What Goes in to Writing Compelling Fiction?

It’s easy to just sit down to outline a story idea you have, and think of researching the important details later. I am a believer that in order to outline or write compellingly on your subject matter, you should first acquire subject matter expertise through thorough research.

So what does my research process entail?

I am currently adapting a screenplay set in France during the Summer of 1944 (along with the Fall of 1940). The story explores multiple perspectives during WWII, notably the Allied forces and their invasion of France, but also the French Resistance network, Axis powers along the western front and Vichy politics. All of this is to say that before I can faithfully outline this story for novelization, I need to understand the rules and even the minute details of the world I am operating in before I ever sit down to write my manuscript, let alone hire an historical fiction editor.

Here is a non-exhaustive list that comprises research I have begun to undertake.

· German military equipment of 1944
· Allied military equipment of 1944
· German western front divisions, hierarchy and movements
· Allied western front divisions, hierarchy and movements
· Maps and details of major conflicts leading to the Liberation of Paris
· Detailed renderings and summaries of towns and cities along the front featured in the story (what sort of provisions did they have, were they empty, what did they look like then, what sort of person lived here, what was the pre-war industry?)
· The French Resistance structure and workings including communication, weapons and tactics
· Vichy political structure and workings including governance, influence and links to Axis powers
· Dialog accuracy, including how the allied armed forces and people from America spoke at the time
· A detailed map, rendering, and visual representation of Paris during WWII with select focus on neighborhoods with importance to the story (i.e Le Marais)
· A detailed exploration of social structures, groups in Paris during WWII; how did they go about their lives, what was their conflict in daily living?

Needless to say, this is a massive undertaking, but the more work you do upfront, the more convincing the writing is, and the less work an editor needs to undertake to avoid anachronisms. I am a book smart individual, and often retain information after reading it once (that probably explains my 3.86 GPA in college while barely studying). That in addition to my organization makes that process a lot more seamless. I expect this process to be done some time by October, maybe even later September, at which point I can start re-developing my script into an outline.

Obviously all authors and writers have a different process. Some prefer to just dive right in to an outline and manuscript. I believe that to write a novel, or any story, you should love the world you wish to write about. You will be spending so much time there, so why not try to learn everything about it first? I guess that’s just me.