Search History

I swear, it’s for research.

This is all research for one of my WIPs. It also will look really, really bad to anyone who happens to see it.

Questionable

As a writer, I have to spend a lot of time researching my posts so as not to make an ass of myself when people read what I write. Some of the subjects are bizarre (what explosive decompression feels like), some are gross (pretty much every medical issue I’ve looked up), and others are probably putting me on government watch lists (I’ll leave this one to the imagination). But, in the name of writing, I am happy to have a questionable search history. It’s all for the sake of the book.

Now, I usually start researching by going to Google, because come on, what else am I going to do? Like most search engines, Google will fill in the blanks when I start typing in the search box. Usually this is helpful, but have you ever noticed how alarming some of the fill-ins are? And keep in mind, fill-ins appear based on the most popular searches. It leaves some questions. Like what the hell is going on in the world today. Don’t believe me?

Exhibit 1: When will…

Ios 7, okay. “When Will I See You Again” is a song, so sure, makes sense. But really people, do you think Google is going to know when you’re going to croak or the world is going to explode into a hellscape of nothingness? I know it’s hard to believe, but Google isn’t God.

Exhibit 2: Why am I…

This one just seems like a cry for help.

Exhibit 3: Is it possible…

I believe my reaction to this one can best be described as o__O.

History

Specifically, web history. Today I’m going to share with you my top websites for the past few months as well as what I’ve searched for on Google. It’s, shall we say, interesting.

Websites:

1. Newgrounds.

            Hey. Don’t you judge me.

2. Inbox.

            I check for mail waaaaaay too much.

3. Wikipedia.

            Not for research. I look up television shows. Apparently quite a lot.

4. Gamefaqs.com.

            Hey. What did I say about judging me?

5. Google Reader.

            Well, this is less embarrassing.

And now here are actual things I’ve put in my search bar. I’m going to leave you to figure out which ones were research for my book and which ones were just me.

“Apostrophe symbol origin”.

Bees.

Calcium phosphate.

Capacity.

Catbread.

Concussion.Concussion.

Crossword solver.

Dead or Alive.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow.

“How hot does pavement get?”

Mortimer Marker.

Nausea relief.

Poutine.

Soil pH.

Three thousand square feet.

Turboman.

Vermiculite.

Wound stitching.

Zardoz.

...Words fail me.

Research THIS! Wait…I already used that one.

You try coming up with witty titles every day. Well, most of you do, but…shut up! (Real mature).

How do you guys research? I mean, those of you still reading this after I told you to shut up. Pretty much any book needs research at some point. A fantasy might require looking into magical rituals; in sci-fi, you have to make it sound plausible; mysteries often need research into criminal procedures. So what do you use?

Me, I like Wikipedia. No, I don’t use it as a source! I like to go to the bottom and click on the links used as references. Unfortunately, there are times when it leads to a dead end. Or the article is so incomprehensible you need a fresh source. In this internet age, we have access to all powerful search engines, but they can be as frustrating as Wiki. I type in truck engines and all I see is page after page of shopping sites. Nothing on how they work.

And sometimes, there are things you just can’t find in a search engine. They are the finer points of writing. For example, I wrote a book where the main character was a cop. I looked up as much as I could, but I still felt a lot was missing. If I ever get back to it (and I hope I do), I’m definitely asking for help from someone who knows. That’s why I love Twitter!

Twitter, Facebook (though I’m not a fan), and forums can be as strong a tool as an encyclopedia. I’ve met a lot of people on there and I’m sure if I tweeted a request for expertise, someone would be happy to oblige. Because sharing is the backbone of social networks.

What about you? What do you use? 

PS: Look for word-nerdery tomorrow!