When it comes to research there are some things that I would call cool, while others would consider weird. For example, I’m currently doing a plot outline for my next WIP, which involves research into such things as talamaurs and The Hellfire Club. Because I write both paranormal and suspense, well, anything goes I guess!
My stories are usually set some time in the past and as some of them are set during the 1980s, I believe this to be the coolest thing I’ve had to research (so far). In some ways, the rough draft of my first novel goes by the rule of ‘write what you know’, as I spent my teenage years growing up during the 1980s. Naturally, I thought that era was pretty cool. 😉
It’s been fun remembering things like music (some of it not so much), the fashion (again, some of that was pretty horrendous) as well as the progress in technologies, gaming, movies, television and world events. Of-course, things were happening during that time that I had no knowledge of (hey, I was young!), and from doing the research it really helped me remember things I may well have forgotten – especially when it came to a particular year.
One of the reasons why researching the 1980s has been cool is that it has involved my entire family one way or another. It’s been fun for my husband to talk and play games of that time period with the kids. My husband and I have been playing our taste in music (which can cause some debates), as well as watching movies and television shows together. Doing these kinds of things and visiting museums and exhibitions, can make research all the more enjoyable. Whoever said research is boring?
What’s the coolest/weirdest thing you ever had to research for your story? How do you make research fun? Have you included your family in your research projects?
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Sounds like you’re having a blast doing research for your novel 🙂
Thanks Ronel. It has been fun and is a great motivator! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂