Novel Research

I've been knocking an idea for a novel around in my head for a while.  This afternoon, I sat down and started doing some research for it.  The research gave me all sorts of ideas for things for my characters to do.  I also got some ideas on what kind of setting I want to create.

I think that I am going to have to return to some old classics for some points of canonical reference.  I was thinking of maybe having a certain amount of illness, so I was thinking that maybe I would need to return to the early parts of Jane Eyre where Jane is living in that terrible "Christian" school.  And then I thought about returning to Wide Sargasso Sea, and then after that maybe the Anne of Green Gables novels. 
I've only decided on a few characters, but I know I want there to be a specific group of characters and have all sorts of dramatic things happen to them.  The one character I have decided on has personal motivations and I've already parsed out motivations other characters have concerning her. 
I don't think I'm going to have enough time to write this novel anytime soon, but doing the preliminary work for it is fun.  It sort of feels like day dreaming, only it's all about how I'm going to write something amazing and important.