Researching the WIP

I am not doing NaNo, but I have committed to getting as much work done on my W.I.P. as possible.  It is a crime novel/murder mystery series. I don’t have a title for the first book, or the series yet, and I am still in the research phase.  This week my research involves the following:

Confer with Dr. G. the Orange Co. M.E. (yet again) re: murder weapons and stab wounds/DNA testing in 2005

Cold case procedure

Osceola Co. jail

The Parliament House Resort, Orlando

Melbourne seaside parks

I-95 exits near Melbourne

Slang used in the Trans community

Alternate lifestyles

Golf Course acreage

Asian (Vietnamese language and customs)

Little Saigon

Airboats

Bass fishing boats

Maps for Big Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho)

East lake Toho

Southport Park

Seasonal water weeds growth patterns

Martial arts

Self-defense for women

Glock handguns

Chuluota Sporting Club/ Gun Range

Trucks and cars in the year 2005-8

Maps of Intersession City topography

Military police

Yeehaw Junction’s Road Kill Café and Brothel

Human trafficking statistics

Dry cleaning chemicals

St Cloud diners

Disney and other resorts

Restaurant, Population, and Hotel statistics in Orlando area

Florida weather patterns in 2005 and 2008

With what I have already written in my former WIP that was scraped, this research should take me at least through chapter five or six.  I am a stickler for accurate details so this should be fun.  There will much more research as we move into the politics of the murder victim’s spouse, his partner, and the psychological implications of the children involved.

I am trying to keep the chapters short and to the point. Many of these items I already know something about, but accuracy adds to realism, so I am checking some facts.  I love learning and actually visiting the places I write about, so I will be out a lot of the next week or so and then have more focus on my writing.

I know this seems like a lot of research, but there is very little that I need to know about some of these items, as I already have some experience, and others there is much to learn.

I like that this is really starting to gel well in my mind.  The plot and subplots are coming together very well.  I have several crimes in mind that can carry this story arc across several books without losing the primary theme.  I also like the often misunderstood dynamics of alternate lifestyles being a primary focus.

Oh yeah!  I forgot to add this pic:

The desk you could not see for all of the papers in previous posts. I cleaned it up yesterday.  Probably the cleanest you will ever see my desk for the next six months, or so.  I do have about five spiral bound notebooks for jotting down details, even though I am trying to use Scrivener more effectively this time.

Filed under: Writing Process/WIPs Tagged: list early first book, Reasearch, series, WIP