Written by Writers need more than CREATIVITY
Research is needed if we want to write those scenes that ring true, filled with characters who reveal depth.
DO YOU NEED more information about a person, place or time you are researching?
Check out – Biography.com to find some great information on your topic or person of choice.
Here is an example – Icons of the Roaring Twenties. F. Scot Fitzgerald, Coco Chanel and many more are discussed.
Why read about them?
First if you were writing a story set in the twenties, this would give a great insight into the mindset of that day.
Reading is a writer’s best friend.
Read lots of books. Include some biographies and historical novels to expand your experience. Often these will help us understand the various cultural and time nuances. Even magazine articles, newspapers can add details to enhance our writing.
Online here are a few : USA TODAY The and The New York Times
Find more world wide papers HERE at MediaPlanetaria.com
MEDIAPLANETARIA is a central database with over 30,000 online resources, including newspapers, internet radio, online television, online video, country weather, and much more.
Here is another example from the biography.com – Crime & Scandal –
Check out the black Dahlia Murder Case, or any other listed case, to give you an idea of how a crime was investigated for that time period. it may just give you the right insight for your next Who Dun It.
I used this site when I investigated Whitey Bulger for a story I am working on.
The more we research the better developed our story and characters.
There is always Wikipedia, but here is more, beyond the average look up.
Here are other places to get great information:
Biography.com Information about time periods, celebrities, crime, nostalgia
Biographies.net The web’s largest resource of biographies and history
Nationalgeographic.com Information about the world, travel, environment, animals and with lots of great videos
Archives.gov Information about out national archives, including presidential libraries
WHO.int Information about world health topics
Livescience.com Is all about culture, our planet, history and human nature
loc.gov The Library of Congress provides information about all resource materials, copyrighted, and legislative etc.
Nationsonline.org Listing landmarks and other information about various nations
Lots of information here.
I hope some of these sites are helpful with your research. Remember credible characters have a history and are a result of their surroundings. In order to set the right mood, the setting should feel real. One last note – don’t expect to put all your research into the writing.
The research is for YOU, the writer, to arm you with the truth so that you can then write fiction.
Keep reading – Keep writing!
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