100 things #84 - The little Details matter

[jana_denardo]

There is one thing to always remember about historicals, the people who read them then to know their history. They will not hesitate to point out if you're wrong. I remember this even though it's been several years, a 20-something member of one of my on-line writers group cheerily announced she was going to write a historical but she found research boring so she wasn't going to do any. Several of us tried to point out that this would probably Not. Go. Well. We got that 'shut up, old people' attitude. I wonder sometimes if she ever really tried it.

The big things in history are pretty easy. Not even all that much research needed to find copious amounts of material. It's the little details that can be a downright bear to find. And not every historical period is as 'glamorous' as others. Victorian, Regency, Roman, you're covered. I'm struggling to find out things for the 1930s (especially specifically for Pittsburgh that isn't steel mill orientated). Yeah there's the Depression, thanks for that. Never knew. Rolls eyes. Now, it is important to find out things like when was Prohibition lifted (one of my first readers thought it was earlier than it was).

But what I really wanted was, how did every day life go? Yeah I asked grandma who was less than helpful (in spite of being married with a kid by then so I know she damn well remembers it). I have remnants of it in her house. My friend silvrethorn mentioned the other day about the rural areas not even having electricity or running water in the 19-teens (I forget now why we were discussing this other than she's writing a historical as well with the extra added layer of 'fun' because it's in another country, another language). Grandma had the kerosene lamps, the bowl/pitcher wash up combo, the metal wash tubs (we store wood in it now), cast iron clothes irons (I use it for a pannini press) and an outhouse (until 1952). The other grandma had the ginormous radio.

And that's what I mean by little things. In Soldiers of the Sun, Temple is an enormous fan of the radio. He loves music, loves to dance and is a radio drama junkie. He, like the other demon hunters, live in apartments inside the Soldiers' complex. It's not that spacious but the man has the biggest radio he could jam in there. It occurs to me, however, that some readers will have no idea that the radio I'm talking about isn't some little thing on a shelf (it is described a little).

So today I was at the Mothman Festival which was great for story ideas. Let's be honest, my upcoming holiday contemporary short story is an aberration for me and crazy stuff like Mothman gets my mind whirling (and let's not think too hard on the idea of normal doesn't enter my thoughts too often). It's my tradition to always go to the Mason Jar, a sizable antique store in Point Pleasant (gets me out of the sun, it's one of the few shops that doesn't die in PP's sadly decaying city center and I love antiques). This time I found two 20s-30s radios. Either of them would be perfect for Temple (wish they had the dates more specific) so I thought I'd share them.


This one is probably a little newer. It has knobs.

This is more what I had in mind. The door is used as volume control. If I had a house instead of a crappy apt, this one would have come home with me. I love it. It's in beautiful shape.

So yes, definitely, dig as much as you can to find those little details.

Comments

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Those are gorgeous radios! Both of them.

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

they really are. If you ever come back I'll have to run you down there

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

You know I'd love it.

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

yes I do. It's a nice one

[silvrethorn.livejournal.com]

That "Best Short Stories of 1932" has slice-of-life stories in it. That's mainly why I'm inflicting it on you. Valuable stuff, those details--they give you a feel for the period that looking at pictures and gathering historical facts never could. And I still recommend getting a copy of the 1927 Sears catalog. It's only five years off your chosen date, and tons of stuff from that catalog would still be in active use. Talk about everyday details--the catalog is full of them (and yes, there are radios in the catalog).

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

And I appreciate it (even if I work it into draft 3) Hmmm yes I should do that. I've done that before. (somewhere I still have the photocopy of an 1880s version of a Frommer guide).

Where to find a Sears catalog?

[silvrethorn.livejournal.com]

I saw a copy of the Sears catalog on Abe Books in fair condition for $5. Alibris has some for $12. They're cheap and not hard to find, and so very worth it for the workaday details. I built a lot of Frank Dollar's Victorian world from the 1897 Sears catalog. All the mundane crap is in there--kitchen utensils, hair pomades, feminine hygiene products (good for a laugh), sewing thread, candy, toys--anything you want to see. A caveat, though: The 1927 catalog is abridged, so some of the "less interesting" (to the editors) stuff is missing. The 1897 catalog was _not_ edited, lucky for me, but you'll find your catalog minus a number of pages :(.

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

oh cool. I'll have to do a search once test week is over

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

Those cabinets are gorgeous.

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

they are. Radios sure had style back then