Fantasy Research

[senseiseth]

So what do you guys use for research on your fantasy stories? I typically use historical texts to find story-lines and character development with my stories.

 

[ALB2012]

Historical can be useful, yes. Medieval, dark ages, even ancient Roman and Greek. Wiki can be useful as a starting place to get ideas.

I used RPG books like Warhammer as well, not bad for settings/monster ideas. I collect blog posts and links which in turn lead to other sites.

I did quite a lot of research on terrain and foodstuffs as well for my last book. Books on weaponry, and battles are quite handy too.

 

[Scales]

I use Google and Wikipedia for research on my Imperial Japan based fantasy.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I look to many sources. I have a research library that practically screams ex-academic and is stuffed with books on history and literature and mythology and the occult, all the way down to guns, trauma care and household renovation. I tend to go on research jags wherein I stuff my head full of random crap and see if a story falls out - this may take several years. I also use the internet a lot for minor things like making sure an 800 year-old character's given name is consistent with the time in which he was born, or the history of the BLT. I also come here, to Mythic Scribes, to pick the fertile brains of our wonderful and helpful community. They've helped me with things like how to start a Harley while being chased and brainstorming store names to populate a fictitious shopping district. It's awesome!

 

[Devor]

I usually try to come up with something before I do any research. I want to see where my own ideas are and fill in around them.

That said, I've used library books and books I've ordered online, as well as google, wikipedia, and D&D-type stuff. I've also posted questions here in the research forum, and there's some good links in the Resources forum.

 

[CupofJoe]

For the "facts" I like books. So I have dozens on topics as varied as siege warfare, renaissance Italian housing, ancient weapons, horse-care, Viking shipbuilding, Native American cookery etc... as my interests have wandered. It can cost a fair bit, but then again I do have the book for next time. The internet is good for an overview and pointers as to where to look next, but [for me] doesn't usually give enough depth and I'm not sure about accuracy. I feel a little happier about things when Colonel X [who taught at Sandhurst] tells me pre-Napoleonic cannon than when "sleepy217" does...
As for story ideas, characters [etc.] I read, watch and dream. Eventually something, usually an image, won't go away and I've got a starting point. Nine times out of ten those first thoughts go nowhere but the second and third and fourth thoughts might...

 

[Ophiucha]

Most of my settings don't fall in line with a specific place or time in human history, so research is usually a bit more abstract. My current story deals with revolution, colonialism, cooking, and rocket science (they are trying to get to space). So my research ranges from 'Red October', as the Russian Revolution is a relatively good place to look for successful uprisings of the past century, to 'the history of ovens', to 'how do space ships work' which is a nauseating thing to google because rocket science turns out to be pretty hard and I guess that's why the expression exists. I almost always start with Google, Wikipedia, etc. to get an idea of how much I want to learn about everything, and because usually that's a great way to figure out what books I want to find. Then I check my alma mater's library and the city's library websites to see what they have, pick them up, and read those (or at least the relevant chapters of them). My university lets me still use their JSTOR pass, even though I left school like three years ago, so I have access to a lot of paid academic content that is fantastic for some of the more in-depth worldbuilding. I'm working on a patriarchal-matrilineal society and I wanted to base it on an academic thesis of that in Ancient Greece, and there are a few great sources on JSTOR for that.

I also like to read old nonfiction. Like Victorian era and earlier. Public domain, too, so you can find a lot of it on Project Gutenberg.

 

[mollymortensen]

I've always liked reading about different time periods in our past, so when I decide to set a story in a time I usually chose one that I like. I go back and reread on the subject, going online to fill in any gaps. Are there any specific books that you have found helpful? The kind that you go back to again and again.

 

[Bruce McKnight]

I've also found that old textbooks are helpful to getting a better understanding of medieval Europe (which my setting tends to be most similar to) and the evolution of civilization in general. Lots of used ones can be found for a penny plus shipping on Amazon.

I tend to wait until I have real specific questions, then Google them and end up spending a whole night reading through sites like Medieval Demographics Made Easy.

Playing Civilization actually forged some of my knowledge and I've found books like What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank to be extremely interesting and helpful.

 

[ALB2012]

The all knowing interweb. Starting with google, and then using sites I've book marked. Historical wise - we have a lot of history books in the house, a ton of RPGs - weapons and armour and castle books and beyond that I watch documentaries.
Herb-lore - internet, Culpepers Herbal, and other herbalism books.

 

[skip.knox]

One source people might overlook: really old books. Especially 19th century ones.

Their history is usually abominable, but that's sort of the point. They tend to have wonderfully exotic facts in them, which facts have long since been shown to be oversimplified, stereotyped, or just plain wrong. But we writers are untroubled by such trifles.

Google Books is great for this, as is archive.org and of course the Gutenberg Project (which has found a home on archive.org).

 

[Bortasz]

D&D,
There is not perfect source but it is helpful.