Research in Writing #4 – Culture, or Food and Other Fun Things

A common piece of writing advice is to write what we know. This can also pertain to culture, or the way people live. However, at times our characters interact with other “cultures,” or groups of people, as this adds interest, conflict, and tension to stories. We may decide to research our own and/or another culture. For example, researching popular culture in our society can help add interesting detail to a contemporary story. Even without leaving our country or time period, there are different regions in the United States, each with their own nuances, such as climate, transportation, geography, mannerisms, and of course, food. For historical, we want to find out how people lived and thought in the past.

Culture encompasses a wide variety of topics, so this lesson will have (probably too many!) several links. As mentioned before, to use a site for possible research specific to your story, back up a bit in the URL to get to a home or category within the site. Also, no one will have time or need to visit every site on this list. The examples are intended to provide ideas about how to search for specific information, and perhaps even to prime your creative brainstorming for your own story.

I must have been tired when I posted lesson 3 – here are the food links I forgot to include.

Food History

Fruits & Vegetables people eat

Potato pancakes as mentioned – I’ve never tried this, but I’d like to!

City Planning

Whether you choose to set the story in an existing city or make up your own city, city planning information can be fun and helpful.

Read more:

Something fun to consider in an urban setting

In a previous lesson I touched on transportation briefly with one or more links to ferries and other public transit sites. These links have more to do with fuel economy, which might be a current event that affects one or more characters in a story and the way they live.

The following link is just one example of how commerce might affect a story.

Barges & shipping containers

Sports

The topic of sports and the role it plays in our lives is almost endless. I’m not particularly a sports fan, and certainly not an expert, but sports is a pretty safe topic when writing for kids – one that is sure to catch some readers’ interests.

Soccer

Bicycle racing

Kart-racing

Baseball

Kayaking

In previous discussions about environment, setting, and location, I think I sent a few links about plants. Here are a few more, and then the natural progression to some thinking about animals.

Plants

turf & tree farms

Animals

A consideration of culture wouldn’t be complete without thinking about different age groups. For example, teenage life in 1940’s

One reason we study history is to learn about events that affect our characters. This can include cultural as well as current (political and economic) events. In writing a novel set just months after Pearl Harbor, I was disappointed to learn my novel missed the release of Casablanca by just a few months. But I discovered another movie my characters could take in on a Friday night.

Then, while writing about the Navajo, I stumbled on an important piece of their history in the Stock Reduction Act, which arose in part out of the Depression era. Unfortunately, the links for this piece of our American history is buried in files. Perhaps at the end of this course we need to revisit the discussion on organization! 

Some inventions affect or even change the way people live. Hot air balloons don’t have as great an impact as other technological advances, but they’re pretty fun to think about. I would imagine a quick search of inventions and/or an invention timeline would provide a few interesting ideas to add time period flavor and interest in characters’ lives.

A Balloon Ride

Along similar lines, perhaps you were able to observe the recent lunar eclipse. I wrote a piece a few months ago about the phenomena, not knowing the opportunity to observe was right at hand! Other astrological events (planets being more visible, solar eclipses, etc.) might also be interesting tidbits to add.

Red Moon

Storms & other disasters

Forest Fires

California 2014 fire season

Homework:

1. Holidays! I didn’t mention holidays. How do special days or events play a role in the story? It could even be a personal event, such as a birthday.

2. What is one unusual thing your character does or participates in? This might be separate from the main story line, as more of a side note to help readers get to know the character better.