What did you learn during your writing researches ?

[AmbreaTaddy]

I'm sick and can't write so instead I was looking at writing memes and found this one :

Made me laugh a bit, and I realized that I too have some strange knowledge about random topics after researching them for my stories. So go on, telle me what you learned (against your will) for writing purposes !

Me : How to create a clothing collection, how the Paris Fashion Week works, the logistics of transporting goods in the desert, the working of military units in 7 different countries including North Korea, how a creature adapts to its environment in swamp areas, the clothing style of nomadic tribes, how to create an economic system in a lawless community (and economics in general), the inner workings of a smartphone, how a planet is created and the many shapes it can obtain due to laws of attraction (and astronomy in general), how the color of your blood affects your appearence, the different stage of emaciation after stopping to eat, etc...

 

[Corty]

 

[laccoff_mawning]

I did some research into apartment layouts, and how sewer systems work.

Also gun laws. And guns. And police.

 

[NotaNuffian]

I just randomly scrolled about peak human strength and crap.

Discovered that putting it in will be drier than Sahara and just... quit.

So I just google random stuff and have ChatGPT as my copilot

 

[Vitriol]

Well, my research is all over the place and I usually forget what I even searched TOT

But here are some things I remember:

Researching about the secret office of the Russian empire. In the 19th century its successor was a secret police, which caught criminals and secret societies, who were trying to start a revolution or just kill the emperor lol. And around the 18th century those guys were doing pretty much the same thing but also catching sorcerers (there was a book by a historian in 1880 about it).

Then also researching pre-revolution make-up and perfumery. Which is how I found out that the creator of Chanel No. 5 was actually born in Russia and worked in a perfumery there, but then the revolution came. Also looked up popular hairstyles and fashion.

Aaand researched about black holes and what would happen to a person inside one. And just about time dilation in there.

Oh!! And, yes, researching about human consciousness and what would happen to a human with a brain transplant. (This actually was research for transmigrators/reincarnators bc. That’s a whole different brain?? How do they retain their memories and personalities in a different body??)

I bet there was more but I just wanted to yap about those things.

(Man, I really love yapping and researching but not writing lolol)

Edit: some of the info may be inaccurate bc I’m a dum dum and don’t remember stuff

 

[Placeholder]

???

> there was a book by a historian in 1880 about it
Is it good?

 

[RiceballWasTaken]

I'm sick and can't write so instead I was looking at writing memes and found this one :

View attachment 36574


Made me laugh a bit, and I realized that I too have some strange knowledge about random topics after researching them for my stories. So go on, telle me what you learned (against your will) for writing purposes !

Me : How to create a clothing collection, how the Paris Fashion Week works, the logistics of transporting goods in the desert, the working of military units in 7 different countries including North Korea, how a creature adapts to its environment in swamp areas, the clothing style of nomadic tribes, how to create an economic system in a lawless community (and economics in general), the inner workings of a smartphone, how a planet is created and the many shapes it can obtain due to laws of attraction (and astronomy in general), how the color of your blood affects your appearence, the different stage of emaciation after stopping to eat, etc...

I don't really do research like you guys but the research that I do is into techniques of how to better write quicker and with more quality. It's not really something directly related but I am also health and fitness stuff since it comes to around help your writing.

 

[Vitriol]

???

> there was a book by a historian in 1880 about it
Is it good?

Can’t tell if it’s good or not, but I found it entertaining. I still plan on reading it fully one day. The only problem is that the free version is literally from 1880 in old russian (readable, but painful). Too lazy to find a modern russian one (online for free) or buy the book （ーー；）

 

[ignova]

One of the weirder things I learned was that it used to be against the law to wear clothes that were too fancy for your station (sumptuary laws).

 

[l8rose]

Mythology mostly (did you know the sun and moon are actually some dude's eyes that he plucked out to make the world better for humanity?) but also random animal things.

The community (or lack of) among different species. The amount of offspring in one birthing that's normal for various animals. How long certain animals are pregnant. Various toxins/poisons/venom (Komodo dragons can cause gangrene with their bite).

I suppose that's one disadvantage to developing a world with lycanthropes/shifters... so much useless knowledge once I'm done world building.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

For an unpublished story (still on chapter 3 - won't put something up until I have at least five) I had to look up a lot about Ancient Egyptian clothing and lifestyle bits.
For another unpublished one, the MC is sometimes an expert on cars (tough to explain) so I keep having to do some research there to keep it close to accurate.
Also keep having to double check martial arts stuff for two characters as I've read and watched so many conflicting takes over the years it's tough to keep things straight there.
Oh, and I had to do some research on depicting how someone experiences a menstrual cycle for one chapter of a story... (this one is published here and is also one of three I've had to look up martial arts stuff for).

 

[Clo]

I know more about neighbourhoods in a lot of PNW cities than I did before wring SotA,
I have learned about MHD drives,
I learned how many calories are found in a pound of fat,
I learned what to do when someone suddenly needs their blood sugar levels raised,
I learned a lot about Mongolian names, family structures and rituals,
I learned new Korean words,
I learned the location of thrift stores in Oregon, and the scandals surrounding some Goodwills,
I learned about Spanish cocktails and meals,
I learned what an Enclave city is, and specifically, about Maywood Park, in Oregon, and the history of how it separated from Portland.

And so much more...

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Victorian slang
Victorian cuisine
Victorian jobs and job requirements
Victorian living conditions(UK, France, Spain, Egypt, and a few others)
500s AD England, Wales, and Ireland
600s Greece, Athens, and other old Mediterranean citystates
Roanoke island
Guns at any point in history pre 1900s
Guns post 1960s
Norse, Greek, Egyptian, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Native American, French, Spanish, Slavic, Japanese, Chinese, central African(zulu), etc. Mythology
Arthurian Legend
400s -700s western European cuisine
Gardening/homesteading
Biblical theology
Linguistics
Astrophysics
Biophysics
Astronomy
The differences between American English and British English
Psychology
And more

 

[Iri.Mosaic]

Prions. All about prions. Now I can't sleep for fear of misfolding proteins. I can't do laundry without courting a panic attack!

But seriously, it is fascinating to look at how something as innocuous as a protein can cascade into a spongy brain, fast-onset dementia, and death. It's horrifying, but in a way you can't look away from. Like a riot. It's also inspired me to conceptualize 'memetic prions'. I will not elaborate.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Prions. All about prions. Now I can't sleep for fear of misfolding proteins. I can't do laundry without courting a panic attack!

But seriously, it is fascinating to look at how something as innocuous as a protein can cascade into a spongy brain, fast-onset dementia, and death. It's horrifying, but in a way you can't look away from. Like a riot. It's also inspired me to conceptualize 'memetic prions'. I will not elaborate.

If you think that's horrifying, look up how the same can happen but with the universe and a kamikaze atom.

I can fold people like a pretzel now. I just need to find something that I'm passionate enough to fold said people. The entire history of: the potato, greenhouses, chickens. Studies on how much abuse a human body can endure while still functional (great for survival limitations, haven't used it at all yet). The studies in home and universities for the nobility.