Things I've researched for writing

[Eisbreaker]

Once, I had to research Ancient Roman naming conventions for a short story I was attempting to write.
Of course I never even finished the first chapter, but the useless knowledge that it has brought me remains to this day.

[Felstaff]

I researched a lot of Paris without having actually visited, seeing as the m'jority of m'novvle was set in Paris. It was around the time that woman won that award for her Canadian novvle set in Canadia, without having actually ever visited Canadia or having ever met a Canadan. (something about Winter White Wolves or somesuch... The google search bar is RIGHT THERE, but I have not the energy to go internet-hunting. Oh, fine. Here: Stef Penney).

But yeah, I researched bus timetables, locations of costume shops, residential areas, bars and cafés, even things like what type of trees they line their avegnus with. Also, what kind of cars drive around what roads in the sub-burbs, where Montfaucon is located, and how to reach there; how much a cab would cost from a hospital in West Paris to get there (even though it no longer exists, I used artistic licence to go 'fuck it, it's my story. it still exists'). All with the handy newfangled invention that is Google Streetview. ...although that might have come a bit later. I'm sure it wasn't around in 2007-2008ish. I even researched the sewer system, as there is a game of cat and mouse between the protagonist and the perceived enemy that takes place on foot in the Parisian sewers. I learned so much, like what kind of revolver the gendarmerie are armed with, and what colour sashays the bus drivers wear. Then I went to Paris and I realised just how unlike my romantic notion of the city it really was.

[carbonstealer]

Whenever I write, I try to get the names of parts of certain objects accurately. For instance, I was writing about a sword-fight, (a literal one, not the one two gentlemen play in public restrooms) and I wanted to know what the pattern on the guard between the hilt and blade was called. I found out it was called a Quillian. Which made me think; I do this often. Every time I describe an object in my writing, I need to find out what a specific part of the object is. Wikipedia doesn't help that much. For instance, if I want to find out what the side of a shoe is called where the shoemaker's logo usually goes (the "vamp"), Wikipedia doesn't help out with that, and I have to plunder the juicy internet to find the correct term.

Which makes me feel like there's a niche in the market here: a web encyclopaedia that provides you with visual diagrammes of objects (shoes, swords, cars, vaginas, monkeys...) and labels informing you of the correct terminology. Like Wikipedia with pictures. Pikipedia. DOES SUCH A THING EXIST? CAN I TYPE IN "WINDOW" AND SUDDENLY GET A HANDY LABELED DIAGRAMME OF EVERY PART OF A WINDOW? Because that would be *so* handy. I tend to describe objects in my writing, and dislike referring to them as "thingy".

I was just shelving books in some obscure section of the library in the capacity of my job as a shelver, but what should I espy except for a visual dictionary! I took some time to acquaint myself with its contents and it has pictures of common things with all off their individual components labelled

[Felstaff]

Oh, hey, I found something in the end: Visual Dictionary. It's quite good for everyday mechanical object terminology and biology - now I know where the crankshaft fits in a raccoon's cloaca!

[DonRetrasado]

I used to have a lot of trouble writing stories where I'd get to a point and think to myself, "what do you call that part under the car? a wheel-turner?" In the end I just stopped describing things.

[carbonstealer]

I'm still stuck on the grooves in doors, someone help me before i slip into madness.
I should just go minimalist.

The door white, sullen. Its occupant a scrap in the wind. Her mouth a cut and her movements a razor.

[Kimra]

I'm still stuck on the grooves in doors, someone help me before i slip into madness.
I should just go minimalist.

The door white, sullen. Its occupant a scrap in the wind. Her mouth a cut and her movements a razor.

Which grooves in a door? Do you mean the fancy bits they put in them to make them look expensive? Similar to, but not, the architraves? I recommend though, looking up some sort of renovation info for door part names.

[Felstaff]

[Astrogirl]

Lots of words I will never learn

[DonRetrasado]

Holy shit, so that's what a panel is. :[]

[Kimra]

I still want to know what part of the door Carbon is talking about. Because I'm sure those do not cover all the parts of a door.

[Felstaff]

Well, no. They've missed out, in orders of magnitude, the following door-related terms:

1. Jocket
2. Pin-fly
3. Porte de la porte
4. Gate-sling
5. Trail Underside
6. Câret
7. Stucciomenta
8. Guiding tail
9. Jalousie window
10. Dove-whit
11. Keyhole
12. Louvre (slat)
13. Malden panel
14. Stock panel
15. Cleft panel
16. Wasserschnecken

[DonRetrasado]

Ah yes, die Gastropoden. I know it all too well.

[Astrogirl]

Well, no. They've missed out, in orders of magnitude, the following door-related terms:

1. Wasserschnecken

How are water snails door related

[Felstaff]

Both endangered species.