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Violanthe Webmaster

Joined: 24 Jul 2003 Posts: 5903
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Queen Of The Abyss Moderator
Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 450 Location: Saskatchewan
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:15 pm |
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I make a list of the components of the story in which authenticity is most important. Then I usually use the internet to find information. _________________ Harker: ...I sometimes write stories.
Coroner: I sometimes read them.
Harker: Thank you.
Coroner: Stories in general--not yours.
-from "The Damned Thing" by Ambrose Bierce |
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Nik Senior Member
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 805 Location: UK
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Google, but...
Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 1:56 pm |
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I've got a lot of odd info pack-ratted from many years reading, I've usually got the basis of the info I need.
Devil, of course, is in the detail, which is why Google takes over when I've exhausted my book-shelves... |
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Richard H. Fay Senior Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 523 Location: Upstate New York
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Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 8:53 pm |
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Depends on the story, doesn't it? Some stories require research from the beginning, if the theme is built around a subject that you need to research. _________________ "I'm going to do what the warriors of old did. I'm going to recite poetry!"
Richard H. Fay - Azure Lion Productions
https://azurelionproductions.com
See cool stuff featuring my art at the Abandoned Towers Zazzle Store:
https://www.zazzle.com/abandonedtowers |
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Violanthe Webmaster

Joined: 24 Jul 2003 Posts: 5903
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Gordon Long Regular Member
Joined: 31 Oct 2007 Posts: 203 Location: Vancouver, Canada
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Where to start research?
Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:17 am |
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That's the nice thing about fantasy, isn't it? You don't start with research. You create.
For me, research is only to give veracity. For example, it's good to know how far a man can walk in a day, how far a horse can gallop before it tires, etc. It's also useful to know realistic technical details and proper names for whatever technical duties you character handles, such as swords, armour, harness, parts of a sailing ship, the recipies for specific dishes, etc.
Wikipedia is invaluable for this kind of stuff
OTOH, historical fiction requires a lot of knowledge before you write. If possible, I like to go to the place where the story happens, and live there while I write. I can't afford to do that very often! |
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Nik Senior Member
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 805 Location: UK
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A limit to Google...
Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:17 pm |
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There's so much info available to eg Google that running into a search-engine's limits can come as a shock...
When I get the chance, I must head into city Central Library and research the ground plan of an obscure temple/fort for which Google can only find a smudgy thumb-nail...
What is really exasperating is that I remember seeing a clear plan of it as a printed T-shirt worn by a SilkRoad tourist. But, I did not save the piccy, cannot find it again...
D'uh... |
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Ian The King of the Swing
Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 231 Location: Kent, England, U.K.
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Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 4:25 pm |
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The internet is usually my first port of call. |
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