Writer's Help - Writing ages and research

[Bells]

I hope some of you fine folks can help me out with this... as also, i think this sort of think it's pretty helpfull to anyone writing anything seriously...

So, i have my own little novel in the works. It's something of long long time (i have the story forming up in my mind for at least 5 years now...) and to be quite honest, y'all scared me. But in a good way.

After i saw this whole twilight business it just hitted me, y'know? Hey... i want a 60 million deal just like that lady, but hell if i want people bashing my work...

I guess we can say it gave me motivation to go an extra mile just to make sure that it comes out the very best it can come out...

Now, as all lazy fat bastards, i have the whole thing in mind. Right down to any piece of major dialogue. A ton of notes... and i still need to sit down and do this thing. even if it is an hour a day or whatever...

But there is this thing i just cant stop doing... research.

You see, i cant help nor avoide the fact that i just love to connect my fantasy to actual timeline. Give it all it's own spin withing the book... the my major problem is that since day one this story was huge... it covers over 2000 years (yeah... i know... )

So i have a story that comes all the way from Stonehenge around 1800bc to france around 2025 (current era).

But the bulk of the story really goes around the 11th century of the 2nd millenium (so, around 1001 - 1090 Ac )

So here i am, overwhelmed with all this material... the iron age, the brozen age, the connections of the 10th century to the 11th century, all these mytologies.... and i really love it but it's kinda hard to focus.

Right now, im basicly using Wikipedia. Im not writing a history book, it's a fantasy Book. It has Angels and Demons, it has greek mythology and norse mythology... so all i really wanted was to focus on good elements. Inspirational stuff... im looking for the "cool stuff". And it's hard. Each element you search gives you a path to other 3-4 great elements...

So i turn to you... where do you go to research? what sources are good? Is there any element that you like or tool to research?

Also, please, use this thread to talk about this sorts of things... do you research when writing? Have you found new things that made their way into what you're working on?