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Novel Research: Town History

It’s always fun to dig into the history of the town you’re writing about.

Many famous people grew up in small towns, which is really surprising. Ronald Reagan grew up in Dixon, Illinois, and Abraham Lincoln in New Salem, Illinois (and Kentucky). When I began researching the town I’m writing about, I learned a lot about the town’s native authors. Several authors who wrote famously about this small, Midwestern town grew up in the town and moved away after graduation, only to write about their towns later in life.

Reinhold Niebuhr

Renowned theologian and author Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr grew up in Lincoln, Illinois. Reinhold Niebuhr

Doing research behind the author of the famous poem, “The Serenity Prayer,” I discovered that Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr grew up in Lincoln, Illinois. His father was the administrator of the state-of-the-art Deaconess Hospital in Lincoln. One of his brothers, Walter, was managing editor of the Lincoln Daily NewsHerald newspaper, until he passed away in 1946.
Niebuhr children
Siblings, Left to Right: H. Richard, Reinhold, Hulda, and Walter Niebuhr
A theologian, Reinhold was Dean and Professor of Applied Christianity at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. His photo was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1948. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, and was in the top 100 most influential people in the twentieth century (Life magazine, 1990).
While he did not write much about his hometown as did other authors who grew up there, Niebuhr wrote about thought-provoking and often controversial subjects. He wrote about the spirituality of man and direction of its society shortly after WWII. Several of his titles are Moral Man and Immoral Society, The Nature and Destiny of Man, The Irony of American History, Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic, among other titles that explored society, the human soul, and politics.
Incidentally, in my first (unpublished) manuscript set during WWII, my main character mentions “The Serenity Prayer,” which was published in the early 1940s.
William Maxwell
William-Keepers-Maxwell-Jr-local-author-tisha-martin-historical-fictionWilliam Maxwell was one of two locals who wrote extensively about their hometown. His stories and novels are often deep, exploring the social and psychological aspects of people living in a small town. According to online research, Maxwell was born in Lincoln, Illinois on August 16, 1908. His parents were William Keepers Maxwell and Eva Blossom (née Blinn) Maxwell. He attended Senn High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1930 where he was class salutatorian, poetry editor of The Daily Illini, and a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. Maxwell earned a master’s degree at Harvard University. Maxwell taught English briefly at the University of Illinois before moving to New York. (Wikipedia.)
Maxwell wrote of tough but necessary topics, such as social and psychological strains of the small town and how various events affected him. Only three of his short stories held happier moments and included people from his childhood. For example Miss Vera Brown  was a popular fifth-grade teacher, whose death devastates her male students (“Love” in All the Days and Nights 245-248). Another example is Mr. Danforth, the venerable horse veterinarian whose advice is quietly sought by many townspeople (Time Will Darken It). A third example is Lincoln College biology Professor Chris Oglevee, who ably mentors the Cub Scout troop of the First Presbyterian Church (“With Reference to an Incident at a Bridge” [For Eudora Welty] in All the Days and Nights 265-269). (D. L. Henson, Finding Lincoln Illinois.)
But one incident happened in his life that he wrote searchingly but fondly of. During the Spanish Flu of 1918, young Maxwell and his mother became ill. Maxwell recovered but his mother did not. Her death devastated the family, and his father sent the boy to live with relatives in Bloomington, a town nearly an hour away, which would have been quite a trip in 1918. He later rejoined his father in Chicago. Maxwell’s story They Came Like Swallows depicts this event so vividly and shows how such a wide-spread epidemic (that spread all the way to Philadelphia) affected an eight-year-old boy from a small Midwestern town.
In my current WIP, I dive a bit into the social history of the townspeople that my journalist is writing about. The more she uncovers about one of the oldest buildings in town, the more prominent folks will stop at nothing to silence her.
So, the next time you’re writing historical fiction or reading historical fiction, appreciate the amount of research the author took to create even a small scene to “get the facts just right.” It really adds meaning to the depth of the novel.
What interesting towns have you read about?
Photos: Courtesy of D. L. Henson and Wikipedia
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Novel Research: Town History

It’s always fun to dig into the history of the town you’re writing about.

Many famous people grew up in small towns, which is really surprising. Ronald Reagan grew up in Dixon, Illinois, and Abraham Lincoln in New Salem, Illinois (and Kentucky). However, several authors who wrote famously about this small, Midwestern town grew up in the town and moved away after graduation, only to write about their towns later in life.

Reinhold Niebuhr

Renowned theologian and author Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr grew up in Lincoln, Illinois. Reinhold Niebuhr

Doing a bit of research behind the author of the famous poem, “The Serenity Prayer,” I discovered that Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr grew up in Lincoln, Illinois. His father was the administrator of the state-of-the-art Deaconess Hospital in Lincoln. One of his brothers, Walter, was managing editor of the Lincoln Daily NewsHerald newspaper, until he passed away in 1946.
Niebuhr children
Siblings, Left to Right: H. Richard, Reinhold, Hulda, and Walter Niebuhr
A theologian, Reinhold was Dean and Professor of Applied Christianity at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. His photo was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1948. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, and was in the top 100 most influential people in the twentieth century (Life magazine, 1990).
While he did not write much about his hometown as other authors who grew up there did, Niebuhr wrote about thought-provoking and often controversial subjects. He wrote about the spirituality of man and direction of its society shortly after WWII. Several of his titles are Moral Man and Immoral Society, The Nature and Destiny of Man, The Irony of American History, Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic, among other titles that explored society, the human soul, and politics.
Incidentally, in my first (unpublished) novel set during WWII, my main character mentions “The Serenity Prayer,” even though the poem wasn’t published until the early 1950s.
William Maxwell
William-Keepers-Maxwell-Jr-local-author-tisha-martin-historical-fictionWilliam Maxwell was one of two locals who wrote extensively about their hometown. His stories and novels are often deep, exploring the social and psychological aspects of people living in a small town. According to online research, Maxwell was born in Lincoln, Illinois on August 16, 1908. His parents were William Keepers Maxwell and Eva Blossom (née Blinn) Maxwell. He attended Senn High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1930 where he was class salutatorian, poetry editor of The Daily Illini, and a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. Maxwell earned a master’s degree at Harvard University. Maxwell taught English briefly at the University of Illinois before moving to New York. (Wikipedia.)
Maxwell wrote of tough but necessary topics, such as social and psychological strains of the small town and how various events affected him. Only three of his short stories held happier moments and included people from his childhood. For example Miss Vera Brown  was a popular fifth-grade teacher, whose death devastates her male students (“Love” in All the Days and Nights 245-248). Another example is Mr. Danforth, the venerable horse veterinarian whose advice is quietly sought by many townspeople (Time Will Darken It). A third example is Lincoln College biology Professor Chris Oglevee, who ably mentors the Cub Scout troop of the First Presbyterian Church (“With Reference to an Incident at a Bridge” [For Eudora Welty] in All the Days and Nights 265-269). (D. L. Henson, Finding Lincoln Illinois.)
But one incident happened in his life that he wrote searchingly but fondly of. During the Spanish Flu of 1918, young Maxwell and his mother became ill. Maxwell recovered but his mother did not. Her death devastated the family, and his father sent the boy to live with relatives in Bloomington, a town nearly an hour away, which would have been quite a trip in 1918. He later rejoined his father in Chicago. Maxwell’s story They Came Like Swallows depicts this event so vividly and shows how such a wide-spread epidemic (that spread all the way to Philadelphia) affected an eight-year-old boy from a small Midwestern town.
In my current WIP, I dive a bit into the social history of the townspeople that my journalist is writing about. The more juice she uncovers about one of the oldest buildings in town, the more prominent folks will stop at nothing to silence her.
So, the next time you’re writing historical fiction or reading historical fiction, appreciate the amount of research the author took to create even a small scene to “get the facts just right.” It really adds meaning to the depth of the novel.
What interesting town research have you read about or uncovered?
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15 Survival Quotes for Writers

ebay 8-12-09 001

This blog post first appeared here, September 8, 2016.

Recently, I attended the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Association yearly conference in Nashville. Armed with my program booklet for the four-day conference, I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the various sessions the conference offered.

In this post, I’ve included only a snippet of key elements and survival tips taught in the sessions–elements that caused me to sit up and take notice. Hope they are an encouragement to you as well.
Erin Healy, How To Think Like Your Editor

  • Authors who edit place high values on their books. (And readers will thank you.)
  • Don’t give up ownership.
  • Read your story like a reader, for emotion. Read your story like an editor, for clarity.
  • About Erin

Susan May Warren & Rachel Hauck, Supercharge Your Series

  • Put all your good stuff into one book, and pitch that book.
  • Create over-arching character.
  • Put the secret in the middle of the book. Don’t wait until the end.
  • Keep raising the stakes.
  • About Susan

Steve Laube, Developing a Thick Skin

  • Criticism is a form of rejection, but “No” means “I believe in you. You can do much better,” which essentially, is a huge encouragement.
  • Don’t engage the critic publicly. Own the mistake.
  • Emotion is essential to good writing.
  • Persistence is Key.
  • About Steve

What survival tips do you have? Please share!

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Novel Research: Town History

It’s always fun to dig into the history of the town you’re writing about.

Many famous people grew up in small towns, which is really surprising. Ronald Reagan grew up in Dixon, Illinois, and Abraham Lincoln in New Salem, Illinois (and Kentucky). However, several authors who wrote famously about this small, Midwestern town grew up in the town and moved away after graduation, only to write about their towns later in life.

Reinhold Niebuhr

Renowned theologian and author Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr grew up in Lincoln, Illinois. Reinhold Niebuhr

 

Doing a bit of research behind the author of the famous poem, “The Serenity Prayer,” I discovered that Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr grew up in Lincoln, Illinois. His father was the administrator of the state-of-the-art Deaconess Hospital in Lincoln. One of his brothers, Walter, was managing editor of the Lincoln Daily NewsHerald newspaper, until he passed away in 1946.
Niebuhr children
Siblings, Left to Right: H. Richard, Reinhold, Hulda, and Walter Niebuhr
A theologian, Reinhold was Dean and Professor of Applied Christianity at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. His photo was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1948. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, and was in the top 100 most influential people in the twentieth century (Life magazine, 1990).
While he did not write much about his hometown as other authors who grew up there did, Niebuhr wrote about thought-provoking and often controversial subjects. He wrote about the spirituality of man and direction of its society shortly after WWII. Several of his titles are Moral Man and Immoral Society, The Nature and Destiny of Man, The Irony of American History, Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic, among other titles that explored society, the human soul, and politics.
William Maxwell
William-Keepers-Maxwell-Jr-local-author-tisha-martin-historical-fictionWilliam Maxwell was one of two locals who wrote extensively about their hometown. His stories and novels are often deep, exploring the social and psychological aspects of people living in a small town. According to online research, Maxwell was born in Lincoln, Illinois on August 16, 1908. His parents were William Keepers Maxwell and Eva Blossom (née Blinn) Maxwell. He attended Senn High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1930 where he was class salutatorian, poetry editor of The Daily Illini, and a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. Maxwell earned a master’s degree at Harvard University. Maxwell taught English briefly at the University of Illinois before moving to New York. (Wikipedia.)
Maxwell wrote of tough but necessary topics, such as social and psychological strains of the small town and how various events affected him. Only three of his short stories held happier moments and included people from his childhood. For example Miss Vera Brown  was a popular fifth-grade teacher, whose death devastates her male students (“Love” in All the Days and Nights 245-248). Another example is Mr. Danforth, the venerable horse veterinarian whose advice is quietly sought by many townspeople (Time Will Darken It). A third example is Lincoln College biology Professor Chris Oglevee, who ably mentors the Cub Scout troop of the First Presbyterian Church (“With Reference to an Incident at a Bridge” [For Eudora Welty] in All the Days and Nights 265-269). (D. L. Henson, Finding Lincoln Illinois.)
But one incident happened in his life that he wrote searchingly but fondly of. During the Spanish Flu of 1918, young Maxwell and his mother became ill. Maxwell recovered but his mother did not. Her death devastated the family, and his father sent the boy to live with relatives in Bloomington, a town nearly an hour away, which would have been quite a trip in 1918. He later rejoined his father in Chicago. Maxwell’s story They Came Like Swallows depicts this event so vividly and shows how such a wide-spread epidemic (that spread all the way to Philadelphia) affected an eight-year-old boy from a small Midwestern town.
So, the next time you’re writing historical fiction or reading historical fiction, appreciate the amount of research the author took to create even a small scene to “get the facts just right.” It really adds meaning to the depth of the novel.
What interesting town research have you read about or uncovered?
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8 Survival Quotes for Writers

fanned book

This blog post first appeared here, September 22, 2016.

Recently, I attended the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Association yearly conference in Nashville. Armed with my program booklet for the four-day conference, I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the various sessions the conference offered.

In this post, I’ve included more snippets of key elements and survival tips taught in the sessions–elements that caused me to sit up and take notice. Hope they are an encouragement to you as well.

Susan May Warren & Rachel Hauck, Go! Write Something Brilliant

  • Start the novel at the core of the problem.
  • How well a reader connects with and cares for your character determines the success of the story.
  • Find the universal emotion that is relate with.
  • What can your character do at the end that he couldn’t do at the beginning?
  • About Susan
  • About Rachel

Janice Thompson, Sustaining a Lucrative Writing Career

  • Good things come to those who have a strategy plan.
  • Keep your name out there and in front of readers/editors.
  • Have  your brand on your Facebook header.
  • Throw arrogance into the trashcan.
  • About Janice

photo cred: google

 

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Wartime Etiquette

social etiquette during world war two

In times of war, drastic measures must be taken, but according to Emily Post, a man or woman must not abandon his or her etiquette just because a war’s on. In her 913-page volume of “Etiquette: The Blue Book of Social Usage,” dear Emily Post devotes the very last section to wartime etiquette because Congress had made new rules regarding social etiquette. And it’s really quite interesting.

In 1943, Congress suggested corrections and additions to social etiquette. Here are a few:

Junior Reserve Officers’ Dislike of “Mister”

The junior officers thought it impractical etiquette to be addressed as “Mister.” On page 876a, “As they themselves put it, they are in the service ‘just to fight’ and they don’t want to wait to be called by their military titles until they have reached senior grade. Therefore, the title “Mister,” always used on certain occasions by the Regulars, is shunned by the Reserves, and “Lieutenant This” and “Ensign That,” or even Ensign with no name following it — is frankly preferred” (876a-876b).

No Man In Uniform Doffs Hat

While a civilian must remove his hat when in the presence of a lady, a military man is not permitted to remove his hat in public (876b).

*This is why the courier does not remove his hat when delivering a wartime telegram to Laurie’s dad in the first chapter of my novel.

Women Wearing Miniature Insignia

Wives, mothers, sisters, and best girls are not permitted to wear full sized insignia under Army or Navy regulations (876b).

*My character Laurie wears a two miniature insignia to support her dad and best friend who serve in the Army and Army Air Corps.

If you have any bit of military etiquette that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Photo cred: Unsplash.com

 

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Harness Racing: Maywood Racetrack

race-horses

Have you ever been so excited to jump on a research wagon, that you seriously contemplated jumping right back off of it when you hit smack-hard into a roadblock?

After coming back from the #ACFW2016 writers conference this past August, I had to re-evaluate my trilogy. As it stood, all three of my novels was split between male and female protagonists. I had thought that since it was about a family, then it would be okay. Wrong.

In my effort to spread one trilogy into three eras, I discovered that it wouldn’t be as hard as I thought to come up with baseline book ideas for each trilogy.

For the Korean War trilogy, I decided to borrow a small idea from my great Uncle Oscar, who was involved with harness racing at the  Maywood Race track in Melrose Park, IL. I don’t know much about my Uncle Oscar. And as far as I knew, his photograph was still up in the main office at the park, so I had a very good chance of contacting someone and having a successful conversation with whomever could help answer my questions.

But conducting quick Google search sent my hopes falling to the ground.

Due to financial constraints, the race track had closed its doors in fall 2015.

How would this affect my chances of researching and writing a good trilogy that also connected me to my distant relatives and their lives? Well, I would have to work harder — that didn’t deter me any. Research must be my middle name.

Sometimes, book planning throws hiccups in the road and we have to roll with the bumps. I hope that this journey of gathering information about the Maywood Race track will be successful, and that I can in some small way, preserve the rich history of this beautiful park and Standardbred race horses.

What do you do when your researching plans fall through, or you encounter roadblocks?

 

Photo Credit: (Top) Pinterest (Left) Maywood Race Track, Hall of Fame driver-trainer Frank Ervin with 1949 and 1952 Harness Horse of the Year Good Time. (Right) Maywood Race Track, Maywood Park’s leading driver of the 1950s Harry Burright gives some handicapping pointers to stage, screen and singing star Jeanette MacDonald.

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8 Survival Quotes for Writers

fanned book

Recently, I attended the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Association yearly conference in Nashville. Armed with my program booklet for the four-day conference, I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the various sessions the conference offered.

In this post, I’ve included more snippets of key elements and survival tips taught in the sessions–elements that caused me to sit up and take notice. Hope they are an encouragement to you as well.

Susan May Warren & Rachel Hauck, Go! Write Something Brilliant

  • Start at the novel at the core of the problem.
  • How well a reader connects with and cares for your character determines the success of the story.
  • Find the universal emotion that is relate with.
  • What can your character do at the end that he couldn’t do at the beginning?
  • About Susan
  • About Rachel

Janice Thompson, Sustaining a Lucrative Writing Career

  • Good things come to those who have a strategy plan.
  • Keep your name out there and in front of readers/editors.
  • Have  your brand on your Facebook header.
  • Throw arrogance into the trashcan.
  • About Janice

photo cred: google

 

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Article Review: Humanities vs. STEM

A photo by Patrick Tomasso. unsplash.com/photos/Oaqk7qqNh_c

Recently, a concerned Cara Putman had shared an article about parents who discouraged their college-age children from selecting  a major within the humanities department. After reading the article about College Students & Humanities , I was also concerned.

Why would parents want to dissuade their children from the voracious love of learning literature, exploring the world of art and music, taking up the pen and writing? Although important, education and teaching are not the end-all thrust of a humanities major.

True, we live in a techno world and thrive on its savvy uses for daily living and business strategy. However, I’m not discrediting STEM courses at all — they are very important to our society and culture, with nearly the entire population online, conversing through social media, and we certainly need skilled engineers to build our buildings and create safe havens for us, scientists to preserve the validity of our universe, math geeks to keep the world organized, LOL, and tech-savvy people to help us when our computers are sick. What I am crediting is that there is still a need for both STEM and the humanities.

But if we don’t encourage today’s students to explore, study, and appreciate the humanities, how will future generations learn how to read, develop critical thinking skills, or pronounce a seventeen-letter word correctly? How will future generations own words and meaning for themselves? How will they fill out job applications accurately? How will they communicate? Surely we can’t have robots do all the work and succumb ourselves to a Wall-E world! 😉

As long as there are people, there shall be words, and there will be those who write them, read them, explain them because, to quote the most literary Book (even according to Richard Dawkins) in the world, the King James Bible, “The words of the Lord are pure,” (Ps. 12:6) and “they shall not return to me void.” (Isa. 55:11). In John 1:1, God was the Word itself; therefore, words have transcended time.

words ray bradbury you don't have to burn books

My favorite word-preserved fiction novel is Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. In it, Bradbury preserves the beauty of words, books, and the art of thinking, and this was back in the 1960s. Without an appreciation for words, we die a slow and painful death — the death of leaving empty brains numb in a body shell.

Are most parents’ hopes for their children choosing a STEM major in college as a return on the parents’ investment a decline  on the value of books and writing and free, creative thinking? I may have struck a shaky string here, but I think it’s a topic worth reviewing. I’d love to hear your civil thoughts. 🙂

Photo Cred: unsplash.com & google

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15 Survival Quotes for Writers

ebay 8-12-09 001

Recently, I attended the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Association yearly conference in Nashville. Armed with my program booklet for the four-day conference, I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the various sessions the conference offered.

In this post, I’ve included only a snippet of key elements and survival tips taught in the sessions–elements that caused me to sit up and take notice. Hope they are an encouragement to you as well.

Erin Healy, How To Think Like Your Editor

  • Authors who edit place high values on their books. (And readers will thank you.)
  • Don’t give up ownership.
  • Read your story like a reader, for emotion. Read your story like an editor, for clarity.
  • About Erin

Chip MacGregor, Working With an Agent in the New Industry

  • The writer has opportunity more than ever now in the publishing industry.
  • How and where can I market? (author branding)
  • All art is hard.
  • The author is a miniature business
  • About Chip

Susan May Warren & Rachel Hauck, Supercharge Your Series

  • Put all your good stuff into one book, and pitch that book.
  • Create over-arching character.
  • Put the secret in the middle of the book. Don’t wait until the end.
  • Keep raising the stakes.
  • About Susan

Steve Laube, Developing a Thick Skin

  • Criticism is a form of rejection, but “No” means “I believe in you. You can do much better,” which essentially, is a huge encouragement.
  • Don’t engage the critic publicly. Own the mistake.
  • Emotion is essential to good writing.
  • Persistence is Key.
  • About Steve

 

What survival tips do you have? Please share!