Generally I don’t do a lot of research before I write a story or novel. I prefer to write with the flow and see how things go, and then research and clarify as needed. If there is something I question, or need to know to make the story work, of course I’ll look it up right then, but for me the story comes first, and then I background information as needed. (And I do check - I hate being called out as wrong on something that I write as a “fact” ;))
With Moving on Nightfall I am going to be experimenting with writing a series of flash fiction pieces that take place outside of the main narrative. One of my goals is to of course make my readers curious about the novel itself, but also to explore for myself a little more of my world and characters, push them in directions I might not have thought of, and in general mess around with them (always good).
So right now, I am working on crystallizing what Jenny’s “home” in the abandoned subway station looked like. I’m ignoring any “mole people” references, as the main book that talked about them has been greatly discredited. I have a lot of my own experiences and knowledge to draw on, but I want to explore the makeup of her shelter fully, so I’ve done some research to broaden my ideas. Granted, this is a very small part of the story, but it is the first important setting, it tells a lot about Jenny, and it sets up a lot of the story for the reader. Below are some of the best sites I found in my hunt.
Abandoned subway stations:
Three pages of beautiful shots from the (sadly no longer updated) NYC photolog Satan’s Laundry
The Ltvsquad has a lot of great pictures from years of subway exploring, but one of the best pages I found there for my research is the Sperm Whale / Snipers Alley story.
An extensive description with pictures of the abandoned parts of the NYC subway station.
Closed stations in the Paris subway system
Cincinnati’s Abandoned Subway
Closed Boston Stations
A couple of articles on homeless people and subways:
One about a group who lived under Manhattan in the early 1990’s
Another about how some homeless ride the lines all day
And a documentary that Will told me about last week - Dark Days. (there’s stills from the film here as well.)
Good stuff, and great background research.
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