Workshop Given by Robin Nobles on
June 22, 1998
The Internet offers so many wonderful resources that will make researching for your next novel much easier. Let's see what we can find:
Are you writing an historical novel, or a novel that requires your characters to wear a certain type of apparel? Visit Alison's Apparel & Textile Design Resources and look under Costumes. Categories include Elizabethan Costumes, Biblical Costumes, and the History of Costumes.
Here's a site that offers information on Historical Boys Clothing.
Of course, the Net has its share of thesauruses and dictionaries. But with Casey's Snow Day Reverse Dictionary, you'll find the remedy for that "tip-of-the-tongue" feeling when you know what the word means but can't think of the word. Type in a definition, and Casey's dictionary will tell you which word you're trying to think of.
Need to know crime statistics? The Bureau of Justice Statistics offers crime and arrest data, criminal justice data, and more, broken down by federal, state, county, and city.
Organized Crime Registry -- Read about the America Mafia, Russian Mafia, La Cosa Nostra, motorcycle gangs, Yakuza, Jamaican posses, and drug cartels.
The Serial Killer Hit List -- "Serial killers tend to be white, heterosexual, males in their twenties and thirties who are loners with low self-esteem. Their methodical rampages are almost always sexually motivated. Serial killers generally murder strangers with cooling off periods between each crime."
Are your characters going to be on a boat, yet you know nothing about boating terms? No problem. Visit the Glossary of Boating Terms to learn what an athwart is, or a ballast.
PathWeb's Search Engine -- A great pathology resource.
If you need to research a setting for your next novel, visit Yahoo! Regional: Countries. Click on the country of your choice, and you'll have access to maps as well as information about the country and its customs, people, food, language, etc.
A Glossary of Literary Terms and A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices -- Offers quick definitions of over 60 rhetorical devices from alliteration to zeugma, as well as a glossary of literary terms.
Everyone needs help with grammar occasionally. The Guide to Grammar and Writing offers wonderful information in an easy-to-understand format.
BookBrowse -- The place to read book excerpts online. Choose from current bestsellers and other recently published books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Warnings and Cautions for Writers -- Includes warnings about book doctors, literary agents, subsidy and vanity publishers, and more.
My point is that *anything* you need to learn about for your next novel, you can find on the Internet!
Follow these links for additional pages from the workshop:
Back to Beginning of Workshop on How Writers Can Use the Internet
Back to General Writing Resources
Back to Newsletters and Lists for Writers
Back to How Writers Can Research on the Net
Back to Writers' Support Groups on the Net
Back to Main Page of Robin's Nest for Writers
Robin Nobles is a freelance writer who can be reached at smslady@netdoor.com.