Creative Research Gather material the writer can use. Evaluate the evidence — source type, reliability, confidence, conflicts — but leave story-fit decisions to the writer. What to Look For Primary sources. Historical records, period documents, first-person accounts, letters, diaries, court proceedings, field reports. These carry detail and texture that secondary summaries flatten. Reference works and published fiction. Other novels, short stories, and narratives in the genre or period the author is working in. How have other writers handled similar material, settings, or problems? History, m…