I’ve been working on a scene that involves the main character styling her hair. After reading about the process, I realized that I’d need to actually have this experience to be able to put it on the page.

This is what I usually look like:

Here’s me as I waited for my hair to be perfectly dry. The instructions were very clear that this step should not be rushed. I learned later that this would have been a good thing to do before bed. I also learned (relearned) that I have no patience.

While I waited for the pinned up curls to dry, I went to work on my kitchen. It struck me as I was scrubbing a shelf that this is a fairly authentic experience. My family lives in a farmhouse built in 1898. We still have some open shelves where modern houses would have closed cupboards. On my shelves you’ll find an old-fashion coffee grinder and a series of clamp-top canning jars.

Hours later I finally released my hair from those obnoxious pins. The result…disappointing. I didn’t look a think like the pictures in vintage magazines. If I had been a young woman in the 1930s, I may have shaved my head and worn a wig. At least I’d have had it cut shorter and without layers. I actually had to pin back some of my hair for the picture.

So there you go. Not all adventures in research are successful. I think I’ll look into hats next.