October Novel Prep Challenge

I received this question via email from Mousethyme:

The October 20th exercise has examples and lists for if you are doing a magical world. That's fine and dandy.

However, I am not doing a magical world.....

I just need a little nudge to make it easier to understand.....

It would be helpful to know what your particular story is about so we could brainstorm relevant examples, but lacking that info at the moment, I'll use some non-speculative story examples.

In Kathryn Stockett's The Help, you might describe:
- what the job of a colored maid entailed (aka, what does "the help" refer to?)
- what the role of a southern housewife was
- the magazine Harper & Row, where journalist Skeeter aspires to submit her article
- laws governing what blacks still can and cannot do in Mississippi at the time of the story (aka why maids are scared to tell their stories)

In Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, you might describe:
- The Great Recession, which caused the financial troubles that kicked off the story
- Standard police procedures for missing persons cases
- The life insurance policy Nick recently increased on his wife, Amy, before her disappearance
- Punch and Judy puppets (which Amy planted as a clue)
- Fertility clinics

Does this help? Anyone else have examples?

Cheers,
Michelle