We’ve all been there. You start researching “Victorian carriages” and somehow end up three hours deep into 19th-century streetlamp engineering. Suddenly, you’re starving, your tabs are breeding, and your story hasn’t gained a single word.
Welcome to the Research Rabbit Hole — population: writers.
Here’s how to claw your way back out without feeling like you’ve wasted an entire day.
1. Recognize the Signs Early
You might be in a rabbit hole if:
- You’ve Googled something that has zero connection to your story.
- You just told yourself, “One more article won’t hurt.”
- You’ve started researching the research.
If you hit two or more of those, it’s time to throw the emergency rope.
2. Create a “Later” List
When you stumble across cool-but-not-immediately-useful info, write it down in a doc called “Research Later (Seriously, Later).”
It satisfies your curiosity and stops you from derailing your writing session.
Bonus: that list becomes gold when you’re brainstorming new story ideas later.
3. Use a Timer — and Respect It
Set a 20–30 minute research window.
When the timer dings, stop. Close the tabs. Step away from the Wikipedia cliff.
If you need more info, schedule another session later. You’ll find the world doesn’t end, and your plot survives just fine.
4. Write First, Verify Later
Sometimes “I need to research that” is just your brain’s way of procrastinating.
When in doubt, make up a placeholder — [insert plausible historical food here] — and keep writing.
You can fact-check it during edits, when you actually know what the story needs.
5. Give Yourself Partial Credit
Fell into a rabbit hole but learned something interesting?
That’s not wasted time — it’s creative compost. You’ll use that weird fact eventually.
(Probably in a future story where your main character is an expert on antique streetlamps.)
💬 Final Thought
Research is part of the fun — just don’t let it steal your writing time. Stay curious, stay focused, and remember: you control the tabs; the tabs do not control you.