One very wise author once said that writing is 60% research and 40% writing. While this figure may be anecdotal, I'd venture a guess that it isn't too far short of the mark, for there are times in my novels when I've done ten hours of research to write a 1,000-word scene. And while I am a strong advocate of writers throwing off the shackles and writing from the heart, plausibility plays a huge role in readers' suspension of disbelief.
A few years ago, on the adamant advice of a friend, I decided to read the first Twilight novel. I came on a scene where the narrator was referencing a time in Edward's (male lead) past where he fought a "coven of vampires in the London sewers". This event happened in 1739, if my memory serves correctly. At that point, I put the novel down and went away for a short walk; and though I finished it, I could never suspend my disbelief from thereon. Why, you ask? Simple. There were no sewers in London until they were built in 1865 by Joseph Bazelgette. Excrement flowed down the streets until it reached the river Thames. The author had referenced an event which could never have taken place.
Many people would chastise me for that, explaining that it's a poor excuse for not enjoying an entertaining story. After all, these stories are fiction. They don't have to be true. No, but they do have to be plausible. There would have been no issue had the author of Twilight made it clear that she was taking liberties with the description of 1739 London. But there was only one reference made to 1739 London, and it involved sewers that didn't exist. If I wrote a book, for instance, set in 1770 and made reference to President George Washington, many people would know that I had made a huge error, for Washington didn't become the first President of the United States until 1789.
Research is vital to any story. You may be able to fool some of your readers, but those hard-core fans who know the genre inside out will not be as easily fooled. I suppose you could say that a book is only as good as the research behind it.
Dan.
