Writers are known to make things up as you go.

Even the writer Tananarive Due said that sometimes, as a writer, that you must ‘make up’ what you need. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, yet, there are things that you must be mindful of.

A good rule of thumb as a writer is that if you have elements in your story that have a basis in your current reality (geography, specific people, certain lore, etc), you need to have a trusted site to reference. Here is where we get tp the meat of the matter: open sources vs. closed sources.

Open sources: this is software (or a cite) that everyone can see, anyone can modify and can share as they see fit. Since these sources are not regulated, they are not trusted. This is why Wikipedia is not a trusted source.

Closed sources:  systems use code that is proprietary and kept secret to prevent its use by other entities. Traditionally, they are sold for a profit. Only the original authors of software can access, copy, and alter that software. These are articles are found on search engines (Google, Bing, etc).

What I want you to remember on your journey to writing is you always want to use a closed source because it will grant you accurate information. When you are constructing a world, you need accurate information. Once you have a foundation of information, you can augment as you see fit–but you need that foundation to be sure!

Research Tip #2: Bookmark your resource sites, It will save your heartache in the long run. You’re welcome.