This week: Historical Writing Edited by: 💀Legerdemaim💀 More Newsletters By This Editor
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Historical Writing
When writing historical fiction, I feel it is necessary to remember what is going on around the events you're writing about.
Before the 1440's books were created by hand copying each page and assembling the book. Once the printing press was invented by Johann Gutenberg, books were slightly more accessible. This created a widespread advance in knowledge and education since the information was available. This created another boom in politics, information spread quickly and spurred a lot of discussion and empowering voters.
Christopher Columbus discovered America, history tells us. Not only did he expand geographical knowledge of the European world, but also spurred more interaction between nations. It created a spread of information, trade, and even diseases.
Look at the Industrial Revolution, there are tons of ideas there! Innovations like the steam engine, factories, and with it, pollution. The years 1760 – 1840 were a turning point for an increase in population, a better standard of living, and economy. Things moved away from small farms, artisan handicrafts, and a simple style of living. It's funny how many of us are moving back to simpler living.
In summary, think about your story arc and the outside influences history has on that time.
And as always, Write On!
This month's question: Do you feel research on your story's era helps or hinders your creativity?
Answer below Editors love feedback! |
WDC SITE CONTEST:
Quote Prompt for September 2024: "It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." — Bill Gates
You have 24 hours to write a winner!
Excerpt: When he saw it, he stopped. He thought about walking backwards. He thought about hiding behind a tree. He thought many things all at once and didn’t do any of them. He froze. Staring. His mouth slightly opened.
“What’s with you, kid? Never seen a unicorn before?”
| | The Pumpkin Demon (E) This is an old prompt story that I have reworked from a few years ago on another website. #2327139 by PaisleyS |
Excerpt: As a young girl, I remember hearing an old legend that was told each year at Halloween. It was about a place near my old hometown called Old Greenville. The town name was originally Greenville, but something had happened there, causing the entire community to be moved to another location several miles away.
| | The 23 Enigma (E) Cramp Entry: Chelsea and Dillon await the news that he may receive a power untold. #2303900 by Than Pence |
Excerpt: “What if I’m the Vessel?”
Chelsea looked at her adult son. Though normally a broad, tall man, Dillon currently sat hunched over his well-worn copy of the Chronicles at Chelsea’s kitchen table. “What do you mean?” she finally answered.
Excerpt: It wasn’t always bitterly cold. Just most of the time. Few villages remained within the boundaries of Wyveria.
Excerpt: Van life has its joys and its challenges.
I had made it as far as Skykomish, Washington when the snow started to fall.
Excerpt: Juanin and Noorva watch the large Image Monitor in front of them as a huge metal structure above a tall and wide opening into a mountain behind this structure when it explodes, sending pieces of this structure everywhere. The bottom half of it falls to cover this opening mostly. Except for a few small holes around the top of it.
Excerpt: I cringed. "Shea, is that you?" Whenever Shea showed up, I knew he brought trouble—trouble in the form of my son, Max. I opened the door to the garage. A gaggle of twelve-year-old kids, pushing, hollering, and laughing, silenced when they saw my face. Shea spoke up.
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This month's question: Do you feel research on your story's era helps or hinders your creativity?
Last month's "Action/Adventure Newsletter (August 28, 2024)" question: How do you impart morality and good decisions in your writing without seeming preachy?
severed head : Simply by showing the actions. But "good", "morality" and "evil" are man-made constructs; what is one for one person or culture may not he so for another. I have characters do what is right for them.
Dr. Jeffyll, or Mr. Hyde? : I'm still trying to figure out how to impart morality and good decisions in the little humans I'm raising. When I figure that out, I'm sure it'll translate to my fiction writing.
Returning Poet PNG : I simply state things as I believe them or as I need them to be for the sake of each particular story or poem. It's not a matter of judgement. IMHO moral judgement is only necessary, in a broad sense, at the personal level. Moral judgement at the community level is only necessary to safeguard the rights of all. There we get into mores and social norms. As writers, we don't always show morality as we believe it should be, or even as we perceive it to actually be. Morality, from the story's point of view, begins and ends within that story, is defined by the story even more than by the writer, and often bears no relation to the so-called 'real world.'
♥OctOGRE tHiNg♥ : I guess by showing (not telling) good resolutions to challenges when good decisions are made. The writer gets to decide what is good.
oldgreywolf scribbles : Altruistic behavior without requesting, demanding, or expecting recompense. Survival-positive decisions and activities that benefit not just individuals, but whole communities. Helping those in need, and protecting those who can't protect themselves.
By the time a civilization has reached Type I (KARDASHEV scale), and especially as it approaches Type II, this should be standard.
Now, us? We're estimated to be 0.7 or (maybe) 0.8. It's a long way to go to 0.9, and even farther to Type I. Theoretically, there's a whole band of quantum alternative histories where we and our analogs live in very close congruency. The (slim) probability that at least one history will reach Type I is heartening, but will it be the one we inhabit? Don't take any bets.
I don't write much about Terran Humans, but there's some.
I've studied enough history to be certain that some individuals of our species, finding an Indigenous People, will resort to the enslavement or genocide that "god's chosen" have been noted for on our planet. The main difference is that, in the reality I write about, when caught, such individiuals are summarily executed. By law.
Fortunately, exploration is more important that exploitation in my notional realities. Saves money on ammunition.
THANKFUL SONALI in Octo-BOO : In fact I have been told I sound preachy a couple of times, I hope I've improved since then.
HollisFrances : Demonstrating morality/good decisions is the best communication. Not judgment.
Bob : In the old days it was the good guy, or the hero who imparted those qualities to the reader/listener.
"What's that? He gave me a silver bullet."
"Who was that masked man?"
"Why, pilgrim, that was the lone ranger."
deltablue : Character's actions or dialogue.
Dad : Wow! 24 years. And you've had to put up with Dad for 23 of them!
Jaycin Alexis : Actions speak louder than words, I just let my characters DO good things even if they're questioning themselves, to allow good things to come to them later.
Thank you, everyone, for your thoughtful responses, your feedback is much appreciated! L~
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