Research is necessary

One thing that surprised me as I began writing was the fact that research was necessary. Really? Research for a fiction novel? Yes, research. I wanted the characters to be able to exist in our world. That meant the locations needed to be accurate, their skills and professions had to be as realistic as I could make them. There were tons of questions that required answers. Some were simple. What size plane would be needed to accurately fly the distance I needed it to? How long would it take? Would it need a fuel stop? How many passengers could be on the plane? Others were more complicated. How could I make a computer genius correctly troubleshoot a broken system when I am not one? Research involved the internet, interviews with people who actually do what I wanted my characters to be capable of doing, and of course with the fiction end of things, a vivid imagination. It was an amazing process watching the pieces all come together.