August Newsletter: Women Who Dared
Where I found inspiration for writing strong female characters from history
You might not be interested in history or the daring women who changed the course of it, but don’t let that dissuade you from reading on. Be daring!
I have something a little different for you in this months newsletter. I’ve included the usual writing updates, my latest reads, and 12 new poetry prompts, + 5 bonus prompts just for my readers, but I wanted to take you on a research journey that led me down a rabbit hole into a forgotten chunk of Australian history, and the women who fed the nation while the men were at war- sometimes unpaid and definitely unrecognised.
When I sat down to write this newsletter, I was met with a whirlwind of thoughts. So many things have happened over the past month that I wanted to share with my readers-some of them I’m dying to tell you but can’t reveal just yet- hint: the title of my poetry book. After some thought, I started thinking about where our ideas as writers come from and how we create these complex, bold, interesting, sometimes quirky, or downright evil characters, and I thought back to what has inspired some of my characters and stories. A big part of my writing, both fiction and poetry is inspired by strong, daring women both present day and in history, and the experience of being a girl or woman.
Over the past few weeks I have revisited and edited a short story I wrote in April 2023 about the Australian Women’s Land Army. This mostly forgotten and undervalued group of women are now close to my heart and I feel everyone should know about them. So, it only feels right to delve a little into the inspiration behind the story.
You might think you have nothing in common with the women of the Australian Women’s Land Army (AWLA), set up during World War II to combat rising labour shortages in farming, but life would be very different now if these women didn’t step into the traditional roles of men, and drive their shovels into the Australian dirt to bring us food and pave the way for future generations.
Girls with Grit
The rabbit hole in my research journey appeared when I was reading a short story that had won a competition in Broken Hill. It sparked my interest about what went on here at home in Australia during WWII.
This period of time has been a keen interest of mine since I was a child. I’ve devoured books, movies and documentaries on it, and written a number of short stories, but I didn’t really know a lot about the people who kept our country going.
The short story I read depicted a German-Australian being sent to an internment camp after being classified as an “enemy alien” by the government. I frantically bookmarked website after website on internment camps and read stories of the people interned before landing on a website about the Australian Women’s Land Army.
Now this was something that struck a chord with me. I’d never heard of the Australian Women’s Land Army who were everyday women, often from the city with no farming background, leaving their lives behind to drive tractors, sow fields, harvest, milk cows, pick grapes, and mark lambs. I remember thinking, these girls have gumption and grit! There’s a story here. There was no glamour in what they did but they were prepared to get their hands dirty even for half the pay of men. They were a catalyst for change and showed the world they were just as capable.
But how did these women inspire the fight for social change and equality?
Politics of Pants
The call for working women was meant to be temporary. But, they’d thrived on a taste of personal and financial freedom. They had more confidence and new skills. They wanted more.
Not only did the war period expand employment opportunities for women, it ignited concern over what women should wear- Sound familiar? Many of the jobs undertaken in factories and farming made traditional garments like skirts impractical.
The first thing I did was look at photographs of the AWLA girls to see what they wore. The working uniform of the AWLA was a bib-and-brace overall worn with pride. Today, it’s normal to see women wearing pants. It gives us equal opportunity to act, move and perform alongside men. However, this simple garment is historically loaded with values and was seen as a threat to the natural order of things. Trousers were a symbol of man-power and separated the genders.
World War II was an era of progress where the power-trouser became the norm for women’s work, initiating decades of struggle to spread acceptance of female pants (I’d like to say a personal thank you, as a fellow lover of pants!).
It may not seem much- pants- but it was a symbol of freedom!
These women showed the world they were just as capable as men- and did it wearing pants- playing a crucial role in the success of the war. Surely they would be honoured for their contribution, right?
Fighting in the Fields and Flax
Like so many times throughout the history of woman, the women of the AWLA were no different. They had to fight for recognition. More than 3000 women were apart of the land army. But despite trying to have them recognised as an official military auxiliary force like female counterparts in the navy, air force and army, they remained a civilian organisation and were not given the same benefits as members of other women’s services. It took until 1997 for them to be awarded with an official civilian service medal.
Before my research took me into obscure corners of the internet, I had no idea this historically important group of women existed. I wondered how many other people were unaware. Writing this story became a labour of passion. I needed to share their story with the world.
My research journey was long and difficult, often coming across the same few scraps of information on the internet. Many of the official records were destroyed quickly after the end of WWII and are lost to history. I found a few books but they were either no longer in print or hard to get my hands on, and so writing this story proved challenging but it was something I now held dear in my heart.
With the research I gathered, I decided to set the story on a flax farm in Riddells Creek, Victoria, based around much loved characters, Wallis, Betty, Margot and Matron. Flax was one of the most important products during World War II. It was used for equipment, clothing, coats, parachute harnesses, tarpaulins, ropes and even cover gliders to transport troops. Flax seemed like a big deal so I set out to learn everything about growing, harvesting, retting, and transporting flax. I’m basically a flax farmer now. The things we do for a story!
Whilst my short story is fictional, I have taken snippets from the real life stories of the women of AWLA and weaved them throughout.
So, this month has led me to editing this much loved story in hopes it can find a home published in a magazine so I can share the story of the daring women of the Australian Women’s Land Army with the daring people of today.
If history hasn’t recognised these women, then hopefully the present can. They deserve at least that.
Does it Make you Angry?
There should be more written about the women of the AWLA. More written about women in general- inventors, scientists, adventurers who have had their work overshadowed or stolen by male counterparts, or had attempts to wipe them from history like the women of the AWLA. 50 years to recognise the women who fed a nation and paved the way for the women of today is not good enough.
There should be books and articles flooded with stories recognising the women who have shaped and are shaping this world for the better.
But history tells me we have far to go.
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
-Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Oh, good! You’re still here.
I hope you enjoyed reading about the women of the Australian Women’s Land Army and now hold them dear in your heart just as I do.
Let me reward you for reading this far by giving you an advanced look at this month’s poetry prompts with 5 bonus prompts just for you!
September Poetry Prompts
Here are some poetry prompts for the month ahead in the hope you find inspiration for writing. Share your poems on instagram or threads and tag @zoelawriewriter so I can share your marvellous writing. Enjoy!
as the sun blew out
a moment with the moon
long way down
last september
taking a risk
old stories
through the dark
the flowers whispered stories
off the worn track
drifting beyond sight
mental gardening
how to grow
Bonus Prompts:
good grief
i regret this the most
i’ve become a locked door
would it have made a difference
in another time
Writing News
The Frayed Edge of Winter
While the cold weather hasn’t completely gone here is Australia, spring is nudging itself back into view with wattle and blossoms of all kinds blooming and wreaking havoc for hay-fever suffers. The days are getting longer and I’m feeling the pressure to pick up pace on finishing this poetry book. It is, of course an imaginary pressure. A time line I’ve made up and can change willingly.
I finished draft 3 earlier this week and have written 34 new poems-mostly on grief, loss and struggles with self-love- to help strengthen the overarching story.
I’ve also decided on a title for my poetry book- I will share it with you soon!
This coming month, I’m dedicating my attention to draft 4 where I will tighten the layout of my poems ensuring they are in the best possible order for you to enjoy!
Bookworm News
This month has seen me read a little more than usual. If you follow me on instagram, you’ll know I read at a snail paaaaace… BUT! I’ve managed to read more than 1 book!
The first book I read was ‘Dirty Thirty’ by Janet Evanovich. I devour this series and love that she releases a new book or two each year to feed my cravings for this fun, quirky cosy crime series.
Now you all know historical fiction is a great love of mine, so it wouldn’t surprise you that my current read is a historical fiction book called ‘The Winemaker’s Wife’ by Kristen Harmel. It’s been sitting in my TBR pile for almost 2 years and now I simply can’t wait to get into bed and read.
As the seasonal pace changes, I am trying to be mindful of the need to rest and meet the needs of my energy levels before heading into the generally busier warmer months ahead. I hope you are also taking care of yourself going into the last quarter of the year.
Until next month’s newsletter, may your September be full of ease and good reading.
From me to you, with written love,
Zoë
This is awesome! I'm currently researching and writing about WW1. I am working on a novel based on an ancestor's war experience. He was from Scotland, but moved to Australia in 1911 and fought for the ANZACs in WW1.
My Substack is where I geek out over all the cool stuff I found. I'm very interested in this because I particularly love the lesser known heroes or events. I recently wrote an article about the Canary Girls and I'm working on one about the Hello Girls.
Great post 👍 women played important roles during Wars… both at home & in uniform 💜