A word to the wise: don't expect to get rich. Historical fiction is a work of love, and might eventually pay for itself, but unless it is written with a foot in other genres, it will likely just be a hobby. If you are still interested in diving into the world of historical fiction, here are some lessons I have learned:
1) Don't Expect The First One to be Great I know we all have our pet projects that we dote on, but unless you have done a lot of writing before, your first novel will be an experiment in what NOT to do. As much as I look back on the years I spent writing Through Dangerous Skies with nostalgic pride, I know that, quite frankly, it wasn't that great. Anachronisms are everywhere and the conversations didn't feel very natural or authentic. It never sold as well as The Paratroopers and Spearhead of Invasion have, and it didn't deserve to. It was a test sample. I learned a lot in writing it and the painfully unfruitful attempt to get it published, and I was able to come out swinging on the next try. (Still hasn't made much money, but there's always a hope, right?) 2) Research! Research! Research! Did I make myself clear? You can never do too much research. Historical fiction needs to have some grounding in real events, even if characters and incidents are fictionalized. Don't be afraid to buy books and read them multiple times and take notes. Also, depending on the period, technique, field craft, and procedures behind tasks and functions that a character would be doing might need validating. Also, research what the common person of that era would experience. A WWII GI would be more likely to take a train or bus back home than a commercial airline flight, with a Vietnam era grunt might be more likely to ride a Boeing 707 back to Miami to visit family. If at all possible, try to understand the meaning and usage of words and terms appropriate to the era and place. Period literature, and (if applicable) films or radio broadcasts are a great way to start. 3) Don't Be Discouraged Keep working on it. If you are passionate about the era you are writing about, and you have good stories to tell, you will continue to hone your craft. Even once I eventually finish Till Victory Be Won, I will have more to work on. I find the 1940's to be so fascinating that I doubt I will run out of ideas, even challenging ideas, for many years to come. You may not be the one to see the fruit of your labor. Sometimes good books take decades to become uncovered. Lamplighter Ministries, for instance, has built its publishing on good, solid books that have survived their authors. Other now famous works commonly seen in classic literature courses, like Moby Dick, didn't become popular until after their author's death. If you have a good, uplifting story to tell, don't be afraid to put it down on paper or a typed document. Somebody might eventually read it and enjoy it for themselves. The term "history repeating itself" or the many similar phrases are usually considered an oxymoron today. Knowledgeable, critically thinking historians are now insisting that history never truly repeats itself. Are they right, or is there a way of understanding that saying that perhaps hold up under modern scrutiny?
This photo of the ruined shell of Vaux, France illustrates the pure destructive power that the static trench warfare of WWI left in its wake. Just like this town, Europe would not be the same again, and the First World War would spawn the Second World War twenty years later.
By 1946, Americans were trying to find normalcy after their involvement in the Second World War. Millions of servicemen were trying to find a job in the post-war economic slump, competing with men who had been deferred from military service for one reason or another. Many of these servicemen were dealing with injuries, both mental and physical, and would struggle to find peace from what they had seen for decades afterward. Enter The Best Years of Our Lives. Al Stephenson (Fredric March), Fred Derry (Dana Andrews), and Homer Parish (Harold Russell) are combat veterans returning to their hometown as they are mustered out. Russell had lost both his hands while in the Army during the war, and as a genuine amputee, added a level of depth to the film, even as Dana Andrew's character suffers from nightmares from his many missions as a bombardier over Europe. None of these men are the same after experiencing the horrors of war, with Derry's marriage on the rocks as his wife looks down on him for taking up and eventually losing his old job at a soda fountain. Only Al's family is truly supporting, and even then, he struggles to see eye to eye with his supervisor's at the bank for his willingness to provide loans to impoverished veterans.
Director William Wyler's hard work to accurately portray the stress of combat veterans as they returned home paid off. He spared no expense to create the best film possible and The Best Years of Our Lives won seven academy awards in 1947, including a best supporting actor going to the non-actor Harold Russell for a well recognized performance. Despite the gravity of the subject, the film, as typical of the era is neither crude or explicit, but artfully and realistically tells a believable story. The central themes of the film would just as readily apply to the veterans of even the most recent wars, making it a timeless classic that deserves a place on everyone's list of must see movies. I know it has been way too long since I last posted. Life has stayed busy, and I tend to be highly distracted to boot!
I have been spending a lot of time in textbooks lately, going through wide swaths of US and ancient history. As a result of my workload, it looks like the last installment for the Airborne Trilogy may been on hold for later in the summer or fall. On a better note, it looks like Adair Living History will be able to finally move forward with some the initial phases of construction to open the visitor's center for public tours and displays. There is still a long ways to go until it it fully operational, but hopefully this gets us started on the right track and allows us to make greater strides with the eventual visitor's center. (Read more on the official page!) Lastly, I hope to be posting more often, at least every two weeks, maybe weekly. Look forward to more content, written articles, photos, and even historical movie reviews in the future! I know it has been some time since I last posted. Life has been a little busy, and I hope to soon be able to devote a little more time to the blog. Until then, I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
On December 7th, 1941, at approximately 7:48 AM local time, the first bombs began falling on Pearl Harbor. Japan had been at war with China for more than four years, and, under the weight of increased sanctions from the US, Japanese strategists decided to invade Southeast Asia to seize the war materials needed to win their war with China. To ensure that the Army would have a free hand as they invaded and secured the American protectorate in the Philippines, the Japanese Navy would attack the US Pacific fleet at its moorings. On that fateful day, some 2,400 American sailors, soldiers and marines lost their lives as their nation was propelled into war.
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