When I was maybe ten years old, I pulled all of the books about fairies, unicorns and dragons off of the shelf in my room, carried them downstairs, and resolved to make a serious study of the lore which must be contained within. I knew they were fiction, but I was looking for common threads. I felt that in order for a writer to publish a book about unicorns, they must be well versed in myths, folklore and legends that surround unicorns, and that through reading enough books and making comparisons and examining common themes and potential sources, I too could get a closer understanding the true nature of these fantastical beings.
Older and wiser at 23, I know exactly how large dragons are, the level of their intelligence, the size of the hoard and the breadth of the wing span. I can determine why some breathe fire and others don’t, the purpose for their gold and fondness for capturing important personages.
Dragons are exactly as large, greedy, smart and deadly as the narrative demands.
But I haven’t let go of the feeling that other writers know more than I do, and that I shouldn’t be allowed to write about certain things unless I’m willing to invest great quantities of time and study to understanding those subjects. Can I write science fiction without understanding the laws of physics that I intend to break? Can I write about law enforcement when all I know about police protocol I learned from television? Can I give a character a serious illness which I have never observed first hand? Are the only things I’m allowed to write about those things that I know intimately?
Of course, there are many things that one should research before including in a story. Not only does it treat your readers and your subject with respect, exploring a subject is inspiring and you’ll find things that you want to use that you would never have known about before. But there also comes a time to put away the research. It is not our job as fiction writers to be experts on any and all subjects we wish to explore in our stories. It is our job get enough information to have a well informed, basic understanding of these subjects, to know enough about them to give our work a firm foundation. And when we do have expertise in something, we have an added opportunity to let that shine.
In the end, our job is to make stuff up, and make it interesting and engaging so that people will want to read it. Which means that space ships and police cars, like dragons, fly at the speed of plot.