The Importance of Research
One of the things that deter debut novelists is the thought of research. Do we write about what we know or do we research our subjects? My first novel, Under the Pipal Tree (to be published) was fairly easy to research as it is set in India, a place I grew up in. All I had to do was write about what I already knew and then email friends and family about the current prices of things and certain brands. The rest I googled − for example, the location and relative distances between places. I thought it would be like the great Jane Austen did, write about what I know. However, I still worry about details. After all, I haven’t lived in India for thirty years. Have things and attitudes changed beyond recognition? One hopes that if the story is good enough to hold the reader’s attention then minor slips would be tolerated. Research is invaluable to give the characters, their professions and the setting an authentic feel. But, how far do we go to achieve this? Some writers wea