Hi! :-)
Yay! My hubby's team won softball tonight! That's the highlight of the week. :-) And my friend who is due two weeks before me started feeling her baby move. Isn't 15 weeks really soon to feel a baby when its your first? I haven't felt anything yet. Just nausea, tiredness, and some cramping. :-)
Enough pregnancy talk! I can see the men yawning. Some of 'em, anyway. :-)
As you already know, we're going to be focusing on specific fiction genres each week. The order in which these genres will be covered is:
- Historical Fiction (today)
- Contemporary (June 8)
- Children's Fiction (Young Adult and Middle Grade - any sub genre) (June 15)
- Mystery (June 22)
- Horror (June 29)
- Science Fiction and Fantasy (July 6)
- Thrillers/Crime/Detective, etc. (July 13)
If I've missed a genre, see my previous post here regarding how to submit ideas for more genres. You may want to comment on this prompt, letting me know that you've submitted an idea - my searches haven't been pulling everything up lately.
Today's Prompt:
We're focusing on the historical fiction genre, including any and all of it's subgenres: mystery, suspense, romance, science fiction, etc.
Ways in which you may respond to this prompt:
- Post something in the historical fiction genre you've written
- It can be any section of your work, and that section doesn't necessarily have to be an "example" of historical fiction, so long as the work in its entirety is considered to be that genre.
- It can be something you're working on and for which you're needing feedback. (Specify if you want critiques. I recommend the first few paragraphs of your book - those are the ones that usually need the most strengthening.)
- It can be something you've already finished/published/don't want to work on more.
- Don't make it too long (if posts are too long, people are discouraged from reading them and lose interest).
- It can be any section of your work, and that section doesn't necessarily have to be an "example" of historical fiction, so long as the work in its entirety is considered to be that genre.
More ways to respond:
- Respond to all (or some) of the questions below, giving short answers
- Respond to one of the questions below, giving a long answer
Questions you could answer as a possible prompt response:
- When did you first learn about the historical fiction genre?
- What are the main characteristics of a historical fiction?
- What is your favorite book from this genre?
- Have you read any good historical fiction books lately? (And tell us what they are.)
- Who is your favorite author in this genre?
- When did you decide to write historical fiction?
- What was the first historical fiction you remember reading?
- What is the most difficult part of writing historical fiction for you?
- Have you read a historical fiction book, then watched it convert successfully to the big screen?
- How much research is too much?
- What era is your favorite to read/write?
- Have you delved into steampunk at all? (It's such a narrow genre still, we can throw it in here. :-))
- What are things about the historical fiction genre that you don't fully understand and would like to have clarified?
What other questions do you want answered or do you think I should ask? Put them in the comments below!
Remember:
You have until Thursday, June 7, 2012 at midnight to write and post, and it can be in any format.
I will read, comment on, and feature your responses a week from today.
* Have your title say FWE or Friday Writing Essential, and have the initials "LFHF" (Let's Focus on Historical Fiction) in it.
* Make sure to post to the Writing Essential Group.
* Put FWE or Friday Writing Essentials and the initials "LFHF" in your tags. (I won't find your post without these tags.)
Have a fantastic week!
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Comments: 50
He hasn't quit since,
My daughter, I could barely feel at all. 11 o'clock at night...and through the night a bit, but never in the daytime. My labor started at night with her, but I thought it was just a tummy ache, until the cramps were 3 mintues apart. They were 5 minutes apart with my son, from the begining.Each labor = 3 hours,. No drugs. You can do it. Just deep breathe, breathe, the whole way through. Hubs can lead you through progressive relaxation. It helps. Myt son was early,. We missed the last coupla classes. He was the first baby in the Lamaze class.
Don't worry Andrea. Kids don't really follow any artificial time schedule. EVER! Some don't start moving around until half way through gestation ... sometimes later ... and the Mama-to-be gets all worried and stressed. As long as baby is healthy and there are no other problems, don't worry about whether he's moving or not. He will when he's darned good and ready!
Oh, and I figure when I feel the baby is when I should feel it. :-) I'd love to know what it's like, though!
So now to think of some direction my Historical Fiction could take.
I am still a dad though my kids are grown - but I tell you, not a morning goes by that I don't miss cooking breakfast for them.
My hubby and I have decided we'll raise our kids better, though. They'll be doing laundry by two; cooking dinner by three.
•When did you first learn about the historical fiction genre?
That would be when I was three years old and just learning to read. My grandmother, God bless her soul, was one of the smartest and wisest women I ever knew. She had a great love of knowledge and learning and books. She also loved going to estate auctions and bought some of the most wonderful things. One day she came over after such a jaunt with a collection of books. My Book House. There were 12 books in all starting with pre-school level nursery rhymes and short short stories progressing with greater difficulty through early reading to college level fiction, including historical fiction. (The 12th and part of 11 were indices). Our original set was over-loved by seven rambunctious kids and many of the books eventually fell into terrible condition including being used as coloring books! A few years ago, I lucked upon someone selling a set of them in the original binding color. (each printing had a different color cover and the original set was only four thick volumes and were packaged in a wooden box made to look like a house!) If you have young ones, this is an excellent set of books to introduce them to reading if you can find them. Just Google My Book House.
•What are the main characteristics of a historical fiction?
Historical fiction, first of all, is rooted in predecessor non-fiction. The environment is true and should be as historically accurate as possible as far as events and real people, etc.
The second factor in historical fiction is, of course, the fiction aspect. This is where you insert your fictional characters and events.
The trick is to mesh your fictional characters into a non-fiction world and not have them seem anachronistic. The toughest part is to turn off your 21st century mind and awareness and think like the 18th, 12th, or 1st century or whatever.
•What is your favorite book from this genre?
Actually, my favorite historical novel is not fiction at all. It is non-fiction. (Well, aside from my own historical fiction, naturally ;o) )
•Have you read any good historical fiction books lately? (And tell us what they are.)
Sadly, no. Haven't had the opportunity to do much reading of any kind – pleasure or otherwise.
•Who is your favorite author in this genre?
Again, can't really answer that one because I don't really read much historical fiction and none of the novelists I've read really stand out in my memory.
•When did you decide to write historical fiction?
I didn't. It decided for me. Since I am prone to random thoughts and ideas, I tend to write what demands my attention. Sometimes, that is historical fiction, sometimes, it is contemporary romance, sometimes it's thrillers or family saga or women's fiction or mystery or fantasy or … Just whatever moves me at any given moment. You understand, don't you?
•What was the first historical fiction you remember reading?
The Vagabond of Paris – by Olive Beaupre Miller
•What is the most difficult part of writing historical fiction for you?
Historical accuracy. Always. I am an inveterate researcher. I hate reading something and have some inaccuracy jump out at me, so I am determined not to ever create such inaccuracies in my own writing. I will research volumes just to get one paragraph right.
•Have you read an historical fiction book, then watched it convert successfully to the big screen?
Rarely. There is no way a book can adequately be displayed on-screen the way you envision it in your mind. If you have already read the book, be prepared for the movie version to be nothing like what you perceived. It will almost always be a letdown.
•How much research is too much?
Well, obviously, for me, there is almost never such a thing as too much. Besides, the research for one novel always holds me in good stead for others to follow. And it's never a bad thing to learn something new, right?
•What era is your favorite to read/write?
No preference. I've written in 1st century and 18th century and times in-between. They all, like children, have something positive to recommend them.
•Have you delved into steampunk at all? (It's such a narrow genre still, we /can throw it in here. :-))
Only as a reader, though my son keeps urging me to turn one of my WIP to "the dark side". It's tempting and so lends itself to the genre that I probably will follow his recommendation.
•What are things about the historical fiction genre that you don't fully understand and would like to have clarified?
Hmmmmmmmm. Nothing? As I said, I read and research voraciously.
No one else there was interested. :o( Opinions appreciated.
AURORA
Aurora Spenser rode silently. She was familiar with the trip and all of Cliff's favorite back roads, short-cuts and detours between Saratoga Springs and their apartment in New York City. The pair were polar opposites both in appearance and disposition. Cliff was blonde and hazel-eyed and years of working a thoroughbred ranch had made him muscular and bronze. He was impatient and serious and had little time for foolishness. Aurora was thin and lithe; her brown hair hung long and silky framing her pink face. A successful artist, she was full of energy, curious about everything around her and had a passion for life, especially scrounging in antique shops, searching for her next great find. But after three years of making the trip to Saratoga countless times every racing season, she preferred to let her mind wander to other things – like her next art exhibit, or a pending dinner with friends. This time her mind was on tomorrow's expedition to the junk shops in the Village with her sister Lida. The sky was grey, threatening a storm and she blinked her eyes slowly, laying her head against the headrest, absently scanning a brass historical marker along the road…
"Stop!" she yelled, fully alert, slapping a hand on Cliff's arm.
He slammed on the brakes and the car skidded to a halt in the middle of the road.
"What? What's wrong?" he wanted to know.
"There. Pull in there."
"What is it?"
"Back there."
He peered through the trees to where she indicated. At first he saw nothing but overgrown vegetation and an old dirt road, barely more than a path. Then he saw the battered wooden sign hanging from a rope between two trees:
ANTIQUES ~ COLLECTIBLES ~ JUNK
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
EPHRAIM MCCLELLAN, PROP.
Past the sign, a rough-hewn wooden cabin began to take shape, camouflaged by the trees. He sighed and shook his head but, in the end, he turned down the road and made his way to the junk store. His Mercedes had barely pulled into the open space in front of the small building before Aurora was out and running toward the door. At the foot of the steps was a large, flat stone. She stopped to scrutinize the words chiseled into it, worn down by weather and time - "Oct. 1814". A much newer, wooden plaque mounted on a porch rail nearby bore a more lengthy legacy:
"Built in 1814 as an outpost supply station for the battlements of Sackets Harbor including Fort Kentucky, Fort Virginia, Fort Chauncey, Fort Stark, and Fort Pike, the Saratoga Station saw limited service during the War of 1812. The Treaty of Ghent, signed on Christmas Eve, 1814 effectively ended the station's military service with the end of the war the following year. After limited service as a General Mercantile, it was decommissioned in 1827. Pressed into service in 1861 as a supply house for Union Troops during the Civil War, it continued as a general store until 1888 when it was abandoned for the last time."
Aurora studied the sign before taking in the building itself. The porch was made of wood and ages of footsteps and weather had smoothed it to a soft patina. The porch roof did not look to have aged so well. The rafters above looked ragged and worn and the wooden shingles showed several spots of lighter wooden squares where the shakes had been replaced. The building looked like the little houses her brother would make from Lincoln Logs when he was little, the corners carefully notched and interlocked tightly against one another. Wooden shutters covered the little store's two front windows. There were no windows in the door.
"Okay," Cliff huffed. "You've seen it. Now can we go?"
Ignoring his complaint, she bypassed the three short steps and bounded to the porch in one leap.
"Hey! Be careful. That thing doesn't look all that safe," he warned, but she was already opening the door. It opened with little sound and, as she slipped inside, he tried to call her back.
"You're going to get us in trouble," he said reluctantly following.
The shop appeared to be open for business. Tables were laden with what looked like century-old clothing, tools, dishware, and assorted odds and ends. Once inside the ragged little junk shop, Cliff leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest, his attention shifting between the rain clouds rolling in outside and Aurora rummaging through the rows of antiquity for sale inside.
A band of grey twilight washed through the doorway. Oil lamps hanging on nails throughout the room, their chimneys blackened by coal oil smoke, offered the only other illumination. At the far end, a counter stretched half the breadth of the room and, at one end sat an old-fashioned cash register of polished wood and carved metal with ornate scrolls, vines, and flowers embellishing every surface. A small brass sign mounted to the top of the machine bore the advisory, "This Registers The Amount of Your Purchase." Three metal tabs in a window at the top, $1.00, 20¢, and 09¢ registered the amount of the last purchase as $1.29. An old man crouched on a stool behind the counter, an oil lamp nearby, poring over a yellowed one-page newspaper that looked to be as old as the place itself. He looked up as the couple entered.
"Good afternoon," he greeted. "Ephraim McClellan at your service, Miss."
"Good afternoon," Aurora replied.
"Is there anything in particular you'd be interested in?" McClellan asked. He had a surprisingly full head of hair, more ashy than white. His baggy, dun colored trousers were held up by leather suspenders. Underneath, he wore a plain woven shirt and, on his feet, clunky leather shoes. Aurora thought he looked costumed to fit right in among his antiques and collectibles.
"No. I saw your store for the first time today and just had to come in. It's such a wonderful old place. It's like you can feel the spirits of people who passed through here generations ago."
McClellan nodded, scanning the structure. "Thank you for noticing."
Aurora moved over to where the old man sat. She took a moment to run a hand across the counter. "Just think of all the people who stopped here through the ages. The presidents who may have walked across these floors, Madison and Monroe, Jackson, Van Buren, Abraham Lincoln!"
"Well, maybe Grover Cleveland," McClellan suggested with a bit of a grin, but his eyes seemed to burn with a deep fire as he focused on her.
"Exactly!" she said. "Just think of the history sleeping within these walls. Wouldn't you just like to wake it up and talk to people who saw it firsthand?"
Hmm, I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I failed penmanship in school.
I'm totally fine with it not being about pregnancy. :-) So long as there's a baby in it.
(Kidding)
You are not old enough to be asking that question yet!
Doug,
From the look of your icon, you are way behind the times. You have a few centuries to catch up on!
LOL Just teasing.
And Connie, I think I got old enough to say that while I was away from home for 18 months when I was 21 and came back and it felt like it had all been a dream - like I'd never even left! So insane! I still can't believe I'm 30. I used to think 30 was sooooo old, and now, it's no big deal.
My nephew and his wife are expecting their first baby (girl) next month. They are really excited.
Hey I thought only the English played Softball -
I thought Baseball was the closest American alternative?
So, I have rewritten Part One, that I posted for your group, and if you would like, or get the chance, I would love for you to read what I have written.
Rewrite:Myshortstory,fortheMay25thandJuly1stpromptfortheFWE
Yes, I will add a third verse to my poem, Beaujolais, that will focus on myytery/historical fiction. I will try to post next week, 6/28.