: Re: Should I research what my protagonist’s job would involve, or just create it all from my imagination? My protagonist works in a pharma company and I really don't have a clue about how they

@Rivera824

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Please do some research!

Books where the author has done prior research are better reads. This is especially true if your audience has the job you're writing about or does the thing you're describing. Not knowing what you're talking about leads to unbelievable plots and it alienates people who do know a little about the subject you're writing about. Research will also give you more material to use when planning your story and when describing details.

Suspended disbelief will only get you so far.

For you specifically:

Listen to podcasts with interviews of people in the area your character works in. There are lots of professional and industry specific podcasts that chat about work life.
Look up some industry journals. Most of the articles will be technical information but some of them will be career advice or interviews.
Search for and read job descriptions on a hiring site. These will have a general list of job duties and qualifications.
Email someone in the field with a few questions - you might feel nervous about cold-emailing someone but I bet you will be shocked at how many people are willing to engage with people they don't know.

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