Lady Business

I very much enjoy the process of researching for writing fanfiction. I like thinking about things like rice harvests, tea cups, and food and learning more about history. However I think research can be very overwhelming and intimidating so I’ve written a bit about how I research in the hopes that it will help other people or at least be interesting.

When writing fanfic set in a different time and/or place than the one you live in, research can help you ground your fic. Attention paid to small details makes the world feel like it exists beyond the page, and sensory details can add weight and help drive home the emotions of the story.

For the last several years I’ve been writing in fandoms based on Chinese source material, mostly ones with historical-ish settings. I'm a white American and I didn't grow up watching Chinese tv, but I've come to really enjoy it. I’ve also become very interested in Chinese history for its own sake. I’ve done a lot of research both for fic and for fun. One of the challenges of research is just knowing where to start. So I wanted to share some tips and tricks.

You don’t have to do research of course. I do think fanfic authors owe a duty of care to write about characters with marginalizations that they don’t share with care and sensitivity. I don't think detailed research at the level I generally do has to be part of that. I really enjoy research, and so I do a lot of it for fun. Of course research has its limits. Human experience is vast and much of it wasn’t recorded. And sometimes it's hard to know that you even need to do research. Also research can be an expensive and time consuming hobby. I sure have spent a lot of money on academic books and a lot of time reading them. If you do want to do research here are some strategies that I use.

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