Noah
asked
Elizabeth Wein:
I loved Code Name Verity! Where did you get the idea for the story, and why did you choose to write about WWII? Was it difficult to find enough information to make the story accurate?
Elizabeth Wein
Hi Noah - sorry I missed your question somehow! Hope you're still interested in hearing the answer! I got the idea for the story because I had just got a pilot's license, and I was interested in learning more about women in aviation. When I discovered the women who were Air Transport Auxiliary pilots during WWII, I thought they'd make a great focus for a novel. I went to see an exhibit at the Imperial War Museum in London called "Women in Wartime" hoping to learn more, and that's where I first learned about the women who were spies and agents for the Special Operations Executive. They were also fascinating, and I decided to combine the two in a single story.
It wasn't difficult finding the information to make the story accurate, because there is a TON of research and archiving that has been done and which is readily available, and there are also people still living who participated in the war. The problem was more that there is SO MUCH information that the writer has a hard time deciding what to use and what to leave out. I find that it's often best just to write the bones of the story - the interactions of the characters - and then check facts and fill in details as part of the editorial process. That keeps the story fresh.
Thanks for your interest, and your kind words about Code Name Verity!
It wasn't difficult finding the information to make the story accurate, because there is a TON of research and archiving that has been done and which is readily available, and there are also people still living who participated in the war. The problem was more that there is SO MUCH information that the writer has a hard time deciding what to use and what to leave out. I find that it's often best just to write the bones of the story - the interactions of the characters - and then check facts and fill in details as part of the editorial process. That keeps the story fresh.
Thanks for your interest, and your kind words about Code Name Verity!
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more