IWSG: Weird Google

First of all, good luck to anyone participating in National Novel Writing Month! I've already written over 55,000 words in my current work in progress, Dryad in Doubt, so my goal for this month is to finish it instead of starting something new. And if I don't finish this draft in November, I'll do it in December (or whenever I figure out the third act of this book.)

Anyway, it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. You can learn more about this group on their website, Facebook page, or Twitter account. You can sign up for their newsletter here.

Our hosts for November are Sadira Stone, Patricia Josephine, Lisa Buie-Collard, Erika Beebe, and C. Lee McKenzie.

Our question this month is, "What's the strangest thing you've ever googled in researching a story?"


I don't remember everything I've looked up over the course of my writing career. Since my current project is about dryads, I've been researching trees, and I blogged recently about some of the extreme trees that will play a part in this book. I've also had to research the main setting: Madison, Wisconsin. Probably one of the strangest things I've looked up for this project are hospices in Madison for a scene location. While I've drawn inspiration from maps and pictures, I changed some details about the location (which I try to keep unspecified) to better fit the story. I've also looked up layouts of local hospitals.

What weird terms are in your Google history? Feel free to share them with us, since Google will probably find a way to profit off them anyway.

Fantastic Trees and Where to Find Them

Since my work-in-progress is about dryads, naturally I have to research trees. In particular, I've been looking up extreme trees, such as very old or very big ones. Here are some of the most interesting ones I've found, though I won't tell you how they affect the story:

Thimmamma Marrimanu is a banyan tree over five hundred years old and spread out over almost five acres. It's found in India.










The redwood trees along the coast of California and Oregon can reach nearly 380 feet in height. They can live over a thousand years.

Baobab trees in Africa can also live a long time, up to fifteen hundred years. They bloom for a single night, and their root systems are taller than the part of the tree above ground.






I plan to introduce trees from other continents as well, but I'm still researching them. 

Have you seen any of these trees in person? Do you have a favorite type of tree? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

IWSG: Research

Since it's the first Wednesday of May, it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. You can learn more about the group on their website and Facebook. This month's hosts are Michelle Wallace, Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan, Liesbet, and Feather Stone.

Before I get to this month's question, I want to follow up on last month's question, which asked if you'd ever used the A-Z Blogging Challenge to promote your work and if it was effective. Now that April is over, I can say that yes, I've seen an increase in downloads and sales. Some of that is due to paid ads I ran to promote sales, but overall April was more active than previous months.

For May, we've been asked the following question: What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story? 

I don't want to match stories to specific research areas for fear of spoilers. However, I've researched IVF techniques; the physics of time travel; Victorian homes; and ways to kill characters with various poisons, diseases, and injuries. Other research I've done has actually been part of daily life or my own interests. For instance, my son's interests have led me to pick up knowledge of prehistoric cities and dinosaurs, which I've then used in stories. My own interest in the Beatles has influenced my work in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. I look at every non-fiction book or every new experience as a chance to research something for my writing. If I can't always be in front of the keyboard typing away, at least I can be accumulating topics for my work.

What's your approach to research? Feel free to share some of your research topics in the comments.

Back on the Blog Chain: Reseaching Beyond the Internet

Today's topic was suggested by Michelle, who wants us to share our research secrets:


There are so many things we have to include in our storyworlds...characters, world details, settings, etc. No matter what genre you write, your stories are full of tiny details that help create your storyworld. I know that for me, at least, finding or creating all these details can sometimes be a bit tough.

Where do you go for help? And what types of things are you more likely to research/search for as opposed to making up on your own? Do you have any favorite resource sites? Share links if you have them!!

I come between Abby and Kate this round.

The Internet is a wonderful source of information for writers. If I want to look up obscure bits of information such as what songs and movies were current November 1980 (some details I needed for Twinned Universes), all I have to do is pick the right keywords, feed them into Google, and browse the resulting links. And yes, if I want basic information about a topic, I'm not ashamed to start by looking at Wikipedia, though it's not my only source. However, there are some things you can't research online, such as the way a setting smells or feels. Also, sometimes, you need a in-depth source, not just a casually written one-page summary. So, although I use the Internet for research, it's not my only source.

Earlier this year, I got an idea for a story which will be set in a turn-of-the-20th-century Midwestern small town. Part of the reason for choosing this setting is because I spent my teenage years in Delavan, Wisconsin. (This town won't be identical to Delavan, but I plan to use it as inspiration.) I can draw on my memories for some of the sensory details needed to make this town come to life. To learn more about the era, I'm reading some books with photographs from that time and details about everyday life; a couple of them are listed on my Books I've Read in 2011 page.

The details that I research instead of making up depend on the story I'm writing. If a story is set in our world (or something very close to it), then I feel I need to match the details more than if I'm creating my own world. The important thing is that the details feel right to the reader as she's experiencing my story.


Note: The Blog Chain will be taking a brief vacation for the month of July and possibly August.

Ten Word Tuesday: Fun with Science

Click here to play (and research) a RNA folding game.

Ten Word Tuesday: Wealth

Medieval peasants were richer than today's Zaire citizens. See link.

A 21st Century Brain Under a 19th Century Hat

Just how much do you love history? Sure, the Victorian era fascinates you, but would you really want to live there? Apparently, some people do. CNN has an interesting article, complete with a slide show, about people who regularly dress up in clothing from different eras, from the Victorian era to the 1940s or 1950s. (I wonder if there are people who dress in pre-Victorian styles.) These people aren't just Civil War re-enactors; they wear these clothes at home, on the street, or even at work. The "timewarpians," as some of them call themselves, choose this lifestyle as a reaction to the values of the modern world. Given the behavior some of the reality shows seem to encourage, I can't blame them. But timewarpians don't avoid all modern conveniences; they use social networking sites to meet others with similar interests. Since the timewarpians are becoming more visible and accessible, they sound like a great resource for writers looking for information about historical eras. They could tell you more than what the clothing looked like; they could tell you how it felt to wear it.

As for me, I love my jeans and wouldn't want to wear a long dress in the lab. However, I do find 1940s style of clothing appealing. I doubt I could find anything vintage in my size, though!