LibGuides: ENGL 283: Creative Writing: Putting the Detail into Fiction

Setting or Time and Place

Setting: do you need details about the physical location of your story (what’s it look, smell, sound, feel like?) What about the time period (does it take place in the past, or future?)?

Google Earth
Google earth is excellent for a top-down view of land areas. A new feature allows for an aerial view of urban areas.
Google Maps Street View
The street view function of Google Maps allows viewing of actual locations for features and details that add a realistic touch to any story even when you have never been to that locale.
MapQuest maps
MapQuest is useful for locating street names as well as different types of businesses that populate a given locale. However, the list of businesses may not be up-to-date.
Sanborn Digital Maps
The Sanborn maps provide historical details about locations such as type and location of businesses in towns across South Dakota. Maps in this collection cover years ranging from 1867-1970.
New York Times Historical Database
The New York Times Historical Database is useful to capture the news and happenings from a particular era. This database covers the New York Times newspaper from 1851 through two years ago from today's date.
Clay County (SD) Historical Society
Historical societies such as the Clay County (SD) Historical society are excellent resources for researching details about places and people in the past.
CIA Factbook
Provides information about people, religions, history, etc. for over 260 different countries.

Contemporary Points of View

ProQuest Historical Newspapers can give you a contemporary point of view on your topic, happening, or character.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers

Point Of View/Dialogue

Point Of View/Dialogue: if you’re using first person, do you need to research your character’s voice/dialect/vocabulary (where is your character from? What’s their education level? Etc.) For all POVs, how do your characters speak?

You Tube
You Tube can be useful for capturing dialects, images, and experiences from the point of view of real people doing real things.

Images for Inspiration

ARTstor is a database of high-quality images of art, architecture, and photographs.

ARTstor

Characters

Character: do you need to know about a particular profession (is your character a doctor, policeman, mad scientist)? Has your character experienced something you need to research (alien abduction, a tour of duty in Iraq, or childbirth for instance)?

Plot

Plot: do you need to research some situation integral to your plot (is your character getting divorced? Married? Released from prison? Arrested for murder? Etc.)?