The Randomness of the Writer’s Search Engine

In my last post, I weighed the benefits of writing longhand vs. on the computer. And while the internet can be very distracting when you’re trying to lose yourself in the story you’re creating, the fact is, questions come up as stories unfold. Strange, random, obscure questions. And if you’re writing on a computer that has internet access, you can have them answered immediately. But has anyone else ever thought about how incredibly weird your Google searches must be when you’re researching a bit of information for a story? For my post today, I’ve compiled a list of things I have actually had to Google—things I needed to know about in order for a story to move forward. I’d love to hear from you guys—post your weirdest, strangest, most disturbing phrases or questions you’ve typed into a search engine for the sake of a story!

•Mongolian traditional food

•Wooly mammoth

•Congenital heart disease

•35,000 year old German flutes

•National Geographic vacation packages

•What would be a blood alcohol level where you’d be really drunk but still coherent?

•Lyrics to Etta James songs

•Roman name of Greek god Pan

•Does an erection go flaccid when you die?

•How long was Bobby Sands in Long Kesh prison before he died of starvation?

•Can possums swim?

•Average cost of a train ticket in 1922

•Ingredients of beef stroganoff

•Prawns

•Yurts

•Popular gymnasts of the 1988 Olympics

•Judas steers

•What is an archipelago?

•How do you say “I told you so” in French?

•What is the difference between an ocean and a sea?

•Points of interest on highway I- 94

•Aboriginal tools

•List of outdated countries on the world map

•Causes of miscarriage

•Best-known Macbeth quotes

•Why/how does the blue footed booby kill its siblings?

•Popular Mexican girl names

•Household items names in Spanish

•Are Muslims allowed to dissect fetal pigs?

•Direction for dissection of fetal pig

•What is the native language of Eritrea?

And that’s just a sampling. Please, tell me I’m not the only one who’s noticed this! Post your weirdest writing-related internet searches!