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I have to do more close research and fact checking for the science fiction. This is not however to say that writing good fantasy does not involve doing good research.

I tend to research as I write so that the narrative can take priority, which is important for a piece of fiction, I think, finding out facts as and when I need to.

Research for fiction is a funny thing: you go looking for one piece of information, and find something altogether different.

Sometimes I'm asked if I do research for my stories. The answer is yes and no. No, in the sense that I seldom plow through books at the library to gather material. Yes, in the sense that the first fifteen years of my life turned out to be one big research project.

I love research so much that I do an enormous amount; it helps put off the moment of starting to write the story.

For the traditional fantasies, a lot more of my research comes from reading rather than doing. I like my worlds to feel real, so I do a lot of world building research.

I'm a great believer in research. I have to know about a place before I write a story that is set in that place.

It takes me three or four years to research and write each book and the individual stories stay with you for a long time afterwards.

I research the role, and if it's a literary character, I read the book, and if it's an historical figure, I research documents and biographies. If it's a fictional character, I work off the script.