Online research for your book can only take you so far, and the information you find may not be reliable or accurate. One of the best forms of research, per author Neil V. Young, is visiting a setting, place, or scene in person. Many writers make the mistake of providing only visual descriptions in their story, which leaves the reader wanting more. When you physically visit a place, all 5 senses are hard at work. Fully immerse your reader in your setting or scene by describing the other senses such as smell and sound. What does your character hear? How does the air or environment smell?
Hello, Neil thanks for the tip so not only is it important to understand just the visual side of a story but I need to understand the smell and sound of language to give my story more texture, the credibility of location, so how would I be able to relay this in a romance novel about St. Petersburg Russia?
Does google earth help, especially if you have no access to that particular location?