Back To The Drawing Board ~ Story Research

I could just say "it's done" and dispense with it, but you know me. I can't publish something I'm not proud of. To recap, my latest novella clocked in at an appallingly low 13,000 words, and I honestly don't know how that's even possible. The story seemed well-rounded. It's possible that it is done, but if so, what do I have? It's far too long to be considered a short story and too short for a proper novella.

I do know what the story lacks ~ detail relating to the original premise. The main character purchased a rundown motel with the intent of renovating it and turning it into a thriving business. Being completely clueless in the art of renovation, all I showed her doing was painting and scrubbing away mold. Far more interesting to me were her personal relationships, and those ended up being the focus of the story. 

I've since found one article about fixing up a motel that includes some detail. My plan for today is to open a new document and play around with the various tasks to learn if I can make something interesting out of them. I have my doubts. Scenes will either require things going wrong or interactions with other people, or both; but the story isn't supposed to turn into an I Love Lucy episode, where the character is hysterically inept. Not exactly the vibe I'm going for. 

I know that good writing isn't easy, but is it supposed to turn into homework? I've done some research for other books; mostly enough to get important details right. One of my most boring and comprehensive slogs involved delving into the inner workings of carnival rides. How I even got myself into that mess is inexplicable. 

Worse was the time I "learned how to code". Not truly learned, but scratched the surface of it. It had to be done. It was integral to the story.

No fiction reader wants a primer on how to build a bookcase, but an author needs to demonstrate at least a rudimentary knowledge of their topic, or else they look like a crackpot.  

Some research can be fun, but Google isn't a "magic answer machine", like my computer illiterate spouse seems to believe. Finding relevant information can be daunting.

For fiction an author shouldn't spend more than a half hour researching a particular topic. I'm not talking about historical fiction, which likely requires professorial knowledge, but general fiction, especially a story in which the research is only for contextual purposes. I watched an author podcast the other day, where the guy mentioned that he spent months of research on a specific lifestyle. The guy writes fiction, mind you. I would simply quit. I couldn't do it.  When does the writing part come in?

So, off I go, into uncharted lands. At least I have one source document to work from, but how I'm going to shape that into something worthwhile remains to be seen.