Research Dividends

 

As authors, we all engage in research in an effort to ensure authenticity in our writing. That is a given. However, I’ve found that research provides dividends beyond my search goals. These dividends contribute to my love of research.

Here are a couple of examples of research dividends I stumbled on while seeking information for my new novel set in Harlem, New York.

• I needed to find out which area of Harlem was considered the most dangerous. I discovered it was East Harlem. I garnered two unexpected dividends in my search: 1. The actual most dangerous corner. 2. There’s a MacDonald’s fast food restaurant on that corner. Of course I worked these two dividends into my story.
• For my novel, “Murder Down Under,” set in Australia I needed to add info about dangerous in the Outback. Two unexpected dividends resulted from this search: 1. The most dangerous snakes in Australia are the the Mulga, Gwarder, Northern Death Adder and the Brown Snake. Dividend 2. You can purchase snake venom from these snakes on snake farms in China.

 These are just two examples of research dividends I’ve encountered while writing my novels. Fascinating!

More tips:

3 Research Methods for Novelists
8 Internet Resources for Mystery