25 Strangely Useful Websites To Use For Research and Novel Ideas
Here’s a screenie of what it would be like if a nuclear blast went off in my area. Pretty crazy right?
Time Lapse
Time travel, virtually and geologically. Watch the world change over the course of nearly three decades of satellite photography.
And here’s a screenie of the Time Lapse website panned in to the Oil Sands. I peeked through the years to see how much the Sahara Desert changed over time. It’s pretty wild.
Exit Mundi
Exit Mundi is a fantastic collection of end-of-the-world scenarios. Spoiler Alert: For example, remember in Marvels Infinity War, after the snap, when people just started to crumble into thin air? Yeah, that was great. 😢 Exit Mundi goes in-depth into what the big crumble would really be like for people on Earth. Yikes. For us writers, it can be incredible useful! But R.I.P. Subway guy.
History and humanity
Ancient History Encyclopedia
From mind-blowing ancient architecture, to prehistoric artwork, this website is a goldmine of historical information. This website even has historical event timeline!
On This Day In History
At the time of writing this blog post, the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes is driven from Tenochtitlan and retreats to Tlaxcala, The statue of King George III is pulled down in New York City, Wyoming becomes the 44th state, Germany begins the bombing of England, and Kenyan runner Yobes Ondieki becomes the first man to run 10,000 meters in less than 27 minutes—I had no clue all of these events happened on the same day, over different years. It’s so fascinating and can be really useful for writing books spiced with a little history.
Historical Pics
Historical Pics is stashed in a little corner of the internet, called Facebook. But I like to call it time-waster-extraordinaire, because I always get caught scrolling through this page for hours on end. There’s so many incredible photos from Dovima posing with elephants in a Paris circus, 1955 to a giant human chess game played 100 years ago in Leningrad, Soviet Union.
Inspiration
Looking for inspiration to get the creative juices flowing? Have no fear! These two websites are known for their ability to light a spark in even the driest of writers.
Pintrest
Infact, Pintrest users coined the term/hashtag #inspo due to the ability to inspire almost anything in anyone who happens to find themselves down the rabbit hole of aesthetic pins and boards.
The Moth
The Moth is an incredible website that will surely inspire you to hone your craft of storytelling and deep dive into humanity’s stories. The Moth is dedicated to sharing engaging, well-crafted stories that honor the diversity and commonality of human experience. (And their stories come in text and audio formats!)
Location and worldbuilding
Google Earth
“The Sieka of Sahn’Jatar” is set in my fictional world of Aviiyen, but the desert is inspired by the Sahara over in the middle east and Google Earth was so useful in bringing that story to life. I’ve never been to the Sahara Desert but I would love to go there in person someday. For now, I’ll just visit from my computer screen.
Zillow
If you’ve done some house hunting lately, then you know how useful Zillow can be for finding the next perfect place to live. But you might not know how great it is for house inspiration for your novel characters! Much like Google Earth, Zillow is great for visualizing locations and helping to bring your story’s fictional setting to life.
Here’s a screenie from Zillow! While one day, I hope to move to Seattle, for now I can happily write about my dream city from the comfort of my Oklahoma home.
100,000 Stars
Earlier in this list, I mentioned people wanting to yeet themselves into space by hitching a ride on SpaceX’s rideshare cargo but now you don’t have to do that! Just check out 100,000 Stars for a stellar interactive visualization experience with the stars! As per their website: “From their website: “100,000 Stars hows the location of 119,617 nearby stars derived from multiple sources, including the 1989 Hipparcos mission. Zooming in reveals 87 individually identified stars and our solar system. The galaxy view is an artist's rendition based on NGC 1232, a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way.”
Here’s a screenie of the 100,000 Stars website. Pretty amazing right?
Geoguessr
So, you think you’re a worldbuilding pro? Let’s find out just how well you know your setting with Geoguessr—a website that transports you into a place with one goal in mind: to determine where you are on the map. You can play across the global map or try and identify famous locations from spectacular natural wonders to astonishing man-made structures.
And here’s a screenie from Geoguessr. Any ideas where this satellite image is from?
Murder and Horror
Okay so these websites might not be for the faint of heart, but I promise, we have some more happier/positive items to come later in this list! But these potentially disturbing websites can prove super useful for writers working on murder mystery novels and horror/thriller.
Homicide Monitor
A worldwide homicide map where you can see how many people were killed where. This might be useful if you’re writing a novel and need homicide statistics or in need of a story idea. However, you might want to avoid looking up you town… 😬
Goodbye Warden
This website has a chilling list of last words from 565 Texas death row inmates.
Murderpedia
Murderpedia is a free online encyclopedic dictionary of murderers and the largest database about serial killers and mass murderers around the world.
Names
Baby Names
Pretty self-explanatory, but if you’re trying to find the perfect name for your main protagonist, Baby Names is the site for you!
Behind The Name
Maybe you already have your names picked out but you want to do a little more research on their origins or meanings? Check out Behind the Name for in-depth etymology on almost any name you can imagine.
(A great honorable mention (because it’s not a website, but a book rather, is Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names. There are thousands of names in this book and it was a life-saver for me when trying to come up with names for my WIP fantasy series.)
Strange, but useful facts
Uber Facts
Once again, we have another time-suck of a webpage, but truthfully I love this one as much as the Historical Pics Page. This is a Facebook page that puts out some of the most interesting facts I’ve ever seen. Save facts for story ideas or go down the rabbit hole of interesting information.
Today I Found Out
Want to know why kids learn languages fast than adults? Or maybe you want to read more about why the human heart doesn’t get tired like other muscles? The Today I Found Out website is a great place for random, interesting information that might inspire your writing.
How Stuff Works
Who came up with aglets? How (and why) is the U.S. Experiencing a coin shortage? Is French press really the best coffee? How Stuff Works has all the answers you could ever want and more.
Cool Interesting Stuff
From chilling true-crime mysteries to alien autopsies and urban legends, Cool Interesting Stuff has tons of random, weird, and borderline creepy facts to inspire your next thriller. Pro Tip: Don’t read this website before bed.
Oddee
Oddee is a website that entertains million of visitors every month with stories about parrots teaching each other to swear (and then laugh about it) and brain-eating amoebas found in Texas water supplies—Yikes!
Space Facts
Did you know there’s a couple of dwarf planets named Eris and Makemake, or that Eris was once considered for the position of tenth planet? I didn’t! And that’s exactly why we need this site. I love space and talking about all things celestial, but I need more of it in my life. Since my books are sort of sci-fi and fantasy genre bending, this site is great for all kinds of stellar facts.
And that’s it for my list of 25 strangely useful websites for writers! What did you think of this list? Have you ever used any of these sites for your own writing? Do you have any ideas that are missing from this list? Let me know in the comments below!
—Payton
3 Bookish Things Tag
The Hush, Hush Saga, Black Ice, and Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick. Photo by Payton Hayes.
I didn’t come up with this and in fact, found it first on Instagram and then saw it on another bookish blog! It’s the perfect tag for those of use who love the perfect aesthetic of things that come in threes! (Or for those of us who can’t count very high, whichever applies, maybe both.) I’ve got books to read and review, manuscripts to edit, and stories to tell which means three items per category is perfect for me—the editorial do-it-all person that I am. Call me an editorial renaissance woman or jack of all (written word) trades, but all I’m getting at is that I’ve only got a little time to accomplish everything and if you’re the same way, then this tag is awesome for both of us! Let’s get on to the tag, already! Of course, I have some honorable mentions in this list because I just can’t pick favorites, apparently. What can I say? I love them all.
3 Favorite Authors
Richard A. Knaak. Of course, I adore everything he’s done in the World of Warcraft book universe —the game has such a special place in my heart and his incredible, fantasy writing does as well.
J.R.R. Tolkien. I don’t have to read a series more than once to know it will be a favorite. I’ve treasured the Peter Jackson films since I was a little girl and I always knew when I finally sat down and read the novels, I would love them just as much, if not more. 2019 was my first year reading the Lord of The Rings trilogy and while I am still working on it (yes, in 2020) it already is a favorite of mine and will be for years to come.
Becca Fitzpatrick. I love every.single.book. she writes—especially the Hush, Hush saga. Black Ice and Dangerous Lies a VERY close second and third. I just wish she’d write more because I absolutely adore her paranormal romantic thrillers!
The Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson. Photo by Payton Hayes.
Honorable mention: James Patterson. I knew this one would be swapped out for another author eventually, but before I discovered Fitzpatrick, Patterson was my all-time favorite author, with Maximum being my all-time favorite series. I’d read it several times, and while I do still enjoy the series, I don’t again see it being a forever favorite.
Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings. Photo by Payton Hayes.
3 Weirdest Things You’ve Used As a Bookmark
Okay, seriously? An empty Kit-Kat wrapper. Or was it a Hershey’s? I don’t remember. All I know is that the book still smells of chocolate, even though I got zero candy in the pages.
A faux tortoise shell bracelet. Okay, maybe this isn’t an uncommon household item, and well, neither is chocolate, but it’s still a pretty strange bookmark, if you ask me. It was just laying on my desk, and when I needed a bookmark, it seemed a likely contender. Of course, that was until I put the book back and lost the bracelet until I reopened the book and it fell out. Oops!
Receipts. Yes I, like every other stylish, bookish girl out there, go shopping on occasion aaaand I may have a few receipts laying around at any given time. So, I just used one of those! It was likely a Taco Bell receipt though, let’s be real.
You think bookworms use actual bookmarks? Hahaha, you’re clearly joking. Right? I don’t even remember the last time I used a proper bookmark.
3 Series Binged
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. If you read the first part, then you already know what I am going to say. This is my absolute, indisputable, all-time favorite series and I devour it every. single. year. I love this series and it never gets old.
Maximum Ride by James Patterson. Although it’s been a few years since I’ve reread the series, every time I do, I burn through all nine books in about two weeks’ time. The books are so action-packed, and the pacing is so good, I can’t not get stuck in them and neglect my adult responsibilities until I’ve finished the novels and have nothing else to do with my life. It’s the obvious reaction.
Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan. I read this series around the same time I’d discovered Maximum Ride (in early high school) and I blew through them so fast, and somewhat out of order, oops! I hardly remember what happened and in what book. It’s about time to reread this series as well because everything is a sort of Percy-shaped blur.
3 Characters You Love
Patch Cipriano from Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Duhhh. Tall, dark, brooding, and handsome? Angsty angel of my dreams? Helloooo. of course, he’s my all-time favorite novel character. Truth be told, I wish he was real.
Ares Lavrenthea from Mooncallers by Leda C. Muir. I’m sensing a theme going on here, but I don’t even care. Ares is dragon daddy and honestly one of my favorite book characters. He’s such a dynamic fantasy character and when he’s not sipping tea or smoking roseleaf cigarettes, he’s out on an adventure with Luxea and I love both his personality and their relationship. Besides, his backstory is so good. If you haven’t read this book, you must.
Tom Bombadil from Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien. I absolutely adore this guy. He is such an enigma. Tom’s lighthearted, charismatic, and benign demeanor was so fun to read in the series. I love all of his little songs and dances and I just want to spend a day with him because he’s essentially the Bob Ross of Middle Earth. How can you have a bad day when you’ve got someone like that at your side?
Patch Cipriano from the cover of The Hush, Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick, Tom Bombadil by Hildebrant from J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of The Rings Trilogy, and Ares Lavrenthea from The Mooncallers series by Leda C. Muir.
3 Unpopular Bookish Opinions
Divergent genuinely did want to like the Divergent series and can fully see why they’ve been so successful. I just wish it was done better. The first chapter seemed promisng, but it sort of went downhill from there and I just couldn’t get into the books.
Bookish Subscription Boxes. I just don’t understand these. Why would I subscribe to a book box subscription when I can just buy books I know I’ll love. And if this blog post has taught you anything, it’s that I definitely don’t need the subscription for the bookmarks. I wouldn’t use them anyway.
The Hunger Games. I had a hard time figuring out this once, primarily because I didn’t even have these books on my shelf anymore! I donated them to the local library last year, and while I am probably going to get some hate for saying this, I can’t say I miss them. I read the first novel, and it was alright, but I just didn’t think it warranted all the hype. I tried to get into the second book and didn’t. When I caved and watched the movies, I realized I probably wasn’t missing out on much. For the record, I am not really a fan of the dystopia genre anyways.
Click here to read more of my unpopular bookish opinions.
3 Popular Bookish Opinions
Hyped books. I love hyped books, just like the rest of us, and I tend to jump on the hype train along with everyone else. Sometimes the books suck, and I’ll be the first to point it out, but most of the time, hyped books are popular for good reason.
Hardcovers are better. In my 7 Unpopular Bookish Opinions blog post, I say I like both hardcovers and paperbacks, but I will concede that the hardbacks are the superior of the two. They’re durable and they stand on their own like strong, intelligent, independent, bookish creatures. The only problem is that they cost more. :/
Spin-off Series. I actually really love spin-offs. They’re awesome! My favorite spin-off is Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus. Spin-offs are a delicate balancing act between overdoing a story and not doing enough to it, but the HoO series is an example of one that does this balancing act well. I think the Harry Potter series has had enough spin-offs though, just let it go, Rowling.
3 Favorite Book Covers
I won’t even pretend to behave here. These are all my favorites. It was so hard to even narrow them down to 14.
Fourteen of my favorite book covers. Collage by Payton Hayes. Cover art credits belong to their respective owners.
Do you see what I did there with the color scheme? Just because I don’t follow the tag rules doesn’t mean my graphic can’t still be pretty. Truthfully though, I do love all of these covers. Another truth? I haven’t read most of these—Gasp!
3 Bookish Goals for 2020
Okay, I already have an entire blog post about this, but I think I’ll put my top three here anyways.
Read 30 books. I truly do want to read 30 books and I think that goal will be easily surpassable this year. I figured out a way to get myself out of reading slumps quickly and I even beat my goal for 2019—23/20 books! I think I am ready to kick it up a notch.
Join an IRL Book club. I know there’s a psychology book club at my school but this might be the year I charter and star up the official book club there, or at least join a club if I can find one. I’ve always wanted to be part of a book club and be around like-minded individuals where we can just nerd out about books and reading.
Review more books. If you’ve been around this blog for any period of time, you can tell my book review section on the book blog is severely lacking. In 2020 not only do I want to read more books, but I want to review them as well. I think thinking critically about novels is important to understanding the bigger picture part of them and not getting completely wrapped up in the little parts of the story.
Click here to read my 20 Bookish Resolutions For 2020 blog post.
And those goals bring me to the end of the 3 Bookish Things Tag! I broke some of the rules, but can you really blame me? I think some of these are almost too hard to pair down to three and to those of you who can do it—I both applaud and envy you. I just have too much bookish love to give to all of my wordy babies. (Shhh, it can be a thing—like fur babies. It’ll catch on, right?)
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and I’d also love it if you did this tag to let me know so I can check out your 3 bookish things!
Thumbnail photo by Marta Dzedyshko.
—Payton
Classic Romance Reading Challenge for February 2020
If you’re new, thanks for dropping by and if you’ve been around for a minute, this month, we’re talking about romance, because it’s February and most people associate romance with February (even though I know Valentine’s day is just an excuse to eat chocolate— but hey I’m not complaining, I love chocolate and I’ll shamelessly eat it whenever I can.)
I digress. Today, in the bookish things’ category, I am giving you guys a February Romance Reading Challenge. It’s very much like Booktober, where the bookish community participates in various thriller, horror, and downright creepy reading challenges to get in the Halloween holiday spirit. However, this reading challenge comes with a twist: classics. In this reading challenge, we’re going to be reading classic romances. Not only will we start the year of strong with some of the well-known classics but will be in the mushy mood all month! Let’s get reading!
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre, a young orphan under the care of her cruel, wealthy aunt attends the Lowood school where her life is less than idyllic. She studies there for years before taking a governess position at a manor called Thornfield, where she teaches a lively French girl named Adele. There, she meets a dark, impassioned man, named Mr. Rochester, with whom she finds herself secretly falling in love with. However, this classic romance transcends melodrama to portray a woman’s passionate search for a wider and richer life than that which Victorian society traditionally allowed.
Click here to view Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte on Amazon
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I could go on and on for days about Austen’s Writing and she definitely has the novels to support that loving rant, but I’ll save you guys the sifting and just say that if you’re going to read Jane Austen, why not read her quintessential romance novel, Pride and Prejudice. It has all the elements of an amazing romance novel and is one of, if not the greatest romance novel of all time. It’s a witty comedy of manners that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues.
Click here to view Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen on Amazon
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
An American classic that inspired one of the most influential movies of all time, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a classic romance that opens with the unnamed narrator meeting for the first time, Holly Golightly. The two are both tenants of an apartment building on Manhattan’s upper, east side. As the story progresses, the reader learns more and more about Holly and the relationship between her and the narrator as he recounts fondly their memories and finds himself quite enamored with her curious lifestyle. She, a country girl turned New York Café Society, works as an expensive escort (not prostitute) and hopes to marry one of the wealthy men she accompanies one day.
Click here to view Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote on Amazon
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Another novel from the other Bronte sister, this wild, passionate romance story of the intense and almost obsessive love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine’s father continues to strike readers today. The story is one of, if not perhaps the most haunting and tormented love stories ever written and tells the tale of the troubled orphan, Heathcliff and his doomed love for Catherine.
Click here to view Wurthering Heights by Emily Bronte on Amazon
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
What list would be complete without a little Shakespeare and especially, his most famous story, Romeo and Juliet. Though anyone who has actually read it will tell you that the story doesn’t have a particularly happy ending (in fact, its particularly unhappy, if you ask me) the story is a classic romantic tale that showcases one of the most important questions humanity has ever faced, and that is: how far will one go for love? Elizabeth Eliot said, “There is nothing worth living for, unless it is worth dying for.” which eloquently and succinctly describes Romeo and Juliet.
Click here to view Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare on Amazon
Try reading these in order of most romantic to least romantic to start the month out with a really romantic read and finish it out on a little reader heartbreak. Or, read least to most romantic to end February with a happy ending.
What do you think of my February 2020 Classic Romance Reading Challenge? Have you read any of these stories before? Which of these five is your favorite and which is your least favorite? For me personally, I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and I look forward to rereading it this month, however I’d say Wuthering Heights makes number 5 on my list. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!