10 ways to keep (or dig) your way out of a research rabbit hole

I love research. Most writers do. We love finding out how our characters can do stuff that we don’t know how to do, like throw pots, or field-dress deer, or cut throats without getting any blood on them. Historical novelists like me love this more than most, because we have to learn all about the historical world that our characters are living in, in order to build that world for our readers.

Research, for us, is fun. But it’s also dangerous. Once you get started on a project, it’s easy to fall down a research rabbit hole. Who doesn’t want to know more about the origins of hemlock usage? Or how plumbing worked in London in the 1700s? Yes, I know you do, too!

So how do you avoid falling into such a hole? Or, having fallen in, how do you claw your way out? How do you stop yourself from digging so deep that you never see the light of day again … or, more importantly get to THE END? Here are ten tips to bring you back towards the light.

1. Know what you’re actually looking for.
This sounds basic, and maybe redundant to some, but actually articulating this really works for me. Write down your main research question somewhere you can see it, because trust me, you’ll forget (Post-it note. Computer screen. Top right). When you find yourself three hours deep in a Wikipedia rabbit hole about 18th-century farming techniques (when all you wanted to know was how long it takes to ride from New York to Albany), ask yourself: “Does this actually help me answer my question?” Spoiler alert: it probably doesn’t.

2. Make friends with your calendar – and your timer. 
You can schedule your research, but even if you don’t, I do suggest giving yourself chunks of time to answer specific questions – say, 20 minutes to find out what kind of badges of office New York City law enforcement officials used in the early 1800s, then another 15 to dig into one specific angle (what is a tipstaff, exactly?) When that timer goes off (use the Law & Order sting for fun), force yourself to stop and think: “Okay, do I actually know enough to keep going, or am I just procrastinating by reading more stuff?”

3. Actually process what you’re reading.
When that timer goes off, every couple of hours, stop hoarding new information and write a quick paragraph about what you’ve learned so far. Keep a research document open at all times for this purpose. Or use a notebook! Otherwise you’ll end up with a million bookmarks open on your browser(s) and no clue what any of them actually said.

4. Be honest about what you really need to know.
Research is like a tube of Pringles – once you pop, it’s hard to stop, and every golden slice of fried potato seems equally delicious. But there’s a difference between stuff that actually helps you with your narrative and stuff that’s just intellectually tasty. And let’s be honest, when you’re gobbling down those Pringles, you know the difference! Stay in touch with your instincts, and ask yourself regularly: “Am I actually making progress on finishing this thing, or am I just ‘researching’ to keep myself busy … and entertained?”

5. Decide when “good enough” is good enough.
The perfectionist lobe of your brain will try to convince you that you need to read every single paper or article or book ever written on your topic. You don’t. And you’re writing fiction, remember. Not faction. Making stuff up is allowed! That said, we’re all different: some police procedural authors spend hours (days!) with cops and do ridealongs and all the rest before they’re comfortable even getting started. But I also know of one very successful author whose entire experience of police procedure was to poke his head into a cop shop just one time! Get to know your comfort level with research and preparation, and stay true to it.

6. Keep a “parking lot” for interesting distractions.
This a super useful technique to avoid getting pulled down a branch of whatever rabbit hole you’re in. When you stumble across something cool but off-topic, don’t just ignore it (your brain will keep nagging you about it). Jot it down in a separate document with a note about why it caught your eye. This way you can stay focused without feeling like you’re missing out on something important.

7. Follow the one-hop rule with links and citations.
When you’re reading something and see a bunch of interesting references, resist the urge to immediately follow up on all of them. Back in the day, when we did all our research in the library, we’d just make a note and keep reading. Not anymore. Now we’re tempted to click on every link we see. Don’t do it! Try not to click links and switch focus, and if you do, try even harder not to click through again. Make a note of the promising stuff, electronic or otherwise, but finish what you’re reading. Otherwise you’ll end up with 47 browser tabs and no memory of what any of them were about. You’ll probably have lost the thread of whatever it was you were reading in the first place, too.

8. Test your faith
If you’re really in a hole (say you’ve decided that to write convincingly about a murder on Wall Street in 1793, you need to understand all the details of what triggered America’s first financial crisis) one useful technique is to play devil’s advocate with yourself. Every few days, try to argue against doing more research. Ask yourself: “What would actually happen if I stopped gathering information right now and started writing?” Usually the answer is “honestly, not much … except that I’d actually be writing,” which is a pretty good sign you’re just procrastinating at this point, and should just get on with putting words down on the page.

9. Force yourself to work with limits.
Pick a specific number of sources you’re allowed to use for each section. At least for a certain period. This makes you way more picky about what you include in your research document, instead of just defaulting to “more details = better novel (which is rarely the case. Even in a Patrick O’Brian novel).”

10. Try describing what you’re researching to someone else.
This is a great litmus test for your research. If you can’t explain to a friend what you’ve found out, or what you’re researching and why, without boring them (and you) half to death, then do you think that maybe you’ve gone too far off piste? If you don’t want to torture your friend or your partner, try writing it out. Is it compelling? Does it still grab you? Having started writing something (anything) do you want to keep going? Or do you just want to move on? this process can give you some good signals and a great reality check.

Enjoy your excavation – but wield that shovel with care!