I'll admit it, I love all three sources when I am trying to construct a scene in a part of the world that I have never been to. They help me, however, I do not rely on them entirely. I'm curious about other writers and their experiences with G-Maps, G-Earth and Youtube. Have they helped with scene construction? Are there any other resources you rely on? Thanks! Mike
Yep, The Internet Rocks I've been putting my dad's Vietnam experiences into story form. He tells me things, but using the internet to pull up pictures of what he is talking about helps me A LOT when filling in descriptive detail that he may not be able to articulate. Of course, I have him review what I wrote for accuracy, but it hasn't failed me yet. Specifically, he spent a night sleeping between two Buddhist graves but was having a hard time explaining them to me. I was able to pull up a picture online and it not only helped with the description of the graves, but it helped me visualize what actually transpired that night and the whole story is better off.
I've used Google maps and earth, very useful helping me out writing a car chase scene. Obviously much more helpful if your story is in a modern setting. I've never thought to use YouTube to assist my writing.
I use online resources for general information. For the stuff that makes writing stand out, people are my research source of choice. If it's a medical matter, talk to a doctor. If you want to know how a crime scene is really processed, talk with a police officer. If your story is set in the 1940's, sit down with someone who has lived in that time. And when I say "talk with", I mostly mean listen.
People are a cool resource! You can meet total wackos though, and you have to be careful. Use discretion. Make them like you. Flattery always works. Tell them what they want to hear, like if they are looking to score sympathy points when they are famous through your novel, visibly sympathize with them. They'll open up more. People tend to word things in a way that lends color to the lifeline of your tale. Connotation picks up so much, and so does vernacular and personality. Stereotypes are often born through an ingenious novel.
I have not used google earth for my research, but have used it for my characters. It's more believable when the character knows so much about a location that he has never seen.
All of those things have helped me i have even used mapquest when i have needed to know the distance from one city to another city.
