By James Hannibal @jamesrhannibal

The Search Engine Swamp. The Wikipedia Wastelands. The Data Doldrums. Look out! It’s the Research Bog. Stay on the path. 

But wait. What should you do if you lose the path and get lost in the muck?

This blog is the last in a series designed to help you focus your research. Last time I introduced mind mapping, a continuous process to avoid the murkiest reaches of the Research Bog and keep you on the path. Today, let’s look at an escape technique for those days when you lose the path and get a little stuck. 

The Research Bog Escape Tool

It’s so easy to get lost in the Research Bog. Whole days vanish. You sat down with a fresh cup of coffee in the morning, and suddenly the sun is setting. Where did the day go?

I’ve run military operations knowing no plan survives first contact with the enemy. I always had an escape route. I had contingency plans for my contingencies. Yet, my wife Cindy gets credit for coming up with this one. She grew tired of walking into my office at 9 p.m. to find me staring at Google Earth or Encyclopedia Britannica instead of typing away in MS Word. 

The whole thing came to a head weeks ago. I’d been bogged down for hours digging into the nuances of security at the Zurich Zoo. Yeah. I know, but it seemed important at the time. Anyway, Cindy found me hungry, dehydrated, and with no words written for the day. She did a face palm. “This has to stop.”

I suspect mine is a common tale, and I want to share her solution. To combat my research addiction, Cindy suggested a timer. 

“Good idea!” I said, turning toward my screen and grabbing the mouse. “Let me do some research.”

She threw a couch pillow at me. 

Maybe researching to solve the problem of research wasn’t the best plan, but eventually I created an algorithm for the problem and turned it into an infographic. My publisher loved it so much, they sent it out with their next newsletter. If you’re not familiar with algorithm flowcharts, here’s a primer. Circles represent beginning and end states, rhombuses are inputs and outputs, squares are processes, and diamonds are questions that determine the next step. Follow the numbered text blocks as you read through the flow. 

Notice how the research “Dig Deeper” process draws you into an infinite loop of new ideas and research. It fuels creativity, but it also becomes the dreaded Research Bog. To escape, I implemented Cindy’s timer idea. Once the timer hits 1 hour, yank yourself free of the muck and escape to your manuscript with your new ideas and information. 

Coming Up for Air

Another, method of escape is documenting and organization. I call it coming up for air. Organizational methods force you to pull yourself out of the blog to breathe and reassess. Climb out of the muck to place the treasures you found into labeled trays and boxes. Use whichever boxes and trays you want, as long as you organize in some thought-out way. Here are some examples.

Notecards – The research for my first novel Wraith required old-school techniques because Stealth Program Security wasn’t sure they’d allow publication of the book until after I finished the manuscript for them to read. That meant ZERO online research. I spent whole days in libraries and military archives, taking detailed notes on cards to prove to the men in black that everything I wrote was already available to public. As a result, I wound up with super-categorized notecards that helped tremendously during the writing phase.

Scrivener – After the notecard technique, I moved on to Scrivener, which I found by googling “digital notecards.” Go figure. With those digital notecards, character profiles, and more, Scrivener has a lot to offer. Here’s a post from The Write Conversation highlighting some of these great organizational features. 

Finder – Whatever operating system you prefer, I bet it has a filing system. I write on a Mac, and Mac uses Finder. In my old age, I’ve found the simplest tool is the best tool. By creating folders and subfolders for characters, weapons, locations, etc., my research notes for all topics are easy to find and bring up on the screen. I’m still a pilot, so I need my research to travel with me. Using basic files on the operating system allows me to keep my research available in the Cloud.

Pick one of these methods—or one of your own—and when you’re down in the muck in the research bog, use organization as a reason to come up for the occasional breath of air.

Series Recap

So, here’s the recap of the whole series. Prepare to research by seeking to know what you don’t know. Focus your research and stay on target through a continuous process of mind mapping. And escape the research bog by setting timers and coming up for air to organize your findings. 

Have fun, and may God bless your research efforts!

Be sure to check out

Part 1: Focus Your Research

Part 2: Escaping the Writing Research Bog

As a former stealth pilot, James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. He has been shot at, locked up with surface to air missiles, and chased down a winding German road by an armed terrorist. He is a two-time Silver Falchion award-winner for his Section 13 mysteries for kids, a Thriller Award nominee for his Nick Baron covert ops series for adults, and a Selah Award finalist for his Christian CIA thriller, the Grypyhon Heist. James is a rare multi-sense synesthete. Want to know more? Visit JamesRHannibal.com.