Change the World with Your Writing-Using History to Change the Future Part 1

By p m terrell, Columnist for Southern Writers Magazine

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” -- novelist George Santayana (1863-1952)

Those words have been repeated innumerable times in countless variations. Authors are in a unique position of bringing history to the masses, not in the form of unimaginative lists of dates and titles but in stirring emotionally charged scenes. Consider the statement that some people were abducted, taken halfway around the world, and placed into slavery. Now imagine the scene in Alex Haley’s bestselling book, Roots, in which Kunta Kinte arrives in America and is sold to a Virginia plantation owner. They both tell the same story, but one is so emotionally charged as to make it unforgettable.

Three Books for Every Library

By  Paul Yarbrough

I once told a friend there were three books every Southerner should have in his library:  Gone with the Wind, I’ll Take My Stand, and the Bible. I did comment––“Not necessarily in that order.”  It’s not that all Southern prose, from Virginia to Texas, is captured by these, but they do reach into the Southern soul for a view of life––past, present and future.  That is what I want to write and read about, the South and its life; past, present and future. The South is more than worthy of study.

There hardly exist, in my opinion, a population of characters more colorful and charismatic than Southerners. But they exist when, as Dr. Clyde Wilson has stated in Defending Dixie, one understands that one of the greatest Southern writers, William Faulkner. 1 wrote about Southerners who were not simply “aristocrats” and “poor whites.” Because Faulkner knew the South and knew that they were not simply that. Most were between those groups. And they all were made of flesh with demonstrably great accomplishments as well as great sins.

The three works I mentioned above encapsulate the greatness and wonder of the American South which includes it treasures, its pride, its kindness and its flaws. The South has never been puritanical. That is, again my opinion, a Yankee trait. i.e. New England.

Southern stories include blemishes of its characters. I Certainly recommend Flannery O’Conner at this point. Puritanical stories are largely about a mythical “American exceptionalism.” No defects.

The South has had its greats such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee. It also has had its murderers, drunkards and vagabonds. Gone With the Wind demonstrates in historical novel fashion this wide variety; I’ll Take My Stand in multiple essay accounts shows the humanness, hard work and sincerity of the South.  

The Bible in no uncertain terms reveals greatness and failure (Saul for example). But the ultimate revelation is that there is no chance for the puritanical polish of mankind by other men. Purity comes from the sacrifice of one man. The South did not give itself the name “The Bible Belt.” The name was given to it. I was born and raised in the South, Mississippi; schooled and married into the wonderful state of Louisiana; and have lived and probably will die in one of God’s most prized places on earth—Texas.

There may be those who know the South better than I. But there are none that love it more.

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 Paul Yarbrough was born and reared in Mississippi and have lived in both Louisiana and Texas. I have spent most of my business career in the oil business. I took up writing as a hobby 15 years ago and love to write about the South. I am just about finished with a fourth novel which takes place in Texas, circa 1953. I write some short stories and essays. One of my favorites is a Southern site, The Abbeville Institute. They have even posted a couple of short stories of mine as well as essays and one poem. I like to write poetry though I have only one poem posted. I mostly do it like the rest of my writing, as a hobby. I had a former friend in another Southern state, herself a fine writer, offering advice but she dropped out. So, I don’t do so much verse now.

Who Are Your Characters?

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

Margaret Mitchell's novel, Gone with the Wind, released eighty-one years ago in 1936. The story was set in the American South against the backdrop of the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. The film tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara, the strong-willed daughter of a Georgia plantation owner, her romantic pursuit of Ashley Wilkes, who married his cousin, Melanie Hamilton, to her marriage to Rhett Butler.

To this day, we remember, Margaret Mitchell, the author and the characters she created. Rhett Butler (we swooned over him), Melanie Hamilton and Ashley Wilkes, but above all we remember the character, Scarlett O’Hara.

Margaret Mitchell wrote Scarlett’s character with so many flaws we couldn’t help but hate her at times . . . she was driven by her on demons, selfish, spoiled,  as well as a narcissist; yet she had an inward strength that caused us to root for her.

If you study her character, Scarlett was smart and had a force inside her that defied her being like the women of that era––the women of that day were supposed to take back seats, not go bull headed into matters that belonged in the men’s arena. Yet she did. Her morals played havoc with her mind; she wanted Ashley so bad . Yet, something drew her to Melanie. If you study the character and take all the flaws and all the qualities she had you will find a true protagonist.

One you can get angry with, hate and at the same time love and pull for her to win.

In contrast to Scarlett’s character you have Melanie. It has been said that her character is one of the strongest people in the entire story. She had a clear moral backbone, understanding heart and saw the good in people. Her character is shy and sweet and moves with a grace that warms the hearts of people around her. She is more interested in discussing literature than frilly dresses.

When we are creating our protagonist, we need to strip everything down to the core. Who is our character? What is the core of their desire? What is the conflict?

What drives our character? Is it duty? Is it a goal? That core desire needs to be something that is universal; something everyone can relate to.

At first we think the core desire of Scarlett is to get Ashley for herself. But that isn’t her core desire. That core desire was to save her beloved Tara! She was driven by that and left no stone unturned to achieve that goal. Through this she showed a bravery and courage that surpassed what we thought she had in her.

So, what about your protagonist? What is their core goal!

WHAT’S IN A TITLE?

By Vicki Moss, Contributing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine

Everything.

A good title that sums up a novel’s theme can draw a reader in on a hook that won’t bend. A bad title can send someone to another shelf in the bookstore or for a caffeinated latte. 

Would Gone With the Windsound as romantic if the book had been titled Gone with the Civil War or Gone with Granny’s Silver?  

Another example is Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. The title is fitting—literary perfection. The ex-Texas rangers are lonesome. And the landscape is so stark and lonesome the rocks seem to weep and a reader feels the skies will be swarmed any minute with endless clouds of mourning doves crying for Christ’s second coming.

   

But how to find a title that hooks? McMurtry says, “I didn’t even have a title, until, by a miracle, I got one. There was an old church bus sitting in seeming abandonment beside a Texas road I was driving along. The sign on the bus said LONESOME DOVE BAPTIST CHURCH. I knew, at once, that I had had a piece of luck; I drove straight home and wrote the novel. A good title can save a book, and the sign on the old fading bus saved mine; tragic though it is it has added some happiness to the world.”

  

What goes for novels also goes for articles. After interviewing bestselling author Lee Smith, I sent my article in to Southern Writers Magazine’s Creative Director, Gary Fearon, to add graphics. I’d titled the article “From Meatloaf to Magical Thinking.” When I received the article back for approval, the title had been changed to one that included the word “mountains”—in part, because Lee writes a lot about the Appalachian Mountains and their people. Fitting. Gary also changed the title in part because—and rightly so—he felt that an elegant lady such as Lee might take offense at the word meatloaf…in her title.   

While, sometimes, two heads really are better than one and collaboration and respect for Gary’s expertise is what I hold dear in working so closely with him because I value his input, I liked my title better and was going to fight for it like Sherman on his fire path from Atlanta to the big pond.      

My thinking: Meatloaf and “magical thinking” were written into Lee’s interview because she’d shared about her piano teacher’s house always smelling like meatloaf and she laughed about people wearing football jerseys on game day for magical thinking their team would win if they did so. All in the article.   

Almost like Abraham going to God to negotiate about saving any righteous in the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. And because I think so highly of Gary’s writing skills and judgment when it comes to layout and titles—I invoked the graphics guru to beseech, implore, and beg like a junkyard dog on a tethered leash trying to get a taste of an out-of-reach Sunday-supper bone, to keep my title. 

After a couple of emails back and forth with me saying something like, “I know Lee Smith personally. She’s had hundreds of articles written about her with “mountains” in the title and I think she would love my meatloaf title because it’s different and meatloaf is just funny. Why don’t we let her weigh in so she can make the final decision?” 

Gary, gracious as always, agreed. Lee Smith wrote back, her humorous voice evermore shining through even in an email, “I vote for meatloaf!” 

That said, trying to dicker with an editor or the Creative Director on every title they might want to change isn’t always wise. A Creative Director might have a certain piece of artwork in mind that compliments a different title along with making an article “pop” more. 

In summation, when it comes to titles, try to find the best title for your book and keep it short if possible—the title along with the cover are obviously the first two things readers see. And if the title is worth a donnybrook when your work goes to an editor, duke it out.

Most editors know best—although some of the big city editors don’t understand some “Southern” terminology like chirt roads (my experience) or why Southerners are so enamored with sweet tea—but that’s when it’s necessary to gently explain the often times unexplainable. 

And for the tale’s end of this title epistle, know that most editors have usually been in the business for a while and know what works, what sells. So tread softly. Be flexible. No need for lacing up the gloves and fancy footwork if it’s not that big a deal. Wisely choose your fights before going into the ring or heading out of Atlanta on a fiery swath—you don’t want to intentionally step in anyone’s meatloaf.    

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Vicki H. Moss writes across a variety of genres and is Contributing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine. A columnist and contributor to seven anthologies, Vicki is also author of Adrift, Smelling Stinkweed, Rogue Hearts, and How to Write for Kids' Magazines while Writing with Voice is forthcoming. When she's not teaching writing workshops, and editing for others, she's making meatloaf. Vicki can be found on her website  www.livingwaterfiction.com, twitter: @VickiMoss and on FB as author Vicki Moss.

Writing a Civil War Novel?

By B. J. Robinson

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell stole my heart years ago.

I've always loved reading Civil War novels and touring antebellum plantations, so I decided to put these two loves to use in my latest novels, River Oaks Plantation and Romance under the Oaks. 

My first order of business involved research using the Internet, reading books on the Civil War, reading novels set during the era, attending a Civil-War reenactment, and putting to use the knowledge acquired through touring plantation homes in Louisiana. Items that must be researched not only include details of the war, but also the way the ladies dressed during the antebellum days, usually underneath seven layers of clothing, food during the era, hairstyles, and various other items to add realistic detail. Questions you might want to ask could include the following among others.

What caused the Civil War?

What slave names were used?

How can you describe a plantation so a reader can visualize it without using so many details it becomes boring?

What were some of the outbuildings and their use?

What important battles were fought in the locale of your novel?

When were the major battles fought that apply to the setting of your novel?

What important events took place?

How can I make my Civil War novel stand out as different among so many others?

What were the soldiers' uniforms like on both sides?

What was life like for those at home who were left behind when husbands and sons went to battle?

What was life like for soldiers on both sides?

How did the Civil War affect the state where your novel is set?

What literature was available during the time period and locale?

Don't skimp on small details that will make your novel authentic, but don't overdo them and use them as an information dump. Instead, sprinkle them in when it would make sense and show them in use as you show action within the novel. Use who, what, when, where, and how questions as well as what if when developing your novel. Be sure to use a correct timeline for the events and battles in your area.

A few facts I discovered during research that may be used no matter the locale of the novel include:

Soldiers used hardtack, a hard type of cracker or biscuit made from flour, water, and salt when salt was available. They needed food that would last a long time and would not perish.

Rag dolls or cornhusk dolls were given for Christmas. A little girl who received a rag doll during the Civil War was considered to have received a luxury gift, since not many were given because the rags were needed for the wounded.

Union soldiers carried hub wafers in their haversacks. They are today's Necco Wafers and were also used by soldiers during WWII.

Borden sweet condensed canned milk.

Corn meal with water and a pinch of salt made hoecakes for the South.

Sandalwood fans were used by the ladies who wore seven layers of clothing. They had dresses called day dresses or work dresses for use around the house and saved their elegant ball gowns for socials.

Beans were available, and if you lived in the New Orleans area, Mondays were red beans and rice day because women did the washing on Monday and a pot of beans could simmer on low for hours.

These are the type of small details that can make your novel realistic, so sprinkle them throughout your novel. You can make use of the Internet to discover others as I discovered these. Also Civil War reenactments show the type of clothing worn, soldiers' uniforms, and food used during the Civil War era.

Romance and love are still blowing in the wind and there’s still romance under the oaks though plantation life as planters knew it during the Civil War era is a thing of the past.

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B. J. Robinson is a multi-published, award-winning author who writes inspirational romantic suspense and historical fiction from Florida, where she lives with her husband and pets. River Oaks Plantation, her first full-length indie, won an Indie Award and was a top three finalist in the Grace Awards for 2013 in the historical romance category. She won an award through the Florida Writers Association, first prize in fiction-writing competition at Southeastern Louisiana University for a short story that was published in their literary magazine, Gambit. Her short story ran on the front page of a local newspaper three weeks as a serial. Magnolia: A Wilting Flower is an autobiographical novel which won first-runner up in Florida Writers Association (FWA) 2002 Royal Palm Award and took home a trophy. Southern Superstitions was developed from her first-prize-winning short story published in Southeastern Louisiana University's literary magazine, Gambit. She later developed it into a full-length romantic suspense novel set in Louisiana, Southern Superstitions. Calm Before the Storm was her first indie book published on the Amazon Kindle, and it won an indie award. She is an avid reader and passionate writer of women's fiction, romantic suspense, or historical fiction set in the Civil War and antebellum period. She has recently published her second Civil War novel set in Louisiana, Romance under the Oaks. Visit with the author at her Facebook Author Page and follow for updates. https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBJRobinson

Inspired by Locale, History, & Antebellum Plantation Homes

By B. J. Robinson 

What inspires your muse? As a lover of the outdoors and nature, I’m often inspired by spending time outside, especially around water such as lakes, rivers, or the ocean. Lately, I’ve found myself inspired by history of the antebellum era and touring old plantation homes. This is how I came to write my two latest novels River Oaks Plantation and Romance under the Oaks. Taking tours seeped in history allowed my mind to wander and wonder. Two novels were the result.

I’m also a product of the South complete with an accent that announces it, so locale plays an important part. If it’s about the South, I’ll be inspired. Due to this, other writers such as Eva Marie Everson inspire my muse. I loved her novel Unconditional and think it’s her best yet, though I also enjoyed her Cedar Key Series and Things Left Unspoken. If you’re stuck, read other authors in your genre or who write and set their books in a locale that inspires your muse.

As a teen, I loved Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind and always wanted to write a novel set on a plantation. There is something about the old homes beneath the live oaks and Spanish moss that stir me with romance of the past. I can’t help but imagine what life must have been like for young couples living during the antebellum era, ones who had to endure the Civil War. From the depths of my mind and history, I create characters that will transport you to another era.

One thing I am thankful for is that we don’t have to wear the yards of material and layers women did in those days. Gardening had to be an art. The South is too hot and humid to wear layers of clothing while gardening. I love the outdoors and working in my flowers, but I don’t know how much I would have enjoyed it back in the day.

My novels are character driven, and I’m a morning writer. I’ve always felt I did my best writing then. Once I get into a novel, the characters tell their story. In the wee hours of morning, I’m perking with the coffee.

In my latest novel, Romance under the Oaks, Celina loves the city of New Orleans, and Jacques loves the bayou country and quiet plantation life. Their differences and secrets could drive them apart. Celina hides something in the wall of the plantation and never tells Jacques about it. He keeps something from her even while he romances her under the oaks. Can their love survive differences and secrets? This family saga set on a planation fifty miles from New Orleans is more than a love story. It’s rich in New Orleans history. Learning inspired my muse as I researched and discovered things I never knew, though I was born in New Orleans.

So, what inspires my muse? Outdoors, nature, oak trees, Spanish moss, the antebellum era, old New Orleans, plantation homes, history, research, and learning, and reading other authors all enhance my creative mind and inspire me to create other worlds through characters who lived in the past and tell their own stories.

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B. J. Robinson is a multi-published, prize-winning author of Christian romantic suspense and historical romance.  River Oaks Plantation is a finalist in the Grace Awards.  She writes from Florida, blessed with her husband, children, grandchildren, pets, and faith. When she’s not writing, she’s reading and reviewing books. Visit her at http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com.

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