Saguaro cactus only grow in the Phoenix area, get out of the city and drive into the desert if you want. Go north of carefree or cave creek if you want flat dessert. Palm trees do grow in deserts.
You can also go west, NW of Phoenix and get a desert feel. Phoenix itself is a now a metropolitan area.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.