I have found myself doing some bizarre research while writing. My primary WIP has a healer as the MC. In order to properly portray the healing process, I found myself browsing images of dissected hands and legs. Because I am somewhat… let’s say ‘flighty’ at times, I would be writing along and suddenly need to know where the blood vessels in a human upper thigh are routed. Thinking nothing of it, I pop over to google images and start looking at cut open legs.
My wife, seated next to me, was not pleased. Especially those times we happen to be eating dinner while I work.
I suspect that this might be partially why she agreed that I should have my own, quiet place to write in. Happily, I moved into the “den” to do my writing.
Consequently, when I needed to know which part of the brain is responsible for motor control functions (for a different story) and thusly started browsing pictures of disembodied and partially cut apart brains, nobody was there to complain.
What is the strangest research you have done? Most disturbing? Stephen King stated that the most disturbing research he ever did was while writing Carrie, seeing how teenage / high school girls treat the socially outcast girls. That is saying something, coming from him. Glad I never was one. :^P
Share your bizarre research tales below! Looking forward to it.
J Andrew Jansen 
Lol on the dissected pictures. I actually went to an autopsy and can tell you it’s not that bad.
I haven’t researched anything weird yet. The weirdest think I will research: What would happen if you went outside on the Moon without a space suit on? Will you move faster or slower? And what would it do to your body? Would it knock you out? 🙂
I think that might get messy, actually. I haven’t looked into it, but I suspect that you would have something similar to if you come up from scuba diving too fast. Including nitrogen out-gassing in the blood and risk of lungs bursting. Although I am now curious as to why you need to know this! :^)
Never been to an autopsy. I don’t think it would bother me, though. I guess I am just not that sensitive to those sort of things.
Stephen King was right. I often tell high school students, especially the girls, if they can survive high school, they can survive anything.
The most interesting thing I’ve researched was how to break into a high security building. I watched so many heist movies and read about several security gizmos. It was a lot of fun! So if you ever need to break in anywhere… you should probably ask someone else!
I would suspect doing that kind of research spoiled several movies for you when you realize how unrealistic most of those scenes are.
I don’t really have any gruesome research stories. I lived with gross stuff when I worked in a veterinary diagnostic lab and a neurological surgery lab. Ask me about dissecting rats and putting pee samples on petri dishes 🙂
The most I’ve done for writing research is when I traveled to the town where my historical romance takes place–Lebanon, TN. The hub and I took a 4 day vacation there, where I toured the town, the historical museum, library, and some old Civil War plantations in the area. It was quite fun, but I’m still not finished with the draft. I think I’ve got more work ahead of me for that one than I’m willing to put forth effort for right now.
Hey, that’s an idea! My next story will be set in Australia. It is research, so I can write it off as a “business” expense, right?
Dare I ask why you selected Lebanon, TN? I drove past there once or twice, although I usually take I-24 through TN. I used to “commute” from SC to Smyrna, TN for work. On the up side, I got paid mileage, plus a good hourly rate while I drove!
I have yet to do anything too disturbing *unfortunately*. Maybe I should do something with dismemberments as well, see what happens…
Lebanon, TN was at the center of some huge conflicts in the civil war, namely the very bloody Battle of Franklin and Battle of Nashville. Wilson Co. was divided–men signing up for either confederate or union, though mostly confederate. Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest lived there for some time, and is considered to have started the KKK. It’s a small town with a lot of history, and it’s relatively close to home 🙂
Cool. I live about 20 minutes from Abbeville, SC. Birthplace of the Confederacy. They still have Jefferson Davis Memorial Park and Lake Secession.