclopedia entry. The instructor will also cover about such different approaches as character-based research, plot-based research, and subject-based research.

In this class, participants will identify what kind and how much research their story needs, determine where to go for information and how to take effective notes, and learn strategies for incorporating information in your story without overwhelming the story itself. The class will also discuss how successful research can also provide the inspiration and ideas for generating new stories.

TAKE THIS CLASS IF

• You’re not sure how to weave research into the fabric of your novel.
• You want to learn strategies for researching without getting getting sucked into the endless void of historical and other documents.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

John Pipkin’s first novel, Woodsburner, won the New York Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Massachusetts Center for the Book Novel Prize, and the Texas Institute of Letters Stephen Turner Prize for First Novel. John was the Dobie Paisano Fellow at UT-Austin for the spring of 2011. His latest novel is The Blind Astronomer’s Daughter. He received his Ph.D. in British Literature from Rice University in 1997. He teaches at the University of Texas and in the Low-residency MFA Program at Spalding University, in Louisville, Kentucky. He recently completed a bike ride from Warsaw to Paris in research for a new novel.