Today I had to wander to a couple of strange places on the internet to find info for my current work-in-progress, The List. I decided for fun to write down some of the odder things I've learned/researched in the name of writing over the last year:
In Seattle:
- trendy neighobrhoods
- where to get good pie
- best place to find a cool clothing boutique
- small Italian restaurants near Pioneer square suitable for a first date
- parks with baseball diamonds
- LDS ward boundaries
- mid-range hiking trails
- menu items at the restaurant in the Space Needle
- weather in January
Other stuff I've researched:
- LDS internet dating sites
- surf slang
- surf jokes
- winter fashion trends
- corporate sabotage
- data base administrators
- kitschy 1970s TV shows
- ring tones
- proper formatting when characters are communicating via electronic media
- Sun Tzu's The Art of War
- skydiving
- sushi making
- trifle recipes
- Haagen Daazs flavors
My characters are really busy.
You should read this book. It has moral quandaries. That's way more dramatic than mere issues.
Posts
20 comments:
What a teaser, Melanie!! (about Tower of Strength too, but mostly about your own writing). Sheesh. Must Read That Book!
Seriously, I want to read that book!
Need to know anything more on LDS dating sites? My husband and I met on one.
And then we met in Seattle for the first time. And then he proposed in Seattle.
Hey...! Are you secretly writing about my life?
I loved that you researched all that stuff! man there's a lot to writing a book :)
Well, even if a smattering of these is in the book it sounds like it will be quite interesting to read. Can't wait to read it.
I love how off the wall research can get.
I once researched the garbage pick-up days in a city, in the name of research.
I lived in Seattle for seven years, and couldn't answer a single one of those questions. I do know where my own ward boundaries were; we lived on Mercer Island, and the boundary was all that water.
Do you have your protagonists stumbling over drunken Eskimos on their date in Pioneer Square? Cuz anyone who's ever been down there will know if you're the real deal or not by how many times your stars trip over those Eskimos.
You are the best Tower of Strenght pimp there is!
Research is actually one of my favourite parts of writing, despite the urge to skip it when the story gets fun.
p.s. I'm going to Seattle on Tuesday. Want me to peek at anything? =D
I'm seriously excited about the surf jokes. This really does make me excited to read your book.
I am so old. I could probably name some kitschy 1970s TV shows...
Interesting list.
My first novel was published in 1995, long before the internet really got rolling. Let me tell you something: researching for writing is light years easier now than it used to be! So's genealogy. I love you, World Wide Web!
I love those last three sentences. You make my day so often.
I was researching yesterday for the novel I am working on and boy was it interesting! Ever wonder why witches ride on broomsticks? It's not what you think . . .
Have to admit that when I'm researching something, I get lost in the clicking and just love finding out some new things!
And sushi with Haagen Daas ice cream? Will you be researching weight loss pills next?
So you are writing a book too??? I could never write --it is hard enough for me to focus in on just posting a blog. p.s I love Seattle!!! I used to live just north in British Columbia and really miss it.
I'm a huge fan of kitschy 1970s TV shows. Ah, they just don't make them like that anymore:(
If one of your characters eats Chocolate Midnight Cookies, I'm all over it.
Vanilla is for wimps.
You make writing a book sound like so much fun (even though I know it is hard, hard work!) Can't wait to read the fruits of all this research.
I'm loving the Tower of Strength quips.
And yeah, I'm anxiously waiting your book!
Post a Comment