periodic table
The Things I Don’t Know (aka Weird Research)
Writing books has been the most humbling experience of my life for so many reasons. SO. MANY. But today, I’ll just talk about one: The things I don’t know!
Oh, the things are vast, and many.
Silly things.
Important things.
Interesting things.
Things I SHOULD know.
Things I know I learned once upon a time.
Some of these things can be easily researched online. Some require experts (Hellooo Dr. Husband, you have been a life saver!). Sometimes I find a book on the subject. Some things require good hard study and mathematical equations (and then I’m back to seeking expert help . . . hellooo Father and Sister Mathematicians!! You’re the best!).
So before I bore you to death, here are some of the things I have had to research in the name of writing, though I won’t tell you why (bwahaha!):
- The shortest number of moves with which you can win at chess
- The history of cameras (Brownie’s, etc.)
- The history of Peanut Butter
- Pirate clothing
- Names and types of knives/swords
- Regional names (first and last, for various regions)
- How 911 dispatchers answer the phone (and no, I DID NOT call 911 to find out)
- What EMT’s do when they arrive on the scene
- What substances on the periodic table are most unstable
- Weird science experiments
- Science experiments/substance combinations that might cause explosions (And everytime I did a search, I worried the NSA would be after me! Book research, I swear!)
- How to qualify for a Nobel Prize (including nomination process and timeframe)
- The Randall Sundrum model of string theory (it’s actually pretty fascinating!)
- Horse grooming techniques
- Names of horse parts and wagon/carriage parts
- Time it would take to travel to the moon/mars
- Calculating rocket paths for meeting an object in space
- How tasers work
- Substances that are bad for dogs
- Methods for extracting the essence of something
- Snowboarding terms/skills
- Famous snowboarders
- How to qualify for the Olympics as a snowboarder
- Official rules of croquet
Anyway, I could go on for a good long while. So many things I don’t know! And fascinating to discover that writing isn’t only about English and Grammar. Wasn’t I wishing I’d taken a few more math classes?
So how about you? Are you an expert in any of the above (And if so, please inform me so I can pick your brain!)? Do you want to learn about any of these things? What is the weirdest research you’ve ever done?