Google It!!
Google it has become a common phrase in my house. No matter what anyone wants to know, be it a recipe, a definition of a word, or how the West was Won, someone will shout Google it.
Since I write historical romance, Google has become a big part of my research life. Like most writers, I have my library of research books. However, recently, when editing, I ran across a regency character in my book saying ‘they’re playing musical beds.’ I gave pause. When was the children’s game, musical chairs first played? Was it as early as the 1812 year I set my book in?
Alas, no. Musical chairs was first noted around the year 1875. So, obviously, raised eyebrows and looks of confusion would have greeted my heroine had she uttered those words. Some readers can be very definite on what you can and cannot do with history.
Speaking of how the west was won, when I did the research for my book, Emma’s Journey—a wagon train romance, I found the internet invaluable. I tracked my characters from Missouri to Oregon, investigating all the places they would have stopped and passed along the way.
How active were Indian attacks at the time? What did Fort Laramie look like? What illnesses plagued the pioneers who took the Oregon Trail? All of this information was at my fingertips, thanks to the internet. Had this book been written twenty or so years ago, I would have spent an inordinate amount of time at the library.
As much as I love the library and browsing their shelves, getting quick answers helps the muse to stay active, and my fingers busily writing storyline.
I thought about all of this recently when three different companies dropped phone books at my doorstep. I haven’t used a phone book in years. I just Google it.
What about you? How has the information available on the internet changed your life?
Bio: Callie has been making up stories since elementary school, and writing gave her a way to turn off the voices in her head. After having a number of articles and interviews published in newspapers and magazines, she took on what she’d always dreamed of. Writing that book. She currently has a number of both historical and contemporary romance books published. Visit her website for more information. Calliehutton.com
She currently lives in Oklahoma with her husband and adult children who move in and out with alarming regularity. Add three rescue dogs and the household is complete–and full. She enjoys hearing from her readers, and would love to have you visit her on Facebook.
It took my husband forever to give them up.
Hi Calisa,
Yes, huge mistakes are avoided by checking facts on Google. Especially for those historical stories. Nice of you to stop by.
Hi Alicia,
I’m glad you stopped by. I’m glad I’m not the only one who hates picking those blasted phone books up and trashing them.
Hi Jess,
I can’t imagine writing without it. I appreciate your visit.
Hi Anna,
Thanks for stopping by. I always tell my daughter the same thing. If something happens to me, destroy the laptop, lol.
I totally agree, Callie. I don’t know what I’d have done at times when I needed certain details while writing Home. I had Gone With The Wind playing as a ‘new’ movie, when I discovered it had come out several years before my book was set. Also that PTSD wasn’t called that until two years after Home. Huge uh-ohs had I left those in without checking. Never mind the medical facts, both animal and human, that I needed for another book. Nice post to think about. 🙂
Yes, I wonder how we managed before we could google it. The good thing is, people couldn’t google to prove us wrong. 🙂 I am totally with you on the phone book thing. What a waste of trees! Even though I’m not a historical buff, even I sometimes find references in historical novels that were not yet invented or coined at the time the story was set. Thanks for the fun and informative post.
Wonderful post! I love google and look up everything from getting out specific stains to grammar problems. It ‘s fantastic!! I really enjoyed your post. Thanks!!
I wonder how we managed before we could “google it”. Amazing.
I agree, Callie. The internet has been invaluable to my writing. And as I research, I inevitably learn something new that I wasn’t even searching for. For example, when writing Another Man’s Treasure, I was googling information about murders and serving time, because my hero is jailed on a false murder charge. In the course of my research, I learned that women almost always serve longer prison terms than men in murder cases, because woman tend to kill with weapons, while men often use their bare hands–thus avoiding a weapons charge. Fascinating.
I always tell my family to delete my search history if I die or get thrown in jail. I don’t need people finding out that I’ve googled how long it takes a corpse to decompose, or what charred flesh smells like. 🙂
Great article, Callie!