Writing Research Trip of a Lifetime
July 12, 2025 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as London, writers life, writing researchIn May this year, I had the opportunity to take a writing research trip of a lifetime. Not only did I take so many notes in the genre I like to write in, I also was able to visit so many places I’ve read about.
Meaning, I stood in the spot many of my favorite literary characters have stood. I could even imagine favorite scenes of carriage rides in Hyde Park, a stroll across Grosvenor Square, or sitting at a show performed at the Royal Albert Hall with royalty in the box down the aisle.
I thought it would be fun to share some of these photos with all of you. Which also helps me preserve the memories from my writing research trip.
Visiting Places I’ve Read About
In London alone, we were able to visit Grosvener Square, where the elite once lived and is now home to several embassies. We got here on our last night and I was so happy. It was on my bucket list for this writing research trip.
Castles and Palaces
We also were able to drop by and see two Palaces, and go inside Windsor Castle (the state rooms are amazing. We weren’t allowed to take pictures, unfortunately. But I did take notes on some things I saw. Never know when those notes can be used for writing research.
Famous Streets
Several books have taken me to a variety of London neighborhoods including Bow Street, Drury Lane, and Trafalgar Square. I had hoped to get to 7 dials, and a few others, but boy is it all a lot of walking. Even Hyde Park is huge, we had to break it up into two days. But just walking around gave me such great insight into the lay of the land. Perfect information for my next read or writing project. I kept finding every thing we saw as a research opportunity.
Hyde Park
Hyde park was so fun to walk through. We walked one side on one day, and the other side another day. The main area where many carriages would parade to be seen was so big and open. The Serpentine was too. So many people were enjoying the park for the day having a picnic or renting paddleboats on the river. I could imagine scenes with the hero rowing a sweetheart and wooing her at the same time. I’ve read many scenes like this.
The London Zoo is where AA Milne would visit Winnipeg the bear that inspired the Winnie the Pooh Stories. This was a fun thing for me. Everything has a rich history in London. With many research points to capture.
Writing Research Outside of London – the trip continues
I was so excited to go Bath and see the Roman Baths. I’ve read many stories with this setting in it. To see it in person was amazing. So much history it was overwhelming. We also walked through several churches including Notre Dame in Paris. In Scotland, visiting Edinburgh Castle gave me several ideas for a new series, where I also could possibly include the history of golf at St. Andrews Golf Course. Again, I found myself continuously taking writing notes on my phone.
There’s so much more I haven’t shared, I think I need to do it in another post. Let me know in the comments if you are interested in more from my writing research trip.
All in all I feel beyond blessed to be able to have seen all that we did. And look forward to adding these pieces to future stories. I’m so thankful our son decided to study abroad. Which got us planning this trip in the first place!!
Last month I shared about how I managed my book launch while on this trip. Take a look at all the pics I took with my book cover at these historical sights.
Or visit my website to read more on my blog.
2 1 Read moreVintage 1960s Movies by E. J. Williams
April 9, 2022 by Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger, Vintage 1960s Books tagged as movies, Musicals, the 1960s, The Sound of Music, writing research
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise, and starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, with and Eleanor Parker. The film is an adaptation of the 1959 stage musical of the same name, composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp is the base of the movie. The musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large Australian family while she decides whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the children and their widowed father, Captain von Trapp. With the onset of WWII, he is ordered to accept a commission in the German navy in spite of his opposition to the Nazis. He, Maria and decide to flee from Austria with the children.
The Sound of Music received five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film also received two Golden Globe Awards, for Best Motion Picture and Best Actress, the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical. In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) listed The Sound of Music as the fifty-fifth greatest American movie of all time, and the fourth greatest movie musical. In 2001, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
An added note:
When setting up for filming of the wedding scene, there was nobody at the altar to wed them when they reached the top of the stairs to the sanctuary. Someone had forgotten to summon the actor playing the bishop. According to Dame Julie Andrews, the real Archbishop of Salzburg is seen in the movie.
Some of Janet Lynn’s and Will Zeilinger’s books
Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Lynn had been writing individually until they got together and wrote the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955. Janet has published seven mystery novels, and Will has three plus a couple of short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and lives in Southern California.
Up the Down Staircase
February 3, 2022 by Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger, Vintage 1960s Books tagged as 1960s, new series, setting the stage, writing research
UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE
Bel Kaufmann
published in 1964
Prentice-Hall
Genre: Fiction, Drama
An instant bestseller when it was first published in 1964, Up the Down Staircase remains as poignant, devastating, laugh-out-loud funny, and relevant today as ever. It timelessly depicts a beleaguered public school system redeemed by teachers who love to teach and students who long to be recognized.
Vintage Inspired by the Jet Age–Tail Fins
April 3, 2021 by Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger tagged as cars, E.J. Williams, Jet Age, Tail fins, Vintage, writing research
Tail Fins
If you happen to be of a certain age, you will remember tail fins on the cars from your childhood.
Although most people think the trend of having tail fins on cars lasted approximately from 1955 to 1965, the first subtle appearances of tail fins began in the late ’40s. What started as a small chrome trim piece on a tail light, or a subtle fin of a few inches in length.
Growing in size each year until they (literally) peaked in 1959. American cars were not unique in this fad. By the early ’60s, the appeal began to wane. With a few exceptions, by 1965, they had disappeared from the automotive landscape.
A Little History
General Motors and Chrysler deserve the credit with starting the finny “arms race.” Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell at GM and Virgil Exner at Chrysler attempted to wow the public with each new model year by introducing the most outlandish fins on their vehicles. Ford was in the mix too. Remember, the original Thunderbird also employed design elements that took their cues from jet aircraft. This trend carried through to the 1963 model year. The full-sized Ford lost its fins by 1962.
Even European automotive designers got into the act. French Italian designers have always been avant-garde, but even the British and Germans, who tend to be more conservative, slapped fins on some of their cars.
And the Winner Is…
The ultimate fins of the era belonged to the 1959 Cadillac El Dorado Biarritz. The eye-popping red paint job and fins that look like they could impale someone made this car unmistakeable…Even today.
Writing the Private Investigator
March 17, 2021 by marianne h donley in category Ages 2 Perfection Online Class, Online Classes tagged as A2P Online Class, PIs, Private Investigator, writing research
Presented by: Steve Pease
Date: April 1 – 30, 2021
Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15
Non-A2P Member fee: $30
About the Workshop:
Television and movies do not reflect real life. Surprised? The Private Eye’s image in the mind of most Americans (and elsewhere) was formed on the screen and in pulpy mystery novels, and it’s mostly wrong. We don’t pull guns, beat up thugs, drink whiskey with a straw or take dirty photos thru motel Venetian blinds. We’re in a tough business, and we need insurance, permits, equipment and coffee. Oh, and good shoes and a comfy chair.
This 12 Lesson course will present a very practical view of the single-person PI business based on my experience as a licensed PI2 in Colorado. I’ll cover the main duties of the investigator, the effort needed to run a sustaining business and a few anecdotes to illustrate points. I’ll recommend resources, steer you away from a few, and suggest a couple things you can do to experience the PI life, AND, get some real-life details into your stories.
So your Hero is over 35, and maybe over 55. And they want to make a career change? What the hell do they bring to this? EXPERIENCE. And maturity from those hard lessons earned and learned during a working life. The punk kid hasn’t learned yet. You have. Most PIs aren’t life-long PIs, but they have been curious forever. Most have done something else, reporter, librarian, civil servant, cop, military, nurses. Their minds have discipline. They’ve been people watchers. They know an opportunity when they see it, so here they go. And they will succeed at THE core PI task: Find Out About. My Lessons aren’t simple Conference handouts. They’re writing resources. You can lurk. And you can imagine and ask. My two main mystery characters are late life PIs. Let’s see how this works.
About the Presenter:
Steve Pease is a licensed Private Investigator in Colorado. He is retired from a career in Intelligence and space engineering. He also teaches a course in writing against the intelligence cliché. He has published military history and SF/mystery/horror fiction as Michael Chandos. He is working on a romantic-suspense novel featuring an elegant lady who runs a lacey tea shop – and who knocked off her abusive husband with some lethal tea and put him in the rose bed.
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