How Would You Do Research For That?

I'm still uncertain about joining the Insecure Writers Support Group, even though I  know it could help me.  And I get intrigued by some of the posts I see others making.  The question this month is:

 What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?

On her blog today, Stephanie Faris answers this question as it pertains to her research on a series of books on ghost hunting:

She mentions taking classes on ghost hunting and staying in a haunted house. Read all about it at the link above. It's very intriguing.

I was then reminded of a dream I had some time ago.  In this post, wanted to try recalling dreams as possible story ideas, and did so with a recent dream, jotting down as much as I could remember a day or so later. Here is a synopsis of the dream:

I dreamed I was back in college and moving into a house for rent with other students. The stuff we brought began turning into dust and other waste once we brought it into the house. One girl then took her stuff outside at the house and saw it did not turn to dust while there.  The students then began to wonder if  there was something inside the house that was causing their belongings to turn to crap.

Now does this have the makings of a fantasy/horror novel? I have never tired to write one, even though I've read many such books. I'm not even sure how to go about writing one. I'm not certain if I will use this idea, but I did jot it down, just in case.  It's something I can come back to in case I need a boost of inspiration. I now wonder what I would need to do for research for a story like this. Any ideas?

Meanwhile, on the subject of research, I had been wondering the last few days how many facts I should include in my memoir on things such as dysthymia, Prozac (fluoxetine), and SSRIs, since each of these has been crucial to my memoir. There may be people who know little about each of these, especially dysthymia, a form of depression not known to many, even me, before I learned I have it.  feel a need to let people know as much about it as I think they should know.  I'd heard about Prozac for many years before getting onto it, and I'm sure many others have heard of it as well.


I have mentioned several times on my blog that I have also begun writing a diary-style novel set in the 1980s. The main character is easily ridden with anxiety. Among other things, he needs braces (and he's apprehensive about it). He hates so much about his life.  His teacher thinks he should attend a summer art camp because she thinks he is very talented, but he knows he can't afford it and is afraid to tell his single mother what the teacher had said.  Among other things. ...

Since I grew up in the 1980s, I now wonder how much research I should do for this one, if any.