I'm doing research for my novel....

[Tariel]

Have any of you ever stopped to appreciate the fact that those six words gives you license to ask almost any questions you want? Has anybody else ever stopped in the middle of a perfectly normal(ish) conversation to ask, "Do any of you happen to know how long a pregnant woman can go without eating?" and relish the strange looks you get before hastily adding, "I'm doing research for my novel." "Do you know how much blood a person can loose before dying? I'm doing research for my novel." "If I were to kill my roommate, how long can I expect to spend in prison - research for my novel, you know." "Do you happen to know of any good places around town to hide a body? I'm doing research for my....novel."

 

[sunstruckdream]

Heck yes. It's the reason my roommate was initially so afraid of me this year. I'd break into random conversations with things like:

-"If your throat's slit, how long does it take you to die? A minute or so? If you hit the artery, I mean."

-"How many sedatives and tranquilizers can a teenager with a small frame be given to keep her docile and make her easy to kidnap, but not kill her?"

-"What's the statistic of rape actually resulting in pregnancy?"

-"If a dead body spent three hours in the trunk of a car in a hot, South American climate, is that enough time for it to begin decaying/smelling funny?" (Receives a weird look.) "Well, I don't know! I've never toted a dead body!"



There's a part of me that loves getting to do this to people, and a part of me that hesitates, knowing what I sound like. (Fortunately, the former tends to prevail.) I love being a writer

 

[Kokopelli]

Well, I just did some minor research reading this topic: don't tick any you ladies off.

Things I have found while researching...

Feasibility of humans living on a "blue moon," orbiting a gas giant.

Travel time, one way, to reach a dwarf planet that is 96.57 AU's from Earth, whilst traveling at a rate of 43.2 k miles/hour.

Actually knowing what an AU or the distance in miles it represents.

Knowing how to find the habitable zone of a planet orbiting a star... and then knowing I couldn't solve that problem if my life depended on it. (note, this takes into account the calculation of the luminosity of said star)

Knowing the approximate amount of energy required to vaporize a person.

 

[MrBF1V3]

I would say sometimes you two are a bit scary. Usually my research isn't quite so macabre. On the other hand I do ask questions like: Isn't it possible the stranger varieties of dinosaurs are actually proof that some of them were intelligent and did some genetic designing on themselves or others? Is there a way to conclusively prove that clouds are not living beings?

I do know the "habitable zone" is based on life as we define it now, not the way we defined it fifty years ago, and probably not the way we will define it fifty years from now. Think about it. And keep asking questions. You can only scratch the surface (because if you scratch deeper you are below the surface.)

B5

 

[Kokopelli]

I would say sometimes you two are a bit scary. Usually my research isn't quite so macabre. On the other hand I do ask questions like: Isn't it possible the stranger varieties of dinosaurs are actually proof that some of them were intelligent and did some genetic designing on themselves or others? Is there a way to conclusively prove that clouds are not living beings?

I do know the "habitable zone" is based on life as we define it now, not the way we defined it fifty years ago, and probably not the way we will define it fifty years from now. Think about it. And keep asking questions. You can only scratch the surface (because if you scratch deeper you are below the surface.)

B5

True, the current standards for an HZ is "habitable" for humans. Though given the adaptability of our species, we could probably take up residence on most alien planets. Provided of course, they're shielded from radiation, and the atmosphere is not volatile enough to not likely to slag the habitats. e.g. Venus.

The irony of that, is ever since I was a child, I have believed in the possibility of life out there. Not necessarily an advanced civilization, but life in general. Heck, the discovery of a microscopic alien microbe would be an event in itself.

 

[Lindon Tinuviel]

Have any of you ever stopped to appreciate the fact that those six words gives you license to ask almost any questions you want? Has anybody else ever stopped in the middle of a perfectly normal(ish) conversation to ask, "Do any of you happen to know how long a pregnant woman can go without eating?" and relish the strange looks you get before hastily adding, "I'm doing research for my novel." "Do you know how much blood a person can loose before dying? I'm doing research for my novel." "If I were to kill my roommate, how long can I expect to spend in prison - research for my novel, you know." "Do you happen to know of any good places around town to hide a body? I'm doing research for my....novel."

It's more fun when you leave off the explanation


One of my favorite tricks for improving dialogue in screenplays is to approach random strangers and speak the line as the character would. You'd be amazed how much the words change between conception and delivery.

Have an escape route handy. Wear dark clothing.

 

[sunstruckdream]

It's more fun when you leave off the explanation


One of my favorite tricks for improving dialogue in screenplays is to approach random strangers and speak the line as the character would. You'd be amazed how much the words change between conception and delivery.

Have an escape route handy. Wear dark clothing.

*Goes to find a dark shirt...*

 

[Tariel]

It's more fun when you leave off the explanation


One of my favorite tricks for improving dialogue in screenplays is to approach random strangers and speak the line as the character would. You'd be amazed how much the words change between conception and delivery.

Have an escape route handy. Wear dark clothing.

Most of my wardrobe is already black

I have too many great friends who would be willing to help me check the delivery of lines; I like to involve random strangers as little as possible.

 

[NavyGuy7]

Hrm... Maybe I should use teh six word passcode to ask anything i want!!!
GWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAH!
Research for my novel, you know.

 

[BookReader]

I do. Most of the time, however, I quiz my parents' goddaughter who is a nurse on things like:
Q: "If a person is tortured with all of the worse objects, how long would you expect the person to live after the experience?"
A: "A half hour."
Q: "What is the most common death for infants?"
A: "Cot death."
Q: "If a pregnant woman is to be stabbed in the abdomen, will both mother and child die?"
A: "Why are you asking me all these questions? Ask someone else!"

Fortunately, she has an infinite amount of patience in answering my questions, or I would never manage to got enough medical information for my work.

 

[sunstruckdream]

I thought of this thread today. I wrote pretty much all afternoon, and had a few questions for people:

-In early Incan culture, were adults ever used for sacrifice? Or was that mostly children?
-Really? Well, is it true that many times, the only 'usable' part of an early human sacrifice was the extracted heart?
-Thanks anyway. I'll look it up. Oh, and about what age do Catholic kids go through confimation? Yeah, it's for the same story.

I ended up going to the internet for answers. My friends think I'm a freak. Hehe.