I am not doing NaNo, but I have committed to getting as much work done on my W.I.P. as possible. It is a crime novel/murder mystery series. I don’t have a title for the first book, or the series yet, and I am still in the research phase. This week my research involves the following:
Confer with Dr. G. the Orange Co. M.E. (yet again) re: murder weapons and stab wounds/DNA testing in 2005
Cold case procedure
Osceola Co. jail
The Parliament House Resort, Orlando
Melbourne seaside parks
I-95 exits near Melbourne
Slang used in the Trans community
Alternate lifestyles
Golf Course acreage
Asian (Vietnamese language and customs)
Little Saigon
Airboats
Bass fishing boats
Maps for Big Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho)
East lake Toho
Southport Park
Seasonal water weeds growth patterns
Martial arts
Self-defense for women
Glock handguns
Chuluota Sporting Club/ Gun Range
Trucks and cars in the year 2005-8
Maps of Intersession City topography
Military police
Yeehaw Junction’s Road Kill Café and Brothel
Human trafficking statistics
Dry cleaning chemicals
St Cloud diners
Disney and other resorts
Restaurant, Population, and Hotel statistics in Orlando area
Florida weather patterns in 2005 and 2008
With what I have already written in my former WIP that was scraped, this research should take me at least through chapter five or six. I am a stickler for accurate details so this should be fun. There will much more research as we move into the politics of the murder victim’s spouse, his partner, and the psychological implications of the children involved.
I am trying to keep the chapters short and to the point. Many of these items I already know something about, but accuracy adds to realism, so I am checking some facts. I love learning and actually visiting the places I write about, so I will be out a lot of the next week or so and then have more focus on my writing.
I know this seems like a lot of research, but there is very little that I need to know about some of these items, as I already have some experience, and others there is much to learn.
I like that this is really starting to gel well in my mind. The plot and subplots are coming together very well. I have several crimes in mind that can carry this story arc across several books without losing the primary theme. I also like the often misunderstood dynamics of alternate lifestyles being a primary focus.
Oh yeah! I forgot to add this pic:
The desk you could not see for all of the papers in previous posts. I cleaned it up yesterday. Probably the cleanest you will ever see my desk for the next six months, or so. I do have about five spiral bound notebooks for jotting down details, even though I am trying to use Scrivener more effectively this time.
