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Writing Female Historical Characters that Resonate

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They walked through ancient empires, scaled snowy mountains, and defied societal norms, yet countless women from history remain silent, their stories lost in the shadows of their male counterparts. As I work on documenting the life of Eliza House Trist, I recognize that we writers have the power to resurrect these voices. Fully crafting female historical characters, we can allow them to resonate with readers of all ages, and also illuminate the richness and complexity of the past.

But how do we create these women who leap off the page and touch hearts across generations? Here are three key ingredients:

1. Unveiling the Human Beneath the History

While historical context paints the backdrop, don’t let dates and events overshadow your character’s inner world. Dive into their hopes, fears, vulnerabilities, and passions. Make them laugh, cry, yearn, and rage. Readers connect with characters who feel real, whose triumphs and stumbles mirror our own.

2. Challenging Norms of Female Historical Characters

Don’t shy away from portraying the limitations women faced in their era. Whether it’s societal expectations, legal restrictions, or even the physical realities of life, these constraints often fueled unique forms of resilience, resourcefulness, and rebellion. Show how your character navigates these obstacles, revealing both the external struggle and the internal growth it sparks.

3. Finding the Universal in the Specific

While historical details bring authenticity, the core of your character’s journey should resonate with readers beyond their time period. Is it a fight for justice, a yearning for love, or the quest for self-discovery? Grounding your historical narrative in timeless themes ensures your characters speak to readers across generations, sparking empathy and understanding.

Examples of Writing Female Historical Characters

For further inspiration, dive into the works of authors like E. Carson Williams (Lis), whose newsletters celebrate the bravery of lesser-known women who are deeply inspiring to young girls today. (Her answers to reader questions are worth readings and the Mewsings from her cats are also hilarious.) Or author Linda Sittig, whose books and blog—StrongWomeninHistory.com—illuminate the lives of female pioneers and history-makers.

For an example of how to make history also wildly entertaining, immerse yourself in podcasts like The History Chicks. Bethany and Mini uncover the extraordinary stories of women hidden in the annals of history, like Mexico’s La Malinche. Don’t have time for a 90-minute podcast? You can check out their minicasts and each podcast begins with a 30-second summary.

Need some practical resources? Check out my own guide on researching women like a historical novelist to help you write beyond the genealogy of a figure. By learning more about their networks and connections, you can weave them into narratives that captivate, educate, and feel more like our own lives.

By bringing female historical characters to life, we not only honor their legacies but also expand our understanding of the past and present. So, pick up your pen, tap your keys, and let the forgotten women sing their stories – the world needs to hear their voices.

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Choosing Fictional Character Names

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Every author has their own method and reason for picking a fictional character’s name. We are calling up spirits, birthing new people (or magical creatures), and this decision is weighty. The line from the knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is applicable here: “You must choose. But choose wisely, as the true grail will bring you life, and the false grail will take it from you.”

When crafting believable historical fiction, there are some additional parameters in character naming—geography and era play a significant role. Certainly, I always begin by outlining the physical and emotional characteristics for each person as I explain in this previous post (I even take Myers Briggs tests as my characters, but that is a whole other future post).

When the name selection moment comes, I essentially have three parameters for choosing character names. The first, no surprise, is related to Shakespeare’s line, “What’s in a name?”…

Spirit Painting, by Frederick Walker.

 

 

One: Choose character names based on meaning

Years ago, there was a baby-naming book called Beyond Jennifer and Jason. Rather than providing Gaelic and Old English meanings, which are important to some authors, the names in that book were categorized by how people view those names. Primarily centered on the western world viewpoint (with some foreign categories), the first names were sorted by whether we viewed those people as creative, strong, odd, intelligent, troublesome, etc.

I loved this approach, and incorporated such thinking into my selections to ensure they fit the personalities of the characters I was building. Boys named “Arthur” are very likeable and reliable. I needed him to be that even in the moments when he wasn’t.

For my Native American characters, I needed a source to help me inject the meaning for a culture clearly not my own. For me, NativeLanguages.org was my source. Although the website a bit antiquated, and it required a donation, the resource allowed me to provide them details about personality, gender, nation, clan, era, and region. When I received each response, I was given name options along with explanations, and even nicknames. Authenticity is important, which for historical novelists, leads me to this suggestion…

Two: Choose an appropriate character name

A name that’s rife with meaning can become a stumbling block for readers if it doesn’t fit the time period or geography. Sources like newspapers, tombstones, and legal documents—if they exist for your time period—help ensure the name feels authentic to the era and your fiction.

For Carrying Independence, I first settled on my protagonist’s location and then I headed to the genealogy section of the library and studied birth and death records for the region and year. In one column I wrote all the first names I loved (for both men and women—for my protagonist has friends), and in the other column I wrote last names.

Then, like a teenager signing her name over and over to get it just right, I compiled first-and-last name combinations. Nathaniel Marten, Arthur Bowman, and Silas Hastings were born. (The latter was also an homage to the character Silas Marner by George Elliot—a book my grandmother loved, with a miserly character like my own.) However, choosing a name out of love must be coupled with asking if I can live with it…

Three: Choose an enduring character name

In early drafts of my Revolutionary era novel, Carrying Independence, I named my protagonist’s horse after King Arthur’s steed, Llamrei. It’s weird to pronounce, and the double “L” became an ongoing problem as I repeatedly spelled it wrong. After draft three, the horse became Bayard. That lesson, along with the realization that writing historical fiction sometimes takes years, helped me create a few parameters. For character names I ask myself, can I:

  • Repeatedly say it and it will grow on me?
  • Type it correctly every time?
  • See the character or creature becoming one with the name?
  • See the character’s name becoming memorable/repeatable for readers?
  • Make sure isn’t too close in sound or spelling to the other names?

The latter is important to my father. He finds it frustrating when the main characters have names like Larry and Lemmy. There are 25 other letters of the alphabet to choose from, people. As for my mother, I know she and I are going to talk about these people as if they are people, and if we can’t get it right as I send her drafts, it’s not going to work. (Yes, my parents read my work.)

What parameters do you have for character names, or which character names do you remember most? For me, Indiana Jones will always remain one of my favorite character names, made even more memorable when it’s revealed by his father, “We named the dog Indiana!”

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Reader Insights: The name of my main character in my newly published short story, Mary Angela’s Kitchen, came from food. I was telling a friend about story idea—which came to me in a dream—while we ate pizza and tiramisu at an Italian restaurant. The place is called Mary Angela’s. You can order her story, which includes four recipes, as an ebook and also in print.

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Reading in Isolation for Perspective, Part Two

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As I wrote in Part One, with a list of fiction titles, reading about others coping with their own isolation and restrictions can help us gain perspective. Through books read in my lifetime or with my book club, today I provide four nonfiction options.

The books are not new releases so you might get them used on ABEBooks or as e-book rentals from libraries. Links to purchase the recommendations are also here on my BookShop list, Karen’s Reads & Book Club Picks.

Karen’s Four Nonfiction Reads

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

I know this seems like an odd title to include when we’re not talking to strangers much these days, but Gladwell is a nonfiction genius and always worth reading. I loved his startling look at how often we encounter new people, label them as good or bad, and we get it totally wrong. Using cases of Cuban CIA operatives, television sitcom faces, Amanda Knox, Sandra Bland, Sylvia Plath, and more, the data in this book will help you rexamine your interactions with strangers as truly strange indeed. …Buy the book.

The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

I read this years ago, but his story has long stuck with me because it is told in his own words, and Mandela has an unforgettably indomitable and resilient spirit. I am saddened that the long walk for so many people is still uphill, but words from Mandela give me hope for humanity. “I could not imagine that the future I was walking toward could compare in any way to the past that I was leaving behind.” …Buy the book.

Educated by Tara Westover

One of the finest examples of how education can release a person from the prison imposed upon their mind by those who are supposed to love them the most. Through a quest for knowledge, Westover writes a memoir so in-the-moment that we feel trapped in her survivalist family with her. I felt equally nervous and naïve when she stepped into the classroom for the first time at age seventeen. She makes an education seem within reach to all—even those with nothing but a desire for something other than the oppressive life into which they are born …Buy the Book.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

I love this woman and her comedy is indeed whip-smart. Why is her book on this list? First, we need to laugh and, without doubt, my other recommendations do not really include many chuckles. But it’s also because Tina was a woman who rose through a world of comedy that was too-long deemed “male only.” Saturday Night Live had never had a female head writer until Tina Fey. (Hence the hairy man-arms on a book cover that makes her look at ease for breaking into a boys club.) Her way of looking at the world is not too dissimilar to the way many of us see it now. Odd and absurd but still worth navigating. …Buy the book.

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Reader Insights: So many nonfiction American Revolution titles were a part of the research to help me build Carrying Independence. For a list of some of those titles check out my Pinterest Carrying Independence Research page or visit my Chasing Histories Bookstore Page. Carrying Independence is available as an ebook and in print.

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Behind the Scenes: Character Building

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With so many authors now stuck at home, and readers seeking solace in books, I thought it might be fun to give a behind-the-scenes peek into the making of my Revolutionary novel, Carrying Independence. Today, character building.

Character Building for Plotters

Every author has a different method for writing. Some are “pantsers”—those who write by the seat of their pants, building plot, story, and characters on the fly while writing. I am decidedly not one of those writers.

I’m a planner, happily living in that category of writers called, “plotters.” I rough out the plot of a story from beginning to end before I start writing, and adjust as necessary as I research and write. And when it comes to characters, I’ve a worksheet I use.

Character Development Worksheets

Most of my worksheet is unoriginal. Over the years, I read a variety of blogs, books, recommendations, and writing resources, and gathered together what I felt best suited the way I write and think about characters.

Why fill out a worksheet? Written down, I have guidelines to help ensure my characters stay true and grow as they’re supposed to. Then they look, sound, act, or think like themselves and not like everyone else.

Below is a breakdown of my two-page worksheet. The accompanying images are from the bio I created for my supporting character, Arthur Bowman. You’ll learn much about him from the worksheets. (Note: Grammar and spelling aren’t important in worksheets. These notes are just for the author and perhaps their editor, so please forgive any tiny little errors).

Page One, Basic Character Info

This page has name, age, basic story line, and relationship to main character. At the bottom are bullet-point characteristics. After I’ve written some of the character, I go back in and add a quote from them that I feel captures the person or their thinking.

This page also includes photos of actors I envision for the role. Yes, looking through Google Images and IMDB.com can take an inordinate amount of time, but I find it does help me write the physical traits of a character. (Plus it is SO fun, and every author optimistically daydreams about who would play roles when our books are adapted to film.)

Page Two, The Character’s Story Points

We all want something. Abstractly, we might want love. Concretely, we might want to marry the hottie who lives on the corner. Through a series of questions, I determine what it is my character wants, what they learn along the way, and what prevents them from getting what they wanted. (Characters can’t simply get what they originally wanted at the beginning of a story or they won’t grow enough… but that’s another post in itself.)

Bonus Material for Character Development

For some characters, I might need more detail to keep me on track. This bonus material might be historical information related to the character, like names of places, maps, or images of things they carry. Sometimes it’s their story line written from their point of view in just a paragraph or two. Or, as in Arthur’s bio, it has notes of characters from movies or literature that I hope this character embodies. This section is usually more robust for my main protagonist and antagonist.

Character Bios Can Should Change

Without a doubt, character bios, like my entire plot, are adapted or updated as I work through rewrites. Certainly the time it takes a book to be produced alters these character worksheets, too. Nearly every actor or actress I initially picked outgrew the part I hoped they’d play… sigh. New experiences in my life also helped me deepen characters or their journey. Or as Arthur and his friends say, “On this journey, we each our own way go.”

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Reader Insights: You can read an excerpt of a scene at City Tavern with Arthur on my website. This scene is early on in the novel, and primarily between Nathaniel and his brother Peter. You’ll lift a pint with Arthur nearer the end, where you’ll see some of his earlier characteristics come out. Carrying Independence is available as an ebook and also in print.

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For more history nerd posts like these, subscribe to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

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Traveling Light for Food

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Whenever I embark on a trip, like the one I’m about to take to Greece (more on that in another post), I look for tips on how to pack light but smart. Enter the traveler and author, Karen McCann, who recently traveled just for food! Don’t you love her for this idea alone? While she was just beginning her tour, she sent these notes along.

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A Guest Post by Author Karen McCann:

How to Pack for Four Months of Eating Mediterranean Comfort Food

“Four months on the road eating Mediterranean comfort food?” a friend asked, when she heard of my latest project as a travel writer: The Mediterranean Comfort Food Tour. “Do you expect to double your body weight?”

I certainly hope not. Many people assume that comfort food means a diet of French fries and ice cream, when in fact, a lot of the traditional recipes I’m exploring are actually quite healthy.

Starting the trip in Crete, I’ve been chowing down on fresh fish, artichokes, and snails. For the record, a portion of snails contains just 76 calories and one gram of fat, and when they’re cooked in olive oil and rosemary, they are spectacular. I can see why kohli bourbouristi has been a family favorite around here for generations.

Packing as a Semi-Minimalist

Packing for this trip, I followed my usual semi-minimalist approach. My luggage consists of one small roll-aboard suitcase and one shoulder purse, so I can get from town to town without much fuss.

  • A multi-pocket travel vest lets me keep my phone and wallet safely hidden away on my person, so I don’t have to be hyper-vigilant about my purse when I’m shooting video in a kitchen or sidewalk café.
  • Footwear (which fills up a suitcase fast) is just two pairs of good walking shoes, one of which is reasonably “nice” for doing interviews, plus slippers for downtime.
  • Trousers have to be comfy enough for sitting on a train or ferry for many hours. In my case, that means some stretch in the waist, which will come in handy if I do gain any weight along the way.
  • All clothes must be hand-washable, quick-drying, and wrinkle-resistant, so I can remove gravy stains from a shirt in the hotel sink after dinner and have it ready to wear the next day.
  • One iron-clad rule: if I want to buy anything, I have to throw away something of equal weight. It’s maddening not to be able to collect olive oil, recipe books, and local wines, but I’d have to ditch the laptop to do it, and that’s not going to happen.

Why Traveling Light Matters

Traveling light means more freedom and mobility on any journey. As travel guru Rick Steves observed, “You’ll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags ‘Every year I pack heavier.’” And that goes double for food writers.

It’s easy to resist shopping in the souvenir stalls and even local markets when you know you’re coming home with once-in-a-lifetime photos and videos, and the kind of mouthwatering recipes that will, I hope, put dishes like kohli bourbouristi on the world’s list of favorite comfort foods.

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Karen McCann is the author of three Amazon bestselling travel books and a popular travel blog. She and her husband embarked on a trip around the Mediterranean rim sampling traditional comfort food; yes, a book project is in the works. To learn more about their journey and details of how they packed for it, see her blog, Enjoy Living Abroad.

KarenMcCann_RichMcCann_KAC

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For more information, and to download your passport, visit the Valentine History’s Museum’s Website. Or call 804-649-0711 for more information.

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Declaration of Independence Mistakes

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Founding-Documents Blog Series: Part Five

Between now and July 4th, my blog features an ongoing series related to the history and signing of the Declaration of Independence… Part one began here.

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While researching the Declaration for Carrying Independence, I came across a few unique things about the the document itself.

The Declaration is a Document With Mistakes

Timothy Matlack was hired to copy the text from Jefferson’s drafts onto the official document. He was responsible for the ink used for the text and the signers (see Part Four here), but in the copying, there were a couple mistakes.

As Kris Spisak wrote, when she was a guest on my blog in her article on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of an American Language, we often discuss the use of “unalienable” versus “inalienable.” Alison VanNest also wrote an article for Grammarly.com on the spelling and grammatical errors. She illustrates how some mistakes (the spelling of “Brittish” and “shewn”) are simply because of the usage at the time.

The Declaration was Later Corrected

Personally I love the two corrections that were made—some assume by Jefferson’s hand—after it was fully crafted. The word “representatives” was missing the “en” so that was penned in. The word “only” was inserted about ten lines up from the bottom into, “…our repeated Petitions have been answered only in repeated injury.” Cropped images of those sections are below (see the whole document close up here).

Decaration_EN_KarenAChase.jpgDeclaration_Only_karenachase.jpg

A Handprint on the Declaration

There is also a handprint is embedded into the paper in the bottom corner, possibly having seeped through from the back. The size is smaller, as if from the hand of  a woman. It’s impossible to determine when it was set or to test for any traces that might result in a DNA examination without pulling up chunks of the actual document. So there it sits, an unknown shadow sealed forever in parchment.

HandprintDeclaration_KarenAChase.jpg

Reader Insider Note: What’s more fun that an unknown piece of history like an inky handprint when you’re a fiction writer? Not much, so youbetchya… I had to scoop that up and provide a scenario for how it got there! No… I can’t tell you what that scenario is right now, but you can get the book… (ahem).

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For more history nerd posts like these, subscribe to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

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The Last Signers of the Declaration

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Founding-Documents Blog Series: Part Three

Between now and July 4th, my blog features an ongoing series related to the history and signing of the Declaration of Independence…

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Who Was Really the Last Congressman?

Since I began writing Carrying Independence—a story that hinges on the fact that not all Congressmen signed the ONE document were in the same room on the same day to affix their signatures (covered in Part One)—I’ve often been asked, “Who was the last one Delegate to sign it?” I look at two men in particular:

Matthew Thornton was the 56th DelegateMatthew_Thornton_KarenAChase

As I mentioned in Part two of this series, the first 49 Congressmen to sign the Declaration of Independence gathered August 2nd, 1776. At that time there were a total of 55 delegates in the Continental Congress. When I asked Joseph D’Agnese, co-author on the book, Signing Their Lives Away, why Thornton was added late, he said, “it was up to each state to determine how many delegates to send to Congress.”

In September, 1776, New Hampshire decided to enlist Matthew Thornton. A rather handsome, Irish-born man, with a reportedly sharp sense of humor and weakened eyes from a smallpox inoculation, Thornton finally joined Congress in Philadelphia in November, 1776, where it is assumed he signed the document.

MatthewThorntonSignature

Thomas McKean Was the Last Man to Sign It

The last man to affix his signature, date-wise, later helped the newly formed states develop a Constitution. Thomas McKean had homes in both Philadelphia and Dover, Delaware, and for the better part of 1776 and into 1777, he was literally on the run from the British.

ThomasMcKean_KarenAChase2McKean wrote to John Adams about being, “hunted like a fox by the enemy, compelled to remove my family five times in three months, and at last fixed them in a little log-house on the banks of the Susquehanna.” No small feet with five children and his second wife pregnant with number six.

Although McKean’s letters confirm he did not attend the August 2nd signing, unfortunately his letters do not indicate where or when he affixed his name. Historians speculate it was some time after March of 1777, or as late as 1781 when he was back in Philly working on the Articles of Confederation. Regardless it was his signature that united the colonies, making them unanimous states at last.

Thomas_McKean_signature copy

Reader Insider Notes: The “little log cabin on the Susquahanna” Thomas McKean mentions in his letter to Adams, is where I chose to have my protagonist find Thomas McKean. Confusion over where that little house actually was/is, became a plot device.

Also, there’s a joke, attributed to no one in particular that begins, “Where did the delegates sign the Declaration of Independence?” When I discovered that Matthew Thornton, due to his late addition, was forced to squish his signature into the very bottom right corner of the document, I claimed the original punchline of that joke for the jolly fellow to share:

“Now, when people ask me where the Declaration was signed, I can honestly answer,” Thornton chuckled through his punchline, “at the bottom.” – An excerpt from Carrying Independence

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For more history nerd posts like these, subscribe to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For behind-the-scenes author-related news, giveaways, and to find out where I might be speaking near you, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

 

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Why the Revolution?

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On Writing About the American Revolution

A Guest Post by Lars D. H. Hedbor

I’m often asked why I write about the American Revolution. It is true that here are many fascinating and compelling eras in human history. Indeed, when I reach the end of my explorations of the Revolution, I expect to broaden my scope.

The-Tree-CoverThere is Opportunity in Writing About the American Revolution

In part, I started writing about the Revolution because of the opportunity—there are a lot of fascinating small stories that contributed to the big events of the Revolution, and few of them have been explored in fiction. Having a wide, uncrowded field in which to work is hugely appealing.

Too, the events of the Revolution are familiar (if imperfectly), so I’m not having to explain to my readers that the Americans fought the British to achieve independence. They open my books knowing that much. The details and nuances, though, make terrific grist for my imagination.

Then there is the opportunity to remind readers that history is shaped by the small decisions of ordinary people. The Revolution was not accomplished by just a few heroic figures striding across the pages of history atop mighty white horses. Critical events were shaped at the kitchen tables of folks who would never make it into our histories. I take my readers to those kitchen tables and let them imagine what choices they might have made—and reflect on how they may affect history with their choices today.

The American Revolution Changed Humanity

Most importantly, though, I write about the Revolution because it changed the course of human history. It is unique in that it was not fought over the question of which prince would rule over a patch of dirt. The American War of Independence was as much a philosophical revolution as it was a military one. It reframed the very concept of governance—the whole relationship between the people and their leaders.

With the Revolution, we emerged from being subjects of the King to becoming citizens of the Republic. We were no longer ruled under divine right, but are led by men and women of our own choosing. It has become fashionable to focus solely on the imperfections of the Revolution—which were many and about which I write unflinchingly. However, thinking only about what the Founders got wrong tends to overlook how much they got right.

This magnificent accomplishment, which took a scattered collection of hardscrabble colonies and united them as one of the leading nations of the world, is well worth understanding deeply. That is why I write about the American Revolution, and will do so for some time to come.

Lars D. H. Hedbor is the author of the Tales From a Revolution series, each of which explores the Revolution as it unfolded in a different colony or future state. His most recent release is The Tree: Tales From a Revolution—New-Hampshire, which follows a young man as he is abruptly orphaned, and is left to manage his father’s timber grants with only the help of his eccentric aunt. He finds comfort in a new friendship with Betty, a decidedly odd neighbor. Defying the Royal Governor’s crackdowns and his aunt’s commands, Abe makes choices that put him on a collision course with both. With rebellion in the air, Abe must escape detection by the Governor’s agents and solve the puzzle of Betty’s past in order to secure his future.

The Tree is available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook. You can learn about all of Hedbor’s books on his website, LarsDHHedbor.com.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged––by academics, historians, authors, artists, and storytellers. Contact me for details.

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Kris Spisak–On American Language

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Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of an American Language

A Guest Post by Kris Spisak.

KrisSpisak_AuthorWhen people think of the American revolution, freedom comes to mind—freedom, liberty, and independence from the necessity of following rules established without any thoughtful representation. But these ideals weren’t and aren’t limited to government. The English language itself went through its own revolution, with founding fathers such as Ben Franklin at the helm here too.

It was an era when “thee” and “thou” were just starting to decline in usage. Our “unalienable rights” were discussed rather than today’s standard “inalienable rights,” and “the” was more commonly written “ye” as a stand-in because the “th” sound no longer had a single alphabet letter to represent it as it once had.

The English language has continuously evolved for hundreds of years, but because the first print dictionaries were published in the 1600s and 1700s, this was an especially turbulent time for words.

Ben Franklin himself suggested that we create a new twenty-six letter alphabet, dropping the letters C, J, Q, W, X, and Y and adding in six new ones of his own creation. His new alphabet would allow, he said, for a phonetic reading of the entire English language. Many ignored him. Many others, like Noah Webster, took Franklin’s many language thoughts into consideration. Thus, when Webster’s American English dictionary was finally published in 1828, he included Franklin’s suggestions that the “u” be removed from “color,” “favorite,” and “honor” and that the “re” in “theatre” and “centre” should be reversed, among many other ideas. The differences between American English and British English were born of this celebration of reason and independent thought, but, of course, the story hardly end there.

The fact that Thomas Jefferson used linguistic ciphers in his correspondence with Merriweather Lewis during his great expedition westward with William Clark is a story for another day.

Kris_Spisak_GetGripGrammar3D

Kris Spisak wrote her first book, Get a Grip on your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017), with a goal to help writers of all kinds empower their communications. Her “Words You Should Know” podcast and “Grammartopia” events follow the same mission. A former college writing instructor, having taught at institutions including the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University, Kris now works as a freelance editor, specializing in fiction. She is on is on the board of directors of James River Writers, is the co-founder and director of creative strategy of Midlothian Web Solutions, and can’t wait for you to hear about her next book. Sign up for her monthly writing and communications newsletter for more tips and trivia like this.

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Alphabet anecdotes and language-based ciphers also play a role in my American Revolutionary novel Carrying Independence, debuting in summer of 2019.

For research related to the novel and to stay updated on Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-news publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Thank you for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged––by academics, historians, authors, artists, and storytellers. Contact me for details.

 

 

Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Kris Spisak–On American Language

A Case for Fiction

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This blog post first appeared in November of 2016, just after the presidential election. No matter your feelings for how that election or the recent mid-terms turned out, you might be needing a reboot. A way to cope. Or a means to find compassion—for those coming in and those left out.

In a Publisher’s Weekly article on Monday, Jonathan Kurtz, publisher of Prometheus Books, said they were selling their fiction list to Start Publishing, to return to being a primarily nonfiction press. He cited that in our current world, “intelligent nonfiction is again of urgent value.” I agree 100% with raising the discourse, and do hope that future nonfiction books will aim to lift, rather than to debase, the consciousness of our country.

However, I absolutely do not believe that nonfiction alone can raise us up. So, I once again give you… a case for why….

We need more fiction!

Especially thoughtful, deep, well-researched and so-worth-pondering fiction. We need it more than ever for three reasons:

To_Kill_a_Mockingbird_(1962)_trailer_2
Gregory Peck (left) & James Anderson in To Kill a Mockingbird––the number one book in the Great American Read.(Image: A Public Domain clip from the trailer by Universal Studios.)

 

Escape. Sometimes the world seems topsy-turvy. Either we’re getting what we want, and no one else seems happy, or what we’ve lost makes us rethink everything we thought was true. Fiction can give us a break––a means to flee to another time in history, or to a utopian or more dystopian future. Inside of that “other” place we’re able to find something else.

Empathy. No matter when or where fiction is set, all great fiction is focused on the characters. Some we will love. Some, not so much. And yet all of them, if well-drawn, illustrate how humanity is complex. People are flawed. And yet, by seeing intimately into someone else’s life, even the worst antagonist might elicit compassion from us. Sometimes pity. Either way, the result is something greater.

Enlightenment. It sounds incongruent, but the goal of great fiction writers is to write the truth. The truth, however dark, beautiful, crushing, sad, joyful, odd, funny, or head-spinning. Do we weave in opinions? Of course, but how can we obtain enlightenment without them? It is only in the absence of listening to and attempting to understand a dissenting opinion that we recede into darkness.

So please, regardless of where you are these days, take a deep breath. Go to your favorite bookstore or library. Read fiction. Write fiction. And by all means, share fiction. Through a thoughtful exchange of words, perhaps we can all heal together.

How to Select Your Next Fiction Read

Pick a book, any book, from this list of 100 books compiled by PBS for the Great American Read. And by all means, pick up number one, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee from your favorite librarian.



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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

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