Research for your WIP

I'm a bit behind on my mid-week post this week, due to news blogging stuff and the fact I can't tear myself away from my new WIP, Things We Save. This one is set mainly in Israel on an archaeological dig. The plot involves a mosaic and a talisman coin, a hidden vault and a prophet's tomb. Oh, and a movie star to make it all super interesting. (doesn't that sound COOL?) While I spent a summer on an Israeli dig in college, it's been a few decades while so I've been hitting the books and online for research. I absolutely love to do research, have a lot of practice with it and thought I'd share a few tips for those of you thinking about branching out in your writing.

Besides the most obvious site - Google is my home page, is it yours? - check out Google Scholar when you get a chance. When you visit its homepage, be sure to look over the tutorial by clicking the 'about google scholar' link just below the title. Then set your customizations before you do your search. Click on the little blue 'advanced scholar search' link right next to the search button. You'll get a screen that lets you choose what kind of search words, author, if you need a specific publication, collections and legal docs. This site is great for medical or legal research.

Then there's diigo.com,
an online research storage site for everything you collect. While this is an excellent tool for teachers (who can share research links with an entire class for a project!) it also offers highlighting, bookmarks and sticky notes for those documents you pulled up in Google Scholar. Plus - and this is the awesome part - you have access to what everyone else has found who is searching for the same topic you are. Once you set up your account, you can organize it all by document type (image, doc, notes, etc.) in Your Library. You can also tag everything you save with key words, so it's easier for you to find later. I used this a LOT in graduate school because it's great for provenance - or proving your research is valid/authentic.

Next is the Library of Congress's research site. Practically the whole institution is online *gasp* which is a really big deal because the place is ginormous. (Can you imagine the time it took to type all those books into a database? They must have whole colonies of library elves!) They've got everything from other libraries' catalogues - 300 of them and counting! - to a bibliography of Korean history to a whole archive on how to find stuff within the archives. *minor hyperventilation followed by chocolate intake* I could spend days in here. Days. Take a browse and don't be surprised if you lose a few hours improving your brain. :)

The last tool is one used a lot in classrooms (or it should be) and I'm adding it for its simplicity and educational content. WebQuest
will walk you through the steps of online research, explaining how to find, how to share and how to organize. One really cool tool is the QuestGarden, which allows you to move your documents around from one server to the other - ie from an Apple computer to a PC. This site is targeted at educators but the tools/info here are extremely helpful for newbies...or a great site to check if your topic has hit a brick wall with any of the other sites.

What are your favorite research tools/sites? Please share in the comments. And plan to stop back soon. Interview with two blogging queens/debut authors are in the works. You won't want to miss!

Ten things and upcoming interview

So the kind and comment-magnet Carrie Butler gifted me with two pieces of bling awards last week. I stuck them to the right of what you're reading because both of them are sooo pretty...and they're like badges of belonging to the blogger community. I have to pass them on to other worthy sites and share a few of my personality quirks for your visual pleasure. Which I am happy to do!! :)

1. When I was in high school, I rode in a cattle car through what was then Yugoslavia. I remember riding through the country side with my legs danging out the train's sliding door and smelling of cow poo. It was awesome.
2. I love Dots. Or any kind of candy that's squishy and tastes like fake fruit.
3. In college, I volunteered at an Israeli kibbutz. It was also awesome.
4. I read ALL THE TIME. Seriously. At least four books a week.
5. All first daughters are named Mary in my family. I'm the ninth; my daughter is the tenth. The first was the daughter of a Revolutionary War soldier. Our names are inscribed on a silver porringer that will be passed on to my daughter when she has her daughter.
6. This one isn't about me technically but it's too cool not to share: One of those Marys lived next door to Emily Dickinson. They wrote letters back-and-forth that are in her Amherst museum.
7. I met my husband at summer camp. We've been married almost 19 years.
8. I'm jealous of women who can sew. Or do any kind of craft.
9. I compare every place I've ever lived to Nova Scotia.
10. I've visited all 50 states.

Whew!

And now *drumroll* to pass on the lovely awards:

Lisa Regan: because she was my first blog interview and is a gracious, generous person with much to say.

Suzanne Lazear who posts the greatest video clips and upcoming covers.

Sarah Pearson for her amazingly creative posts and her musical obsessions.

Tracy Jorgenson for her video talent and wondrous artwork.

Rebecca Hamilton who offers periodic free editing and lavish encouragement to newbies.

Please join me later this week for an interview with Elisa Ludwig, a debut author and one of the co-founders of the exciting Sleuths, Spies and Alibis blog aimed at YA/MG mystery writers and readers. An agent tweet turned me on to the site and I am SO excited to see where Ludwig and Co. take things.

See you Friday!

Giveaway winner, upcoming interview and how every experience matters

Thanks to those who posted their pitch and critiqued this weekend! Melvin the Magic Sorting Hat was tough to poke awake (he hates Mondays) but he finally spat out the name of:

Lyla!


Congratulations - I sent Jolene your contact info. You two can confab on what works best in the critique arena. Good luck!

On Friday, the ComicCon goddess Cole Gibsen will share her publishing journey. Her debut, Katana comes out in March, 2012 and has been dubbed a 'supernatural samurai' by her publisher. A super cool stealth assassin writer by day and fashionista by night, you don't want to miss her.


Now *deep breath* I must confess this weekend has been a nadir in my parenting experience. I've heard some writers say their MS is like a child to them, and honestly, my response is a bit of eye rolling. Really? A child? Uh, no. I can shelve my MS if it doesn't work/sell. That's not an option with my kids - who, BTW, walk around with my heart in their bodies. And when they hurt, I do, too. Right now my insides feel like they've been pounded with a mallet. Part of me hurts...the other part of me perks up and says: hmmmm. Interesting. How can I use this later?

Because this is the truly great part of the writing life. Everything is of use. The more it hurts, the more I file away because we all have these moments. Sharing and recording them is what connects us all. It's what we call the human experience. And it's these moments that can make a writer great.