About Me

Saturday, January 10, 2015

I Dig Researching


Researching for accuracy is one of my favorite writing-related activities. Whatever time setting I place the characters of the novel I'm developing, I strive to incorporate tidbits that reveal the environment and culture of that period.

For a present work-in-progress I needed to learn more about the 'homefront of WWII' - how did our country being involved in a war affect those at home and what activities were they involved in as their part of the effort?

One of the cliches of WWII is Rosie the Riveter. Looking behind the scene, so to speak, I discovered Rosie was an actual person. Let me quote what I learned:

Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984), a Hollywood leading man, traveled to the Willow Run aircraft plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to make a promotional film encouraging the sale of war bonds. One of the women employed at the factory, Rose Will Monroe (1920-97), was a riveter involved in the construction of B-24 and B-29 bombers. Monroe, a real-life Rosie the Riveter, was recruited to appear in Pidgeon’s film.

It just so happens that I also write a weekly blog for Venture Galleries.com about interesting cities I've come across, their origin and history. The week of January 6th I featured the city of Ypsilanti, Michigan. If you're interested in learning more about this fascinating place, you can read more at: http://venturegalleries.com/blog/historic-america-happened-ypsilanti/

3 comments:

  1. Gay, Great story. You make researching seems less boring.

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  2. I enjoyed this, not just because I've always admired Rosie the Riveter, but I do quite a bit of research for my historical fiction AND ended up writing about the book I'm reading which is full of delicious facts which will shape my story set in mid-19th Century upper Canada. I'm here from UBC and hope you'll visit! http://bethandwriting.blogspot.com

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    1. Research is a vital part of my writing perhaps because I try to be as historically accurate about the settings I choose for my novels. Will come by http://bethandwriting.blogspot.com and say hi.

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