I’m old enough to remember when you had to go find an actual book, preferably the Encyclopedia Britannica, if you wanted to research a topic, but I would be lying if I said that I’m nostalgic of that particular part of my past.
I’ve become a Google junkie and I use it copiously to define words, sift around for the precise word that I need to set a particular tone, and to answer questions that come up in the course of my writing. I’m working on a crime-based story right now and some of the questions I have had to ask have been a little bizarre. Just today I typed into a Google search bar:
- Do identical twins have identical fingerprints
- Which countries do not have extradition treaties with the United States
- An undetectable poison
- How long before it takes effect
- Where do police carry handcuffs
It’s one of those times when I really hope that no one (read the FBI) has cause to look into my Google search history. It’s comforting to know that I am not alone. Based on the predictive Google hints that appear, I am not the first person to research many of these topics.
Are internet searches a part of your writing process?
What are some of the more bizarre searches that you have conducted?
Originally posted on NovelSpaces.