All in the name of research

When it comes to writing a story, I am extremely visual. I need to often see a picture of something to be able to describe it with enough detail that it is believable for the reader....so the reader knows what I am talking about. So, many times I have had to research things online (Thank you internet!). It is one reason I have a real hard time working without internet. Sometimes I am mid-scene and need to look something up right that second...I need a visual.

When I was writing Karma Kameleon, I needed a really fabulous wedding dress for Lexi, my MC. I am not a wedding gown designer, so for me to just come up with a fabulous dress in my head would be extremely hard. So instead I went online and looked up dress designers (Lexi would never wear something un-designer from like David's Bridal or something! LOL!) And I found the perfect dress that Lexi would so pick out for herself. I described the dress in my MS and having the designers description right there helped too.

Last week I was writing a scene for my current work in progress and there was a scene with a little bit of BDSM. So not my thing....so I really knew NOTHING. And after viewing a few BDSM shopping sites, I am even more confident in knowing it is just not for me...in my writing, or in real life! LOL! Kudos to those who like it...it's just not me. But anyway, it helped to see pictures of things to be able to describe them.

And then today, I am writing an engagement ring shopping scene. I obviously know what a ring looks like...I have my own. But mine is very simple...a solitaire. My character would not want a simple solitaire. So I Googled engagement rings. I kind of had an idea of what I was looking for, and found it on a site. It helped to have a picture in front of me as I wrote the scene.

So, sometimes research can be really really fun...like ring and dress shopping!! And really really informative, like BDSM toy shopping. Just another great thing about being a writer!!