Odds and Ends about Writing

You Don't Have To Tell Me All Your Research

This ties in with the "pick the right details" chapter, so here's hoping that there isn't too much overlap.

If you're writing about historical fiction or a story set in an unfamiliar location, you'll probably want to do a lot of research. That's a good idea because the more you know about a place or time period, the less likely you'll be to make a huge mistake. For example, I once saw someone describe carrot cake from Singapore as being eaten with a fork and knife. I don't think that's possible since it's already in small pieces - unless they're talking about the Western version of carrot cake.

But I digress.

If you've done your research, you'll have a wealth of information that you're eager to share. I mean, how many people know about XYZ?

Well, you should stop right there. You do not to tell the reader every single fact that you've learnt. You are not their teacher and they are not reading your book to learn about (insert period of time or location). The point of your research is so that you can immerse the reader in the setting, not to lecture them about the setting. Or to put it another way: research is the preparation for your book, not the purpose of your book.

And please don't put a lecturer in your story just so you can find a way to cram more facts into it.