A note on research

Hello there, nice to "see" you again!

As you may have figured out from last week's post, I've been doing a LOT of research and work for my next book. It's been a while since I've needed to do any real research, other than "how old are dirigibles" and "how old are crossbows" (you will see both in Memory's Terminus!) so I thought I'd share a little trick of the trade that I forgot to mention in my Author Toolkit. 

I've said before that blogs, and YouTube channels, are good places to research parts of life or lifestyles that you need to learn about... but how do you pick? 

One piece of the puzzle is obviously your learning style, if you learn better through seeing, then YouTube is probably a better bet, if reading is more up your alley, try checking out some blogs. Knowing your weaknesses and strengths will help you as in any other area of life. 

Another question to ask yourself would be precisely what you are researching. Right now, I'm cramming lessons on farming, and though I could very well be reading tons of blogs on the subject, (and trust me, there are plenty,) I feel I can learn more by SEEING than just reading, there are pictures in many blogs, but sometimes pictures aren't enough. (My dyslexia also figures into my decision, but I feel I already covered that with the above point.) 

If you feel it would be better to see what you are learning about then check out YouTube. Need to go more in-depth and not just visually? Blogs are usually better for a deep dive, but again, know your own skill set.

I do not mean to suggest through any of this that you shouldn't use many different sources, and forms of media to do your research, actually, I would STRONGLY recommend you do, but there are specific advantages that you may want to seek. 

Now that you know where to look, how should you look? Not to be too obvious, but honestly, you can often look up lists of "Best _______ YouTube channels" or "Blogs about ________." If you get stuck, remember to ask for help, other people have asked the exact questions you are now, and they can help you find the answers, (some) writers' groups on social media are great for helping out this way.

That's about it for this week, what are your favorite tricks for researching?

Have a great day, and keep writing!