Anyway, this was the post intended for Monday. I apologize for the lateness and I hope you enjoy.
A while back, I ran across a book of weird things people look up on the internet. I read a bit of it and enjoyed a good time full of laughter and wondering why people look up the things they do. I mean, honestly, some of those things were so weird...
Then I was struck by a sudden realization. Writers look up some really weird things on a daily basis. And while the images shown in that book displayed the most frequently searched things, I wondered how much of those things were only on those lists because many of us writers are a strange lot with many odd questions.
In honor of clearing the names of people who are probably innocent, what have you looked up this month for your novel that might - out of context - sound remotely odd/strange/disturbing?
Here's my list for the current novel:
- Types of magic in fantasy
- Half
- Definition of boil
- Definition of roil
- Rabbit hole
- Hortensia
- Horticulture
- Drowning
- Whiskey
- Tumbler glasses
- Cardigans
- Gray eyes
- Illegal jobs
- World building
- Plot lines
- Plotting
- How to plot your novel
- Alice soundtrack
Actually, that's not too scary, yet. How about we throw in a few slightly more incriminating searches from past works?
15 Odd Searches Done By This Author (In The Name Of Writing):
How to make C4?
Would it kill someone if you punched them in the throat?
Surgery in the 1800s
Chloroform
Sleeping position body language
19th century slang
Roman nomenclature
Drinking games
Tattoos believed to hold a spiritual power
Signs of drug usage
Bare knuckle boxing
Repairing a dislocated shoulder
18th century fashion
Bedrooms on yachts
Monsters
Tada! There's some other weird stuff on the list, but that's fifteen.
Also, thanks to the Google search engine machine for making such weird research easy. We writers really appreciate it.
What are some of the weird things you've looked up for your writings?
Oh no... Nothing I can think of this time around, but for Despotism (or Raidah's Story, I tend to switch titles)... Yikes.
ReplyDeleteMy most recent project (a novel written by a group of us):
We haven't looked anything up yet, but we have many questions involving how far a person can fall onto concrete, a giant pizza, a blown-up halloween decoration, soil, or suspended fabric. We figure the pizza's too dangerous due to burns. We think the NaNo forums might be the best place to go for an answer.
Also various things involving explosives, murder, war and Russia.
(I'm afraid I can't tell you where the pizza fits into all this.:P)
As for Despotism...
-My science teacher stopped answering my questions about metals, gravity, and atomic mass to ask me whether he should be worried about what I'm planning for this information.
-Research into effects of different wounds, wound depth and chances of infection
-I also did a reasonable amount of research learning all sorts of things about sarin. It wasn't until I got to my "can it be mistaken for water" question that I realized I'd better stop searching.
(Rather, I went to ask a different science teacher, who happily helped me find the answer, no questions asked.:P)
For another writing, I also asked various questions about cats drinking certain poisons.
Huh. Some of that does sound really bad. Poor writers. Everyone who sees our search history must be scared of us.:P
Oh, yes. I bet you could find the pizza question on the NaNoWriMo forums for sure. Didn't they have something on there about filling the White House with jello? I expect that one won't be a problem.
ReplyDeleteHow could he stop answering your questions? He was curious about all of that at some point, too, right? Maybe tell him you want to be a science professor? :D
I've done plenty of research into wounds. If there's ever anything you're looking for, feel free to ask.
Sarin! I know that one! I went through a research phase with that, too. Although, just for curiosity's sake, not for writing. Probably a smart move not to ask the same teacher.
Yeah. We are seriously misunderstood people... kind of. At least we have plenty of knowledge on hand regarding really weird stuff in case we ever end up in a bizarre situation. You never know when such knowledge might be necessary.