A friend of mine
has been researching for a story
for over six months now.
She tells me about
all the cool facts she’s learned.
She thinks she’s doing something.
She’s not.
She’s preparing to do something.
I’m the opposite.
I’ll do enough research
to know my story premise is possible.
I write the story,
with blanks for research gaps,
and then I fill in the ‘facts’ later,
doing only the research I need
to finish the story.
Researching may be necessary
(or it may not be)
but it is not doing.
Doing is doing.
You only get paid when you ship.