Did And Do They Have Pearls of Wisdom?

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

Have you ever wished you could sit down with some authors from the past, you know, the ones that have gone before us? Pick their brains, spend time talking with them, asking questions of how they did this or that?

Madeleine L’Engle said, “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children." Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer who wrote young adult fiction, including A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters and An Acceptable Time.

I like her advice, mainly because sometimes when we are writing it seems we are trying to put a story in a genre, and it just doesn’t fit. Have you ever found yourself in that situation? Obviously at some point in her writing journey Madeline did or she wouldn’t have given that advice. With over 60 books written, she obviously has given us sound guidance. By the way, many of her papers are at Wheaton College in Illinois. So, I would like to sit down with her and discuss many things but especially when do you make that decision to change your direction.

Now one may wonder what Harper Lee’s advice could be, since she wrote one book and it was a long time until the next. But she said, “Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself... It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of his divine discontent.” As we all know she wrote To Kill A Mocking Bird. I would like to sit down and ask her what was in the back of her mind when she was writing this book. I would like to know when she finished and after it was made into a movie and after many years of not publishing, what were her thoughts after it was made into a movie. Was she happy with it? Did she wish she had changed any of the book?

Another author, George Orwell said, “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” His real name was Eric Arthur Blair, writing under the pen name George Orwell. He was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. He also said, He who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” One can’t help but wonder after reading his books, where that quote came from. He wrote such books as Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm, Down and Out in Paris and London, The Road to Wigan Pier, Homage to Catalonia and Burmese Days.

His quote about writing a book is depressing and I want to ask him, why did you write if you were that miserable and in pain? I can honestly say I have never heard an author say that about writing.

We could ask them, why they think their stories resonated with readers? What would they do different? What was the one technique they fill helped them more than any other?

What questions would you like to ask writers from the past? Here are three different people, three different styles–voices and three different writing techniques. Do you by chance find one common thread among their writing?

Giving Your Characters a Name

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine

From To Kill A Mockingbirds Atticus Finch to The Legend of Sleepy Hollows Ichabod Crane character names tend to stick with you. Naming them can be a challenge. Being the responsibility of the author it is important you choose wisely. These names will stick and how well they stick is up to the name you give them. Let’s look at these names and how they came about.

The character of Ichabod Crane was based on the Kinderhook schoolmaster by the name of Jesse Merwin.  Although the character was based on the schoolmaster the name Ichabod is of course a Biblical name but the name Ichabod Crane was the name of an Army Colonel Irving had met in Sackets Harbor, New York in 1814. Both Merwin and Colonel Crane were said to be friends of Irving. No doubt both impressed the author so that he combined their character and name to create one of American Literature’s most memorable characters.

The origin of the name Atticus Finch was best known as the Roman philosopher Titus Pomponius Atticus. Although the name is not uncommon in the Southern United States it’s seldom seen. The character was based on Harper Lee’s father, an Alabama lawyer who like Finch represented black defendants. Lee saw her father as a hero so who better to base her hero on than her father.  Book Magazine’s list of The 100 Best Character Names in Fiction since 1900 names Atticus Finch as the Seventh best fictional character of 20th-century literature. Gregory Peck brought more fame to Atticus Finch in the 1962 film adaptation with an Academy Award performance. In 2003 the American Film Institute voted Atticus Finch as the greatest hero of all American cinema. Great job Harper Lee!

If you run into concerns when naming your character you may want to consult with a study of names, their connotation and possible effect on individuals throughout their life. Studies say a good name is a simple name. There is the idea that names play a role in determining our career. This is known as nominative determinism. It is explained as implicit egotism which states humans have an unconscious preference for things they associate with themselves. The more the character’s name has in association with your readers the more connection there will be.

Look into naming your character by Googling naming characters. There is an endless amount of information ranging from consideration of ethnicity to fantasy names. A lot of the times you will want to research the name and its origin. Like so many things what’s old is new again. Whether you have an attorney named Atticus or a school teacher named Ichabod they will need to be carried by a good story. The combination of a good story and a good character name is a winning combo. When naming your character give it some thought.                       

  

Atticus Finch, Say It Ain’t So

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine

Fifty-five years and forty million copies of To Kill a Mockingbird gave Atticus Finch legendary status as a hero in the literary world. To add to Atticus Finch’s fame was a Pulitzer Prize awarded his creator Harper Lee, a Hollywood movie, which he was portrayed by one of Hollywood’s greatest actors Gregory Peck. It also was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning three one of which was awarded to Peck for his portrayal of the hero Atticus Finch. This Southern Gothic was also a coming of age read for many in that it shined a light on the racial injustice suffered by many. The book and the hero are so imbedded and clearly defined in our minds and hearts as well as in our culture it could be hard to imagine life without them.

So after all this time with our minds firmly wrapped around this fine hero and the heroic deed in which he overcame the greatest of social injustices we are presented with an alternative view which many have stated they refuse to accept. Atticus Finch’s creator has decided to release her sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird which was written some years earlier but is set some twenty years after. Go Set a Watchman depicts our hero as a KKK member and segregationist.  

In Go Set a Watchman we see the dark side of our hero. Many have voiced their feelings on social media. Some harsh statements have been made referring to Atticus Finch as a racist. Some have said it is like discovering there isn’t a Santa Clause or Easter Bunny.  Twitter is all a twit! Our great Saint is now revealed as a demon. What a turn?

Go Set a Watchman may be as shocking to us today as the idea behind To Kill a Mockingbird was in 1960. Atticus Finch is seen as a complicated individual, serving his personal beliefs as well as his civil and moral obligations even though they are in direct conflict. There are two sides to every individual. From David and Solomon to the present day politicians, sports figures or celebrities we have seen both good and bad. Atticus Finch is no different.   

So what do we do? We do what is hoped we will do. We first update ourselves on To Kill a Mockingbird. In recent days sales have increased 73%. We then buy the sequel! If we are lucky we will be able to get our hands on one of the first 2 million in print. We read Go Set a Watchman to find for ourselves what all the fuss is about. We read it to discover the rest of the story of Atticus Finch as told by his daughter Scout. We read it to follow the works of a great author.

Will it change our minds and hearts about our great hero? Will you cry, “Atticus Finch, say it ain’t so?” I would like to hear from you afterwards.    

  

   

Writing Rejects and Lost Stories Can Lead To Best Sellers

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine 

What do you do with writing projects that have been rejected, or you've abandoned for another day? Do you file them? Do you shred them? Do you tear them up in little itty, bitty, bits of paper? Do you thumbtack them to the eaves above your writing space like Stephen King did? You might want to rethink these options after the experience of Harper Lee and Dr. Seuss aka Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Dr. Seuss, whose lyrical writing with fantastical words and flowing rhythm are read by parents to children all over the world, had a best seller published in 2014. Dr. Seuss died in 1991. A dentist, and Seuss memorabilia collector turned author, DDS Charles D. Cohen discovered Redbook magazines from the 1950's while working on his 2004 book, "The Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel." In the 1950's Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated a story a month for Redbook Magazine. Now these previously magazine only published "lost stories" have been made into a best-selling book, "Horton and the Kwuggerbug and more Lost Stories." 

Seuss's widow, Audrey Geisel was renovating their home and found a box filled with pages of text and illustrations. This find resulted in the soon to be released new manuscript complete with sketches by Dr. Seuss entitled What Pet Should I Get?, with a release date of July 28, 2015. These discovered stories will introduce millennium children to new stories created by a man who died in the twentieth century. Pretty amazing. 

Down south, Harper "Nelle" Lee's original rejected first manuscript was placed in her deceased sister and lawyer's safety deposit box. Alice Lee died in November 2014, and after her death, the original manuscript was discovered. The original manuscript submitted was reworked by Harper Lee. The published reworked manuscript became, To Kill A Mockingbird. The book published July 11, 1960 tells the story through the viewpoint of a child. The brilliance of this edit and Miss Lee's willingness to rewrite led to its success and is required reading for school children nationwide. 

Southern author, Harper Lee turned 89 this week. She is getting a terrific birthday present on July 14, 2015, her 1959 original manuscript will be published. I can't wait to read about Scout as an adult. Miss Lee will more than likely have another best seller on her hands with the release of Go Set A Watchman. The title comes from a Bible verse, Isaiah 21:6, "For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth." What an amazing story to have a best seller at age 34 and age 89.

Every writer has discarded work. The lessons to learn from Dr. Seuss and Harper Lee is to organize your stories in such a way that they can be pulled out and be tweaked and reworked into possibly best sellers.