These days, with the Internet in almost every home, office, school, and public area, researching material for books is but a keyboard and mouse
click away. Granted, there is nothing more fulfilling (experience-wise) than
trekking out on your own and discovering treasures for yourself. I have nothing against that, and I've done it on occasion. But let’s face
it, we live in a modern world now, and conveniences have made seeking
information that much easier, and cheaper too. How many times have you Googled something with your mobile phone instead of grabbing the nearest dictionary (I honestly can't remember where I put my copy).
Don't get me wrong, sometimes, a good
face-to-face encounter beats scrolling through information and clicking away to no avail. But, let's face it, the age of internet has made us all a little impersonal and distant, and lazy. I know that without it, I'll be lost!
So, what prompted me to write this post? Considering I
already had one lined up and ready, just today, I came across this post in my
Facebook timeline. I thought, “How perfect!” And so true! It's a short blog
about personalities and how helpful it would be to writers. http://writerswrite.co.za/personality-disorders-definitions
After reading that post, I realized that I clicked 'bookmark' and put it in
my special folder reserved for ‘Book Stuff.’ Then I saw all the other stuff I
bookmarked, and it went from there.
Why, just the other day, I found use of the trusty (at
times) and very handy Google Maps. I
needed to do some research on street names in Vancouver (and I live way out
here in Barbados). I could zoom in and see the street level detail, angle it,
twist it…you name it. Everything possible without ever having set foot there.
To back up my research, I consulted a friend (via email – there’s that internet
assistance again!) who used to live there and he helped out giving the street
names and area some credibility.
In the past, I’ve found immeasurable help just trolling
through places like Wikipedia, and Googling things, because somewhere, somehow,
someone has been kind enough to post something up about anything you can think
of. On one occasion, I conjured up a name for a WIP I was working on. I then
Googled the word to see if it was indeed an actual word – just in case (don’t
want to go offending people or infringing on copyrights). Turns out it was; a
Polynesian word for a term used while sailing, or something maritime-ish. So, I conjured up another word
and used that. Googling names and searching through Amazon’s book title lists has
also been helpful, in that you don’t go titling your book the same name as the
rest of the gazillions out there.
Then I saw another post I bookmarked that helps out with
some bogus grammar errors: http://theweek.com/article/index/240882/7-bogus-grammar-errors-you-dont-need-to-worry-about#
And then, I remembered something else! A place I troll
regularly when I’m stumped with naming a character. http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-name.php
Oh, there’s more! I once had use of a book tweeting service
(http://www.booktweetingservice.com/)
and I have to say, very handy. They did all the tweeting (and I retweeted their
tweets, and then they retweeted the tweets I retweeted…i.e.: more tweets, more
coverage) and I never left home! Come to think of it. Researching and
resourcing from the comfort of your home is ideal for a writer (especially me,
who really would prefer not to interact socially).
The list is endless. There is just so many sites online that
offer a wide variety of resources and research material that will make a writer
feel as if they’ve gone into a candy store (okay, a library, then…with
candy). If I were to physically
march down to a library, or a public records building, or knock on NASA’s door
with a question about space travel, I honestly don’t know how I’ll ever find
the time or energy to write – especially since I live far, far away, and travelling
would eventually be an expensive hindrance.
But wait, there’s one more. There’s even a site that will
convert those pesky files into ANY format you desire: http://ebook.online-convert.com/ How cool is that!
Cheers!
2 comments:
Here's a suggestion. I went through the same "discovery" process and decided to share by creating a link page that highlighted amazing and helpful sites. It's one of the more frequently visited pages. Even had a teacher in CA email and thank me for her students that used it for references related to writing books. Now that's cool.
Michael Davis (Davisstories.com)
Author of the Year (2008 and 2009)
Award of Excellence (2012)
That's is cool! Good idea. I may do that.
Post a Comment