Research Guides: Creative Writing Guide: Find Inspiration and Build Your World

Find Inspiration and Build Your World

To draw your readers into your story, you need to create a world your readers can connect with and believe in. If your story is set in an 18th century English manor home, what would your character’s day-to-day experience be like? How would they speak to one another? What would they eat and wear? If you’re writing a novel about a wealthy family that built a fortune on horse racing, how might you paint a scene at the race track? Using primary sources, archives, newspapers, and images can help you build believable characters, settings, and worlds.

Photo by Cederic Vandenberghe on Unsplash

Archival and Primary Source Research

Dive into archival records to find inspiration or historical details that can enhance your storytelling. Atkins Library holds an impressive collection of archival materials including:

manuscripts (personal collections of individuals and families as well as those of local organizations)
the university's official and unofficial records and publications of historical value
photographs and maps
local government documents
oral history recordings

These materials are valuable for conducting historical research and teaching about the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte and a wide range of other topics. Learn more about our Special Collections and University Archives here: https://library.charlotte.edu/archives-rare-books.

Finding Images

Artstor This link opens in a new window
A collection of images from major museums. ARTSTOR images cover art, architecture and archeology. Useful for personal or shared uses, and creating and delivering presentations. ARTSTOR is available solely for educational and scholarly uses that are noncommercial in nature. Images may NOT be placed on publicly accessible websites. UNC Charlotte students, faculty and staff can register for an account which allows off-campus access; this registration must happen while on campus.

For help with ARTstor, visit the ARTstor YouTube channel for tutorials, or use their subject guides with keyword suggestions, search tips, and collection content.

Flickr: Creative Commons
A collection of images published on Flickr using a Creative Commons license that can be used with proper attribution.
Artsy
Artsy is a good place to look for images related to a specific theme. Many of these works are for sale but you are free to look at them, take notes, sketch.
David Rumsey Visual Collections
Over 300,000 images including high resolution historic maps, and images of art, history, and culture from over 50 collections.
LIFE Photo Archive hosted by Google
Photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750's to today.
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Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google.
VADS (Visual Arts Data Service)
Online resource of freely available images in art and design (based in the UK). A alternative to ARTstor.
Visual Resources Collection (VRC) at the UNC Charlotte School of Architecture
The Visual Resources Collection (VRC) is a UNC Charlotte resource with holdings of approximately 70,000 digital images and 86,000 analog images. College of Arts and Architecture Students can request access from Jenna Duncan, jduncan@uncc.edu.
MCNY Image Collection
Explore New York’s past through over 165,000 images and objects from the collections of the Museum of the City of New York.
The British Library
The British Library’s collections on Flickr Commons offer access to millions of public domain images. The release of these collections into the public domain represent the Library's desire to improve knowledge of and about them, to enable novel and unexpected ways of using them, and to begin working with researchers to explore and interpret large scale digital collections.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Collections
Works of Art from the Timeline of Art History
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Primary Sources: Newspapers

19th Century British Library Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Contains full runs of 48 newspapers specially selected by the British Library to best represent nineteenth century Britain.
African American Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Contains information about cultural life and history during the 1800's and includes first-hand reports of the major events and issues of the day, including the Mexican War, Presidential and Congressional addresses, the humanities, world travel and religion.
African American Newspapers Series 1: 1827-1998 This link opens in a new window
Provides access to U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African-American experience. This collection includes historically significant papers and features many rare 19th-century titles.
America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Searchable American newspaper collections, including African American Newspapers Series 1, 1827-1998; Caribbean Newspapers, 1718-1876; South Carolina's Historical Newspapers; Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980; and selected historical newspapers.
American Hebrew and Jewish Messenger (1857-1922) This link opens in a new window
The American Hebrew was a weekly Jewish newspaper published in New York City. In 1903 it merged with the Jewish Messenger. Covered many topics of Jewish interest internationally.
Indigenous Newspapers in North America, 1828-2016 (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
A collection of national periodicals as well as local community news and student publications from Indigenous peoples of the US and Canada
Atlanta Constitution (1868-1942) This link opens in a new window
Newspaper includes obituaries, stocks and editorials.
Caribbean Newspapers, 1718-1876 This link opens in a new window
140 newspaper titles from 22 islands from the 18th and 19th centuries. Research Colonial history, the Atlantic slave trade, New World slavery, and more. Most of these newspapers were published in English, but some non-English titles are also included.
Charlotte Observer (1886-present) This link opens in a new window
Charlotte Observer online from 1886 to the present.
Chicago Defender (1910-1975) This link opens in a new window
A leading African-American newspaper, with more than two-thirds of its readership outside of Chicago.
Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980 This link opens in a new window
Spanish-language newspapers printed in the U.S. during 19th and 20th centuries. Many of these newspapers were published bilingually in Spanish and English.
Latin American Newspapers (Series I), 1805-1922 This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to more than 30 Latin American newspapers published 1805-1922.
Latin American Newspapers (Series II), 1822-1922 This link opens in a new window
Series II of Latin American Newspapers expands the number of titles available from this region, including from some countries and cities not represented in Series I.
New York Times Historical Archives (1851-2020) This link opens in a new window
Major global newspaper including news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, as well as photos and advertisements.
North Carolina Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
North Carolina Historical newspapers from late 1700s to 1859
South Carolina's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
South Carolina Historical newspapers from late 1700s to 1859.
Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Historical newspaper archive with full-text coverage of the Times from 1785 to 2013. Supports research across multiple disciplines including business, humanities, political science, and philosophy with coverage of all major international historical events.
Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive This link opens in a new window
Full coverage from 1902-2019. Reviews of books in many disciplines, theatre, musical performances, art exhibitions, film, media, and other cultural events as well as editorial and commentary articles.

Primary Sources: Databases

19th Century British Pamphlets This link opens in a new window
Contains the most significant British pamphlets from the 19th century held in UK research libraries. Pamphlets were an important means of public debate, covering the key political, social, technological, and environmental issues of their day.
African American Communities (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Focusing predominantly on Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, New York, and towns and cities in North Carolina this resource presents multiple aspects of the African American community through pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals, correspondence, official records, reports and in-depth oral histories.
American Civil War: Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Provides access to more than 400 sources of diaries, letters, and memoirs from the Civil War era.
Indigenous Histories and Cultures of North America (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Presents unique insight into interactions between American Indians and Europeans from their earliest contact, continuing through the turbulence of the American Civil War, the on-going repercussions of government legislation, right up to the civil rights movement of the mid- to late-twentieth century
American Periodicals This link opens in a new window
Full text periodicals published between 1740 and 1940.
China: Culture and Society (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Spanning three centuries (c1750-1929), these rare pamphlets represent an extensive collection of literature on China and the Chinese in the Western world.
Colonial America (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Covering the period 1606 to the 1770s, the collection covers the early history of the colonies, records of piracy and seaborne rivalry with the French and Spanish, military material from the French and Indian War of 1756-63, and the social and political protest that led to the Declaration of Independence. It is also particularly rich in material relating to military affairs and American Indians.
Defining Gender (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to a vast body of original British source material that will enrich the teaching and research experience of those studying history, literature, sociology and education from a gendered perspective.
Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800 This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text and full-page-image access to books, pamphlets and broadsides printed in America from 1639-1800.
Early English Books Online (EEBO) This link opens in a new window
Digital facsimile page images of historical works from 1473 to 1700.
Eighteenth Century Collection Online (ECCO) This link opens in a new window
Works published in the UK during the 18th century.
Eighteenth Century Drama (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
A unique archive of almost every play submitted for licence between 1737 and 1824, includes hundreds of documents that provide social context for the plays.
Eighteenth Century Journals Portal (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Bringing together rare journals printed between c. 1685 and 1835, this resource illuminates all aspects of eighteenth-century social, political and literary life. Topics covered are wide-ranging and include colonial life, provincial and rural affairs and the French and American revolutions.
Everyday Life and Women in America (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Showcases unique primary source material for the study of American social, cultural, and popular history in the 19th and early 20th centuries, c. 1800-1920.
Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
Search across Gale UK primary source collections.
Global Commodities (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
This resource explores the history and background of key commodities that have been a part of the world's trading operations for hundreds of years. Through manuscripts, printed and visual primary source materials, and data visualizations, you will find valuable knowledge on how these key commodities have influenced our lives, trading operations, and social practices.
History Commons - North America This link opens in a new window
19th Century African American newspapers, American County Histories to 1900, American Civil War Primary Sources, and more.
Literary Manuscripts Berg (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Contains unpublished poems, working notebooks, and early annotated editions from the Victorian period's most famous authors. Also showcases the business of Victorian publishing through documenting the relationship between writers and their publishers through correspondence and financial and legal documents.
Literary Manuscripts Leeds (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Offers scans of 190 manuscripts from the 17th and 18th century. Collection includes poetry, household accounts, medicinal recipes, and draft letters through printed and handwritten works.
London Low Life (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Contains color digital images of rare books, ephemera, maps and other materials relating to street culture and social reform in 18th,19th and early 20th century London.
Medieval Travel Writing (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Explores travel writing from the later medieval period chiefly focusing on journeys through central Asia and the Far East. Maps, individual manuscript illuminations, and and some modern translations of key travel texts also included.
Milestone Documents in American History This link opens in a new window
Combines primary source documents in American and world history with expert analysis and commentary.
Mountain People: Life and Culture in Appalachia This link opens in a new window
Diaries, journals and narratives of explorers, emigrants, military men, Native Americans and travelers to Appalachia.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Colonial to 1950 - includes the experiences of 632 women as revealed in diaries and letters.
Perdita Manuscripts (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Explores women authors who were "lost" due to their writing only existing in an unpublished manuscript form. The manuscripts in this database were all written by women in the British Isles during the 16th and 17th centuries.
ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
Provides access to Congressional information, including bills, laws, regulations, reports, documents, prints, the Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Register, and the Congressional Record. Also includes information about members of Congress such as biographical data, voting records, campaign financial data and committees. Also includes legislative histories, bills and laws as well as regulations.
Punch Historical Archive, 1841-1992 This link opens in a new window
Iconic British humor and satire magazine. For research on 19th and 20th century political social history.
Romanticism (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Uncovers some of the best known literature and fine art of the Romantic era. All documents are digitized in color and include verse and printed manuscripts, diaries, travel journals, guidebooks, fine art, and maps.
Shakespeare in Performance (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Showcases rare and unique prompt books that tell the story of Shakespeare's plays as they were performed throughout Great Britain, the United States, and internationally between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries.
Travel Writing, Spectacle and World History (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Explores travel accounts by women using diaries, correspondence, drawings, guidebooks, and postcards. Sources cover a variety of topics including customs, exploration, the British Empire, family life, diplomacy and more. Primary sources range from 1818- the 1970s.
Trench Journals and Unit Magazines of the First World War This link opens in a new window
A unique source of information on the common serviceman and woman’s experience of the war. Limit your search by language, unit name, type, origin or location, etc.
Victorian Popular Culture (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Explores Victorian social history through the growth of entertainment and leisure activities ranging from freak shows and seances to music halls and the first moving pictures.
Women in The National Archives, Kew (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Includes a finding aid to women's studies resources in The National Archives (UK) and original documents pertaining to women's suffrage in Britain, the British Empire, and other colonial territories c. 1903-1962.