Weird google searches for your novel research

Another library one: during some between-draft research for Gallery, I ended up checking out a stack of books on art and antiquities theft.

Here's one.
(White-texted for... well, yeah.)

Google search: "Why is it called a blowjob?"

P-Jay said:

Here's one.
(White-texted for... well, yeah.)

Google search: "Why is it called a blowjob?"

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I wonder that too!

P-Jay said:

Here's one.

Google search: "Why is it called a blowjob?"

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i had that too!

... hhmmm, actually it was just your last word along with high heels and riding crop ... oh wait ... that wasn't for my story!

Oh, boy. We've got some weird searches here! Haha.

I've done quite a few strange ones, but the one that sticks out the most in my mind is the one I did about a year ago while researching my story about a dictator. After entering the regular search terms-- 'dictator,' 'Hitler,' etc.-- I finally put in "how to become a dictator."

It was after coming up with the search results that I realized I probably had the FBI, CIA, and every other organization on their way to my house at that very moment.

Luckily, I didn't.

Loving the strange searches.
Mine aren't exciting - involve animal facts or locations mostly.

Oops, just realized I'm in the novel forum and not children's books anymore. Those searches are still not exciting, but tend to fall more to locations and name meanings. Not many animal facts thrown into my novels.

Just started research & brainstorming for a second novel to have lined up after my innital trilogy. Having a bit of trouble finding something I swear I've heard about somewhere, but only remember vaguely.

EDIT: It's generally going to involve the Bermuda Triangle, urban legends, interdimensional themes & the only surviving member of Flight 19 trying to get home.

I don't know if they're particularly weird, but my recent Google searches have been: how to make Thai green curry (not for my novel, but a craving); eighteenth century merchant sailors;Barbadian history, particularly in the 1790s; Barbadian plantations and slavery; condoms in England in 1800--availability, what they were made of, etc.

I've researched all kinds of strange things, but I'd have to say that a search for flogging techniques (and what it feels like to be flogged or whipped) wins hands down, as one of my characters was punished via this method in my novel.

I made sure I was logged out of my google account when I did that one. I actually ended up learning a lot about the history of crime and punishment in various cultures and about the continued use of flogging or caning in some foreign countries (and some first person accounts by prisoners).

But there's no question I wondered how my interest in the subject might be taken.

Last things I googled for my novel are the definition of pontificate (which I ended up not using) and pictures of medieval torture weapons because my MC was in a room full of old, dusty crap.

Dolphin skulls. I didn't end up using it, but, um, nice to know it was there?

My topics I do research for:


Diseases and conditions
Professions
People's physical appearance
Music or devices that were popular in decades past: ex: the Furby, the Walkman, etc.

I actually just did a blog post on this, lol. I had some very disturbing searches for my last book. How to decapitate someone. Curing meats. But that one wasn't for humans trying to make bacon....

I once had to Google how mermaids "do it"

Dinosaur mating habits.

I also had to look up Israeli military manuals. That was fun.

This is too funny. I've often thought of my search history and wondered if it would someday get me in trouble. Recently I've searched for (among other things):
Effects of poison
Spells to make one immortal
Galactagogues
Materials used by medieval blacksmiths

I know there are a lot more, but I can't remember them now. I just know how often I feel weird about doing a search because if anyone ever looked at it, they'd think I'm a nutbag.

Also, I sent an email to two friends (a doctor and a nurse) asking what the lasting effects of being bashed in the shoulder with a good sized branch would be. Strangely, neither of them thought it weird for me to ask that out of the blue.

Putputt said:

...but when I did the search I kept thinking, The FBI's gonna come through my door any moment now.

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Lol!

I had the same feeling while I was researching how to blow up a hospital using the gas main. I ended up chickening out and went for the character planting C4. I may change it back during rewrites.

I've also recently researched museum security systems, scams, and art theft.

Funnel web spiders.

As an arachnaphobe the illustrated Wikipedia page and Google image search results were very difficult to deal with.

Oh, I just remembered, I also researched video cameras, how to make a reality television show, ghouls, houseboats, Paris, Egyptian Gods, Egyptian artifacts, the Rocky Mountains, and South Dakota's housing market.

This was for three separate stories.

And one time I looked up creepy places and found things I did not need to see.

EMaree said:

Funnel web spiders.

As an arachnaphobe the illustrated Wikipedia page and Google image search results were very difficult to deal with.

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I've got a passage you can beta-read for me, if you like...

creepy-creepy-crawlies, crawling everywhere, where are they going, are they in your hair...

My mother came in today and caught me Googling "most efficient ways to euthanise groups of people" for the sequel I'm currently writing. That was fairly awkward :/

More recently: most expensive belts and types of illegal fireworks and how to check for pinworms.

ChristinaLayton said:

Music or devices that were popular in decades past: ex: the Furby, the Walkman, etc.

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I saw a Furby only this Friday. They haven't died.

Types of diesel engines available in late 60s, early 70s era semis and average mpg.

Finding a map of the working interstate system circa 1970 and being able to google mileage between points to figure out where time and/or fuel stops would need to be was a huge help.