1. hyacinthe

    hyacinthe Banned

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    What was the last thing you had to look up real quick?

    Discussion in 'Research' started by hyacinthe, Aug 14, 2019.

    Nobody manages to research every single thing they need to know for their story in advance.

    So what was the last thing you had to look up while you were in the middle of writing?

    for me it was a ballpark figure for the average number of people in a riding (that's an electoral district, if you are not Canadian.)
     
  2. Shenanigator

    Shenanigator Has the Vocabulary of a Well-Educated Sailor. Contributor

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    Some of us don't do any research for fiction in advance and do it all as we go, alternating writing and research days.

    Last thing I looked up really quick: a 1980 menu from a specific restaurant in my character's neighborhood to see what appetizers the characters would have ordered.
     
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  3. The Dapper Hooligan

    The Dapper Hooligan (V) ( ;,,;) (v) Contributor

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    Hugh Grant's middle name is Mungo.

    Most of the stuff I research mid story is mostly fact checking things I mostly know, but would rather not be wrong about in print. Like the full names of public figures, and scientific formulas that I know the concept of , but can't express in mathematical terms on my own. Is the fantasy name for monkshood wolfs bane of belladonna? I'm pretty sure it's wolfs bane, but second or third draft is when I make sure I'm right.
     
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  4. Alan Aspie

    Alan Aspie Banned Contributor

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    This.





    The problem is that I have listened it twice and I still feel like I not getting some of the most important stuff.

    I feel myself stupid.
     
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  5. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    the magazine capacity of a Glock 33 in Sig .357 ( 9 if anyone cares)
     
  6. Nordmarker

    Nordmarker Member

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    I seldom laugh out loud but this was one of the times, so you owe me a mouthful of single malt. ;)
     
  7. The Bishop

    The Bishop Senior Member

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    When the LA river was paved and what it looked like before hand
     
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  8. animagus_kitty

    animagus_kitty Senior Member

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    The difference between 'hesitance' and 'hesitancy'

    before that, it was very important that I know what Captain Picard called Riker when they were alone.
     
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  9. Gallogladh

    Gallogladh Member

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    How loud the whistling sound is in a sucking chest wound.
     
  10. StormbornT

    StormbornT Member

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    What shooting a bow and arrow on horseback in the pouring rain would look like.
     
  11. Homer Potvin

    Homer Potvin A tombstone hand and a graveyard mind Staff Supporter Contributor

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    My zip code.
     
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  12. badgerjelly

    badgerjelly Contributor Contributor

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    How big a Lorenz Water Wheel could be ... I never found an answer, but I assume size wouldn’t really matter. I was thinking of a water wheels from 200m to 500m high.
     
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  13. Thorn Cylenchar

    Thorn Cylenchar Senior Member

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    How far per day a person on foot and a person on horseback could travel in rough terrain.
     
  14. Shenanigator

    Shenanigator Has the Vocabulary of a Well-Educated Sailor. Contributor

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    Whether or not a NYC Classic Six apartment can accommodate a particular model of grand piano.
     
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  15. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

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    Double checking the estimated time until the sun goes nova.
     
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  16. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    The difference between a colt and a foal. (And yes, I was getting it wrong. Yikes....)
     
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  17. Shenanigator

    Shenanigator Has the Vocabulary of a Well-Educated Sailor. Contributor

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    To add to your confusion, some horse people in certain regions of the US are really lax about using the proper terminology. When I was little and we lived in the Midwest, my parents boarded a few horses, including a couple of horse show participants. It wasn't uncommon for even the most knowledgeable horse people to say "That mare's about to foal" and then in the next sentence refer to any baby horse as a "colt" regardless of its gender...kind of like how in some parts of the South, any flavor of soda is a "coke".

    The people who were into horse racing were the exception, of course. Also, generally speaking, the more money the horses were worth in earning potential, the more precise the language tended to be.

    Were I writing a story involving horses, I'd probably cover all the bases by having a newcomer use incorrect terminology and be corrected by someone! :D
     
  18. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    The range of a mortar. (7.2 km)

    Though I try to research ahead for the most
    part, if I have a general idea of what I need to know
    for the sake of the story. :)
     
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  19. The Dapper Hooligan

    The Dapper Hooligan (V) ( ;,,;) (v) Contributor

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    The street price of drugs in the mid 80's. (between 300$ and 500$ per gram for cocaine as opposed to 100$ to 200$ today).
     
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  20. Oxymaroon

    Oxymaroon Contributor Contributor

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    The appearance of terrain on the north-western shore of lake Superior.
    Don't you just love Google Earth?
    I got to walk along an actual road and look at stuff. It's a lot easier to describe stuff you've actually seen.
     
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  21. LoaDyron

    LoaDyron Contributor Contributor

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    The last time I had to look for something quick was fighting scenes against lancers to pay attention to movement and tactics.
     
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  22. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    Those sound like cop prices yeah? As in 'drugs with a street value of half a million...blah blah...have been seized...'

    ...there's his weed plant in the pot/his greenhouse/the mortgage on the property/I think we made a million pound bust, sergeant, congratulations.

    Whereas my own associates would be paying fifty a gram back when I was a drug dealer, machine gun chainsaw broad in mafia-era Surbiton.
     
  23. The Dapper Hooligan

    The Dapper Hooligan (V) ( ;,,;) (v) Contributor

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    No, those are Northern Canada prices.
     
  24. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    Maybe, maybe not. Probably you're including fuel from Mexico, & taxes. I'm not saying I'd throw your book at the wall, am I? What about firearms, how many bullets in your glockhammer? And culturally, was there punk rock in Canada 80s or skiffle still? Scene set with authenticity, otherwise I'm reading American.
     
  25. The Dapper Hooligan

    The Dapper Hooligan (V) ( ;,,;) (v) Contributor

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    "Oi, Hoser! Wanna grab me a Timmies, there and come try something that's at least two -- three times better than Maple Syrup?"
    "Oh, I don't know about that there, bud. But lemme throw Tom Sawyer on the turntable and we can giver a try, eh."
     
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