Writing Memoir—a Cautionary Tale

By Drema Hall Berkheimer

                          

Writing Memoir is high on my list of Top Ten Ways to Torture Yourself. But if you are compelled, as I was, to tell your story, don’t say I didn’t warn you. My memoir, RUNNING ON RED DOG ROAD and Other Perilsof an Appalachian Childhood, was recently published by Zondervan.

It was a story I needed to tell.

Born and raised in Appalachia in the forties, I was the child of a coal miner killed in the mines, a Rosie the Riveter mother, and devout Pentecostal grandparents.

Writing about these people and this time and place was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It took me six years to complete the book, and for several of those years I wrote nothing at all, blindsided by memories that struck me dumb. Although I come from stoic stock and never cried, I could not write a page without a meltdown.

It was embarrassing. But I could not stop.

I was emotionally spiritually physically wrung out and hung up to dry.

Then, as often happens, fate intervened. A friend, struggling to complete her second novel, asked if I’d join her for morning writing sessions—the misery loves company thing. We’d log on at 7:00 AM and write for two hours. It was spring, and we were to finish by the end of the year. I rolled my eyes at her over the phone, but I agreed. Every morning I’d head to my office, settle in, and begin to write. It was awkward at first, and painful too. When there were tears, and there often were, I wrote through them. I kept at it—morning after morning became week after week then month after month. By the end of the year my friend finished her novel and, despite my eye-rolling, I finished my memoir.

I grew up in a remarkable multi-generational family in East Beckley, West Virginia, with gypsies, hobos, moonshiners, faith healers, and other quirky kith and kin dropping in to play character roles in my life story. It was an idyllic life, with some sad chapters, sure, but many more happy ones. Why then, if it was so wonderful, did this writing leave me drained? It was an enigma—until I realized that all the kin I wrote about are dead, except for me. Writing as child narrator, I got to know them on a whole new level—a strangely deeper and more mature one. I had not cried at their funerals, but I cried over them now. I’d had to resurrect them, live with them, and bury them again in order to tell their stories.

And yes, it was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

It was also the best.

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Drema Hall Berkheimer was born in a coal camp in Penman, West Virginia, the child of a coal miner who was killed in the mines, a Rosie the Riveter mother, and devout grandparents. Her tales of growing up in the company of gypsies, moonshiners, snake handlers, hobos, and faith healers, are published in numerous online and print journals. Excerpts from her memoir, RUNNING ON RED DOG ROAD and Other Perils of an AppalachianChildhood, won first place Nonfiction and First Honorable Mention Nonfiction in the 2010 West Virginia Writers competition. She is a member of West Virginia Writers, Salon Quatre, and The Writer’s Garret. Berkheimer will be on the panel with Homer Hickam at his Writer’s Workshop in Beckley WV in October. She lives in downtown Dallas with her husband and a neurotic cat. The cat takes after her. Her husband is mostly normal. Drema Hall Berkheimer’s books are Running on Red Dog Road And Other Perils of AnAppalachian Childhood. You can connect with Drema at  dremagirl@aol.com, dremahallberkheimer.com

http://www.dremahallberkheimer.com/im-just-sayin/, https://www.facebook.com/drema.berkheimer

Are You Your Protagonist? Overcoming the Challenges of Writing First-Person Fiction

By Stephanie Austin Edwards

“Good writing is about telling the truth,” bestselling author Anne Lamott has said.  Though I couldn’t agree with her more, when I reflect on this notion, I usually end up with a lump in my throat.

Of course, my aim is always to stay within the zone of truth.  However, like all writers I capture and cull ideas from a variety of sources. Those sources can be events told to us by others, events we have witnessed, or versions of actual events we experienced.  They can also be snippets from something we read or saw on TV, in a movie, in a magazine, or live theater or most importantly, what our creative source is showing us at the time.

Once captured, we must shape these ideas into something believable on the page.  If we do so successfully, the story will ring true and could potentially pass for biography or even memoir.  Thus the choice of first-person makes some people jump to the conclusion that a work of fiction is a memoir in disguise.

I’ve faced this conundrum time and again.  Only after I switched the voice from third to first person upon an editor’s recommendation during the process of drafting my first novel did the characters and the plot come alive.  And only then did the immediacy of the protagonist’s story grab the hearts of my critique group members when I read to them.  Making the switch was no easy task.  My novel, What We Set in Motion, is 374 pages. Changing from third to first person was an unforgivingly meticulous process, but I preserved.

Although far more engaged by the first-person narrative version, members of my critique group began referring to my protagonist as me. "When you had that argument with your daddy and he slammed his fist on the table..." They’d say.

I would gently correct the "you" to the protagonist’s name, Nadine, and proceed to address the questions. As this same mistake went on and on, I began to think that they didn’t get it, and I had made a huge mistake.

Ultimately, though, I became aware that in confusing my protagonist’s actions with my own, my readers were far more engaged in the story than they’d been before.

That, I discovered, is the beauty of first-person narrative.  Of course there is always some intersection between author and characters, fact and fiction, and a good novel always leaves readers wondering where to draw the line--even with third-person stories.  But first person brings a unique immediacy, grabbing readers’ hearts and imaginations in a particularly powerful and tangible way. 

There are, however, other drawbacks to choosing first person than mistaking an author for her characters. Readers might perceive a first-person story as lacking distance or feel that the worldview it offers is too narrow.  They may find that the point of view of secondary characters doesn’t shine through.  As the author, you may fall into the trap of using too much inner dialogue.

Here’s how I recommend overcoming the challenges these issues pose>

Lacking Distance

Stay away from too much internal dialogue and move the story forward with scenes showing the desires and emotions of other characters. In first person, when the narrator/protagonist reveals his or her emotions through dialogue or narration, a direct connection can be made with the reader.

Secondary Characters

In order to have a stimulating story, interweave subplots of other characters. Balance the narrator's storyline along with the stories of secondary characters and tie them all up at the end.

Inner Dialogue

Again, moving the story forward with scenes and subplots that rise and fall will help the narrator stay out of too much internal dialogue and narration summary. Write your story in scenes to ground the reader in the lives of all the characters. This will show the narrator's reactions rather than telling about it.

Once you’ve honed your craft to overcome these challenges, you’ll discover that the benefits of writing in first person are invigorating.  Besides the immediacy it brings to readers, first person allows us to create a greater sense of intimacy, a stronger connection with the protagonist and most of all, believability.

And if readers end up wonder where the line is between fiction and memoir, that’s a sign that you’ve succeeded in telling your characters’ truths.

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Stephanie Austin Edwards is a writing teacher, novelist and grant consultant.  Following a twenty-two-year career in New York City working on Broadway, in film and on television, she returned to her roots in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Her debut novel, What We Set In Motion won the Best Submission Award at the Atlanta Writer’s Club Conference in 2013.

Endings to a Favorite Series, "The Good Wife"

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

Sunday, I tuned in with 10.6 million others to watch the final episode of the seven seasons of CBS’ The Good Wife. I found the ending rather non-pulsed and flat. Initially, when the series started, I read the synopsis of the show and thought it wasn't my cup of tea. However, several friends were fans and said they thought I'd enjoy it. I began watching and became a fan. 

Mid-season last year, one of the main characters was dramatically killed much to the shock and surprise of their fans. The writers did an outstanding job of handling this episode. It was a stunning, but clever way to boost the show's fan base and ratings.

I had high hopes for the ending, but the writers of the show decided to end it with the lead protagonist in virtually the same place she started, just seven years older. 

The series started with a disgraced husband clutching his wife's hand as she stands by her man in front of glaring media scrutiny. The final episode's last minutes ended in much the same manner. The protagonist aka The Good Wife was left alone, yet again. 

Series endings are tricky. No doubt about it. The series' writers have a difficult task but need to do justice to the stories they have created. If you have developed your series characters to be strong and independent, but dependent upon each other, why would you change that interaction in the final episode?

What are your thoughts?

The Unintentional Novel

By Donna Watkins

Although I always loved to write and filled pages of journals with short snippets of ideas and thoughts, my intentions had never gone down the path toward writing an actual novel.  With little time for pause, my assumption had been that type of challenge would be too monumental and time consuming for a working mother of two who intermittently still attended college to chip away at a degree.

Further, along in my life, journaling had served as a cathartic method to purge frustrations over relationships and failing health, and to voice my opinions (I’m an introvert).  Taking pause, one day, to examine my notes, I realized I had written the highs and lows of my life. The old saying everyone has a story inside them is true. Since the stage of life I was in availed more time for unscheduled events, I decided to have some fun with those penciled jots. I proceeded to add characters like cads, cops, cowboys, and Casanovas. Okay, I already had the cop and the cowboy in my life, and he could be a cad at times.  So, to flesh out the story, I added the Casanova to save the day, a couple of villains and some support characters to flesh out the story.  For a place of origin to begin, I chose a writing plan that I had learned in my junior years in English class. I simply began to answer the questions of - who, what, where, when, and how.    

One afternoon, my daughter came to visit. I was in my office, alone, laughing a belly laugh. She stood in the door inquiring what I was doing. I told her so and so had done this and said that, and it was so funny.  She said, “Mother, those people aren’t real. You just made them up!”  I said, “They are real too me.”  She ended her visit with the comment, “Mom, you need therapy.”   What she didn’t realize was that creativity is good therapy.  Creativity opens the mind to problem solving and positive emotions.   Journaling opens doors for us to see our lives in a different perspective. Through that lens, we can play with different fixes for problems and struggles until we find solutions.   The results of those cobbled together journal entries with some feisty fiction was the birth of an ‘unintentional novel’, a contemporary western romance titled ‘Silver Moon’.   

The process reminded me of my youth when I spent hours playing with paper dolls. As a child, I cut paper doll figures out of Sears and Roebuck Catalogs and hooked shoeboxes together for their homes. I built furniture out of cardboard from cereals boxes and cut out clothes to hook over their shoulders to change their looks.  Within the confines of their cardboard environment, they romanced each other, married, had children, and, went on exotic vacations.  Writing a story follows that same process, except the characters exist in our imaginations, penned to paper, ready to be unleashed onto the worldwide stage, not corralled in a shoebox as their paper doll cousins.

Since penning that first novel in 2011, at the ripe age of 63, I’ve written several cookbooks, gardening books, and fifteen children’s books.  Add to that number nine songs, and 2 play/skits. I had no idea that I had any musical talent whatsoever. However, when we venture down a path of creativity, some unexpected talents may be discovered.  Strangely, in the wee hours of the night, hovering just out of deep sleep’s reach, full song’s lyrics have come to mind that perfectly fit as companions to my children’s books.

I have learned to keep a notepad with me everywhere I go, and especially beside my bed, for many times, if these thoughts and ideas are not written down, in that moment, they are lost. Although my writing career started with an unintentional first novel, it has expanded into a genre that gives me so much joy.  Now, I have a passion for writing children’s books, songs, and even play/skits.  I feel that when children get the opportunity to hear a story, sing the story, and role-play the story, they will embrace the story in their hearts. My children’s books fall into two categories, shelter animals and the pollinators. Each of the books emphasizes the character traits of responsibility and respect for the life we share with all living creatures and our planet. When speaking with children, I use the phrase frequently, ‘We’re in this life together’.  

Finally, I guess my encouraging words to those who wish to write a book is “Preserve your struggles, passions, and opinions on paper for they mirror the real you and serve as a map of your life. And most importantly, know that you’re never too old to chase your dreams”.

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Donna Watkins is an Arkansas word scriber who pens words to books, songs, and skits.  Her repertoire of writings span several genres which include children’s books, songs and skits; a variety of cookbooks; gardening books; short stories; and adult fiction.  She is a Member of SCBWI, NEA Writers Group, Writer’s Ink, and, Heartland Writers Guild. Writing has been her lifelong passion and she believes reading and writing open the gates to curiosity and imagination where anything is possible. Donna writes with the anticipation and hope that her words might inform, inspire, and entertain those who pause to read them.  Her desires are that her family treasures cookbooks will inspire families to once again enjoy meals together at home. The core of her writings for children resonate themes of goal setting, growth, responsibility, and respect for both others and the environment. As a retired CDM,CFPP working 20+ years in the field of dietetics, and having also received training as a master gardener, she hopes that her authored work spanning the genres of cookbooks and gardening books for youth (tweens/teens) will tweak their interest in foods and equip them with skills to carry over a lifetime. At present, twenty-five books have been published both in print and kindle versions. Three additional books are in the editing stages of production. Find more about Donna at: http://www.donna-watkins.com/ https://www.facebook.com/donna.watkins.5   https://twitter.com/DonnaWatkins4

How Many Times Have You Asked––Who Is My Audience?

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

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve read an article with instructions on how to know your audience–– and it had more than fluff in the body, I could probably get a Grande Vanilla Latte.

We are all looking for ways to define, streamline and know our audience. Then once we find this audience, we hope we use the right approach and not scare them off.

But maybe, if we use this approach we will have an easier time determining who our audience is.

I think it is easy to forget to plan our approach to the words we are writing. We also forget to consider how this audience will perceive our approach and how they might react to our message.

Sometimes an audience may not like how we express ourselves.

Therefore, we must consider our words.

Who knew there was so much to remember?

When I was a child my grandfather use to tell me to put myself in someone’s shoes and ask myself how I would feel. Excellent advice for us to put in use today including when we are writing.

Looking at the book we are writing, I guess it would be important to think about the people that will be reading it––what will the words say to them. What pictures will the words bring into their minds? What emotions will the words and characters stir in our readers?

But wait. I’m in my shoes, what do the words say to me? When I am reading my words, what pictures play in my mind? What emotions stir in me as I read the words and see the characters? What questions do I have? What do I need explained? Do I understand the story––does it touch me?

Esther Williams, a famous actor and swimmer in the 1940 -1950’s said, “It appeared as if I had invited the audience into the water with me, and it conveyed the sensation that being in there was absolutely delicious.” Her movies always showcased her swimming.

She made it look inviting and easy.

That is how we want to write, inviting the audience into the story with us so they have the same sensation of being there as we did when we were writing the story.

People have different perceptions. What I perceive someone is saying or doing may be

different from how someone else perceives that same person.

Barry Unsworth, an historical fiction writer said, “All my fiction starts from a feeling of unique perception, the pressure of a secret, a story that needs to be told.” He knew we all perceive things different so he developed a unique perception.

Perhaps we can use these questions to help us.

Why did I write this?

How did it touch me?

What did I learn about my story and my characters?

Will my audience feel and see the same things?

What did I take away from this story?

Will my audience?

Shia LeBeouf, the actor said, “What's cool is when you're able to give your audience imagination and you don't have to cage them in like animals.” That’s what our writing can do for our readers.

Maybe we can give our audience imagination!

Self-Taught Romance Author Reveals All!

By Ruth Logan Herne

I love romance.

I’ve loved romance from the time I was reading Cherry Ames and Nancy Drew and Sue Barton, Senior Nurse! Would Sue marry Les or Wade? I had to know!

Fast forward to a life with six kids, a husband and a job. Then Dave was laid off from his job, and his new job was half the pay. I was working two jobs with six kids, three in high school and three in elementary school and all the sports, dancing and clubs that go along with that scenario.

And a farm. Did I mention the farm???

I still loved romance, and I tried to write intermittently, but time escaped me. By the time my youngest kids were in high school, I set a plan. I’d write in the middle of the night, before everyone got up, and by the time my younger kids were in college, I was getting noticed.

I found a critique partner through RWA’s Faith, Hope and Love chapter.

I entered contests!

I got my ego slapped and my bootie handed to me because I was still telling too much and my plots were wandering.

I sucked in my gut, tucked my chin and edited. And every day I wrote. I wrote 1,000 words/day before anyone was up, and before I started my day job. I entered more contests, I edited and revised, and what do you know? I started winning a spot on editors’ desks by clinching a final in those contests.

But the contests brought me more than critiques and editors. They brought me a group of romance-writing contest divas who vied with me for wins and places and contracts. We formed a group “The Seekers,” and our goal was that we would pray each other into publication with royalty-paying publishers.

Some said it was impossible.

We didn’t listen.

Some said there wouldn’t be enough open spots in inspirational or Christian fiction for all of us in our lifetimes.

We kept writing. In June, 2009, I got the call from Senior Editor Melissa Endlich of Love Inspired Books/Harlequin. And by May of 2013, every one of these thirteen women, The Seekers, had gotten the call. We were all now published with royalty-paying publishers. A dream come true. In the mean time we started a blog to help aspiring authors, a blog called Seekerville, with one collective goal: to help people off Unpubbed Island and onto the mainland of publishing. It’s worked! We’ve helped dozens of folks make that voyage to the mainland, and in late February we celebrated more than 2 million page views with a party for the people who’ve helped us: the villagers we’ve had the pleasure of helping.

When I started this gig I had no money for writing classes. I had no time to jet off on retreats with mentors at hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars a pop, or to engage with online writing classes run by people who may or may not be helpful. But what I did have was the public library so I could read the kind of books I love to write, and study the best-selling authors of the time.  Nora Roberts. Linda Howard. Karen White. Deborah Smith. LaVyrle Spencer. And studying their work helped hone the writer I knew I could be.

Believe in yourself. Believe in your talent. Work hard, and don’t you quit! The dream is there, but only if you want it so bad that you can do what you need to achieve it. Learn to accept criticism and revisions. Learn to smile and nod, even if you don’t always agree. Learn to engage the reader with humor and touch them with poignancy.

Above all, write. Write, write, write. I was working two jobs, plus writing when I got the call. I left my part time job when book three was contracted, but I kept my full-time job for five full years. Why?

This is a dicey business. It takes time to build a readership and time to develop a speed for production and time to build the notice you want from publishers and editors. Hanging onto that day job was clutch because the writing money didn’t become a desperate need. It became the cushion to pay off loans and fix things that years of raising kids had broken! And it was worth every moment of those five years because now I write full-time… but I still work part-time, with young families. That keeps me in the know, in the groove, and in the spirit of what’s going on with today’s 20- and 30-somethings. And when you’re writing romance?

That’s huge!

I now have over ¾ million books sold, heading quickly to the one million spot. It’s been an amazing five years, and the work before the call is just as important as the work after the call! And if you love this biz like I do, you’ll understand that even on the bad days, when everything that can possibly go wrong does… you’re still working at the very best job in the world. 

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Multi-published, bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne is living her dream with over ¾ million books in print. A mother and grandmother, she lives on a small upstate New York farm with her husband, dogs, cats, chickens and a revolving door of small children and their parents in and out of the house. She can often be found hiding in a nook or cranny, scribbling away. Keep up with Ruth Logan Herne at ruthloganherne.com, on Facebook (ruthloganherne), on Twitter (@ruthloganherne), or on Pinterest (ruthyloganherne).

Dirt Roads

By Robert Bailey

In rural north Alabama and southern Tennessee where I spent the majority of my childhood, it isn’t unusual to be riding down a highway and see a dirt road leading off to a house or a barn.  Occasionally, you’ll see a patch of dirt that leads to a destination that can’t be seen from the highway.  In those instances, you won’t know where the road goes unless you turn…   

When writing the first draft of a novel, every author is different in how they approach the process of getting from “once upon a time…” to “The End.”  

For me, I start with a situation:  legendary law professor returns to courtroom after forty years of teaching to help a former student, i.e. The Professor, or five year old African American boy witnesses the Ku Klux Klan brutally murder his father and vows to bring the killers to justice, i.e. Between Black and White.  Then I think about how I want the story to begin and end. The beginning of the story is the setup for the situation I have imagined, so it is fairly clear in my mind. The ending is a bit murkier; I have a general idea of how I want the story to conclude, but I want to give my characters wiggle room to change the ending if they see fit.  I also want to allow myself the freedom to take a few “dirt roads” along the way. 

Once I have the beginning and ending, I write the story as it comes into my head, typing a few notes in bold and all caps at the end of a session for where I want the story to go the next day.  With the first draft, I don’t outline—I just make things up as I go, never losing sight of the ending I have in mind.  Along the way, I will typically venture into some areas of plot or character that aren’t exactly on the way to my destination.  These are what I call “dirt roads.”  Many times, these dirt roads end up being cut from the final draft.  However, sometimes they lead to magic.

The best example of a magical dirt road for me is the “Musso” character in The Professor.  When I began the novel, I just wanted Tom to have a bulldog.  I had no idea that Musso would play a pivotal role in the plot.  But when I got to the part of the story where Tom has to decide whether to practice law again, I took a dirt road that led to Musso doing something that still makes me cry when I read it.  

Writing the first draft of a novel is a scary journey.  There are times when I know exactly where I’m going and others where I don’t have a clue.  And, at least for me, there are always a few dirt roads…  ___________________________________________________________________ 

Robert Bailey is the author of Between Black and White released March 2016 by Thomas & Mercer. His debut novel, The Professor, won the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award for legal thriller of the year and was an Amazon bestseller, spending several weeks at #1 in the legal thriller category. Robert Bailey was born in Huntsville, Alabama, the son of a builder and a schoolteacher. From the time he could walk, he's loved stories, especially those about Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his beloved Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Robert obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History from Davidson College in North Carolina. Law School at the University of Alabama followed, where Robert made Law Review, competed on the school's trial team and managed to watch every home football game. For the past thirteen years, he's been a civil defense trial lawyer in his hometown of Huntsville. He's married to the incomparable Dixie Bailey and they have two boys and a little girl. When Robert's not writing, practicing law or being a parent, he enjoys playing golf, watching Alabama football and coaching his sons' little league baseball teams. He lives in Huntsville, Ala., where he practices law with the firm of Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne. He can be found at his website https://robertbaileybooks.com/ FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/RobertBaileyBooks and on Twitter  https://twitter.com/RBaileyBooks

The Free State of Jones – A Southern Saga

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine    

William Faulkner once said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” 

Nothing could be truer especially in the South. And because of that there are always stories that continue and grow as they go. The Free State of Jones is just such a story. With an upcoming movie in June starring Matthew McConaughey I expect it will grow even further.

During the Civil War some of the citizens of Jones County Mississippi were against slavery, succession and the Confederacy. One reason was Jones County had the smallest population of slaves. As the men of the county went off to fight with the Confederacy their beliefs made it easier to see reasons to desert and many did. One in particular was Newt Knight. Knight deserted after the Battle of Corinth and returned to Jones County. There he joined with fellow deserters and former slaves to  fight against the Southern Army that was taking their livelihood away from them with taxes and thievery.  Knight and a troop of 1,000 men eventually became powerful enough to run most of the Confederates out of the county and temporarily hoisted the Union Flag at the county courthouse in Ellisville. They then declared Jones County as the Free State of Jones.

Knight went on to have a long life with 7 children by his white wife  and 5 children by a slave that had once been owned by his grandfather. The children finding it hard to find mates ended up marrying each other which led  to interracial marriages and a small settlement of  Soso MS which a majority of  citizens were biracial. With the common thinking of the South at that time and the “one drop rule” there was a lot of animosity towards Knight and his descendants.

Knight was a hero to some but to the local Confederates, Knight and the notorious Jones County was shameful. So in 1865 they renamed the county Davis County after Jefferson Davis and County seat of  was renamed Leesville after General Robert E. Lee. In later years there was a vote and it was overturned and the names returned. Knight’s status as hero or traitor ebbs and flows with history and the current sway of social standards. For local History Professor Wyatt Moulds, a direct descendant of Newt Knight’s grandfather, the movie is an idea whose time has come. As for history I have always been fond of  the idea that the truth and history are close relatives but not identical twins.

As for the saga’s growth I expect the animosity and hero worship of  Knight will continue. I am reminded of the split decision on the book and movie The Help. Some saw it as fairly accurate and others just a polluted version of an outsider. The beauty of it all is the South has many stories that have yet to be told due to the historical and social opinions that have existed. But as Bob Dylan said, “These times they are a changing.”  

        

Writing a Historical…A New Appreciation

By Rodney Page

So…after authoring several Beltway thrillers and whodunits, how different or more difficult could writing a historical be? After all, plots are plots and characters are characters, right?

Not so fast!

I took the benefits of writing novels set in current time for granted.

A character must communicate…easy, he picks up the cell phone, calls or sends a text. Problem solved.

Another character needs to travel…equally easy. She hops on a plane, gets on the interstate or calls a cab.

What about ‘place?’ We usually set our stories in environs with which we are familiar. We know where the strip malls, highways and eateries are. Depending on the type scene, we know how to describe a bustling airport or a secluded cove on the lake…we’ve been there.

And there’s the blessing of the Internet. A character needs to know something, anything. He sits at his computer and Googles away. Better yet, he employs a nerd, or a hacker who can research anything, break into any database in the world and presto, the facts needed to advance the plot appear on the monitor.

Now, consider characters undertaking those same activities…communicating, traveling and obtaining information…and the narrator’s sense of place is the nineteenth century. Hmmm…that’s exactly what I faced writing Murcheson County.

An entirely new mindset was needed to write the book. In a sense, time slowed down. No phone call, but a letter requiring two months for delivery. The trip to a wedding on the Georgia coast, not a three-hour drive but a two-day journey by horseback. Notification of an out-of-town death, not by email, but an obituary in the weekly newspaper a month after the fact.

The challenge of presenting a reasonably accurate sense of place taxes one’s imagination...and research skills. Even if using familiar locales, what did they look like 160 years ago? Where now there are trees, were they once pastures? Was the road no more than a rutted path? If the house or building remains, how has it changed?

And there’re the bedeviling little details…If a character falls ill, what were the remedies of the time? Exactly what was the process for cotton cultivation? Georgia seceded, but what was the vote at the Secession Convention; what were the opposing factions? Sure, Confederate currency was viewed as relatively worthless, but what did a gallon of corn liquor cost? Of course, Sherman ravaged Georgia, but what restrictions were placed on his foraging parties?

Needless to say, I have a new appreciation of historical fiction authors. It’s a challenging genre. However, I encourage anyone to give it a try. It will the stretch the limits of your imagination, hone your research skills and force you to put yourself in a time other than the present.

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Rodney Page’s business career included a variety of senior management positions and consulting engagements in companies and industries ranging from startups to Fortune 50 firms. A graduate of the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia, in 2005 Rodney authored Leading Your Business to the Next Level…the Six Core Disciplines of Sustained Profitable Growth, a hands-on guide for companies navigating the perils and pitfalls of a high growth environment. An avid student of history and political junky, Rodney combined those interests with his lifelong desire to write a novel. His first, Powers Not Delegated, was published in 2012. Rodney’s second novel, The Xerces Factor, and Murcheson County, a historical novel set in Georgia in the nineteenth century was released in 2016. His short story, Granny Mae’s Journey appeared in Steps in Time anthology. He has a murder mystery, The Fourth Partner that will release in the Fall of 2016. Rodney lives in Hendersonville, North Carolina. His passions include hiking, photography, history, reading, and, of course, University of Georgia football. Rodney’s social media links are:http://www.rodneypageauthoronline.com   https://www.facebook.com/jrodney.page  https://twitter.com/JRodneyPage

Gone But Not Forgotten

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


(Warning: may contain spoilers)

You gotta love this title.

A good protagonist is like a good friend.  Over time we get attached to them as if they were members of the family.  So when writers decide to kill them off, a little piece of us dies with them.

The Grim Reaper is no stranger to series like House of Cards, The 100, Game of Thrones and, like the title implies, The Walking Dead.  Cop shows and mysteries feature death in virtually every episode, but when the deceased is a fan favorite, it's a shocking turn of events.

In a recent conversation with a writer friend, I was mourning the loss of a primary character on one of the few dramas I follow, The Blacklist. After my rant, they in turn bemoaned the impending doom soon to befall a key character on a drama they follow just as avidly.  All of this is on the heels of the recent blockbuster Batman vs Superman, in which a beloved character meets their demise.

Meanwhile, here I am, still getting over Edith Bunker dying on an episode of Archie Bunker's Place in 1980.

I also never figured out why it was necessary to kill off Dan Conner in the final 1997 episode of Rosanne, when it was already going off the air.  But then again, Rosanne was often funny that way. Or not funny that way.

Getting rid of a main character on a TV series is sometimes the result of a pregnancy, a contract dispute, or some other irreconcilable difference.  Fortunately, writers of book series don't get painted into such corners with actors, so literary deaths have a bit more intentionality to them.  It seems the more dystopian the setting, the more likely it is that one or more of the good guys won't make it to the last installment.

No matter the medium, extinguishing a popular character is a bold move.  More than one author has faced backlash from angry readers afterwards.  J.K. Rowling alone has made postmortem apologies all but an annual tradition. As far back as 1893, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle felt the brunt of a perturbed public when he killed off Sherlock Holmes. The outcry was so loud that he soon resurrected the storied sleuth.

If a main character must die, it should further the plot and not be merely for shock value (or publicity). If it provides fodder for subsequent episodes that deal with finding the person's killer, for example, at least they did not die in vain.  The bereaved audience will find solace and satisfaction as justice is sought and served.

At the very least, the impact a character death has on the reading or viewing public must be given appropriate consideration.  They need time to grieve, so let them attend the funeral, hear the recollections of the deceased's friends and family, and basically say goodbye in their own way.

Since there are innumerable ways to bury a protagonist, the pen is indeed mightier than the sword.  If you should find yourself with a good reason to try it in your novel, proceed with caution, but be encouraged by those who've gone before you.  Obviously some writers are making a killing doing it.