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Violanthe
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Queen Of The Abyss
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Joined: 04 Apr 2006
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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.
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Harker: ...I sometimes write stories.
Coroner: I sometimes read them.
Harker: Thank you.
Coroner: Stories in general--not yours.
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Nik
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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
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Joined: 07 Sep 2007
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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.
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Violanthe
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Gordon Long
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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
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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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