The "Big" Story

Well, after several unexpected short stories I am finally beginning the "big" story I originally set out to write. This is not a problem, in fact it was an unexpected pleasure. These are local stories that I didn't know existed and they helped pave the way to this big story, some of them becoming big stories of their own.

It isn't easy starting to put words to paper, or in this case typing into the computer. I am sitting here with literally hundreds of printed pages of information and stories that I need to read and sort through to find the kernels of a good story. I take all this information, make sure it is as accurate as possible, and make sure it isn't someones original research, then type it out loosely. I then go through each piece of information I have, finding the links and connections between characters and what makes them unique, their motivations etc. and tie that together with what I know about history and how one thing can lead to another. My job is to take the information and make it into an interesting story, not just a report of facts. This is the hard part, for me it is also the most fun. Dredging through all the info is not fun but when the story finds its voice, what can I say but "Yay!"

So for this story, I just started typing, using another person's report of facts as the skeleton. I have that all written out, in my own words of course, and will now go through other sources to match and verify facts and flesh out other interesting bits. For example, if the report of information mentions a new character, I can't just introduce that person without some background, so I need to go research that person and find out why the two are connected. That may become a story of its own, or just a paragraph, or it may just give me some insight into my main character's motivations. Keeping in mind that these are historical stories that may be completely true or may have over time grown into legends. I also feel I need to let my reader know what is fact and what might be legend and I have to do that in story context. It is a very interesting process.

Back to work!

Story Play by Play

I just finished writing a new story for the History Press book. Notice I didn't say finished working on it, I said finished writing it. There's a difference. This particular story needed a back story, information that leads up to it and sets the scene. After that was written, I began the story I originally set out to write, which isn't exactly a truth as this one came out of another one I was in the process of researching. That is the next story I hope to get to.

Once the writing was finished I sat down with my notes and looked for mistakes and discrepancies in the facts of the story and will go back and see if I can plug in some additional interesting information I found while doing that. Then I need to edit for flow and spelling and grammar. After all of that, I give the pages to my reader to edit further, that happens to be Thomas and he is very good at being honest.

This story is historical with a lot of dates, times, places and details that I want to get as close to accurate as I can with the research I found, while keeping it interesting to readers who are not historians but love a good story.

I usually sit down with that research and read over one or two different accounts of an event, highlighting key points and getting a sense of the story that interests me. Then I free write getting that on paper. If there are really crucial details that are unfamiliar to me, I sometimes develop the story paragraph by paragraph writing that out from one or two sources in outline form, creating my own story as I go. I will add tidbits from the other versions I found, but only after verifying that they are accurate. If something is way out of the norm of what I found elsewhere and I decide it needs to be in the story, I have to find a way to state that it is one account and not substantiated. There's a fine line between reporting and storytelling. I try to find the balance.

Once this is done, I reread my research, set aside things that might be good for an additional story and move on to the next.

It took longer than I expected to get to this story, but once I got going and got the back story in writing, the main story went quickly.

New History Press book on WNY continued

Well into my writing for this book but not close to where I should be with an April deadline, I decided to take a minute out of my writing retreat to share what is happening today. I am really hoping this will help me focus for the remainder of this retreat time.

One thing I find that happens for me, especially when working on a historical piece where I am researching as I go, I find ever enfolding bits of information with one bit leading to another. I have been reading printouts of works on a particular bit of information that I would like to include as a story. It is all new information to me, and surprisingly to Thomas too. He is a major source of knowledge for me in all aspects of history and he had not heard of this before either. As a result, I am looking at multiple reports and articles on this topic. I always do that anyway, because this is not direct source information and as a writer I would never want to take someone else's hard earned research and call it my own. I am simply finding information and combining it with my sense of environment and human nature to create interesting stories that flow together under my broader topic. At any rate, I am currently buried under a mound of growing notes, things that I want more information on so that I can write a sensible story. I might add. because I did not previously know about this information, it wasn't what I set out to write for this next chapter. So my writing plans for this chapter are on temporary hold until I finish this story first. It always seems to go that way.

When this break is over, I will be going to my notes for background information that leads up to where this new story begins. Always an interesting journey. I admit I am happy to have another story. After all, I have to write at least 30,000 words!