How NOT to Write a Historical Fiction Story by Donna L Martin #ChaBooCha

Image by Виктория Бородинова from Pixabay

How NOT To Write A Historical Fiction Story by Donna L Martin

I was so happy when Becky Fyfe invited me to write another guest post for this year’s ChaBooCha! To write one completed first draft of an early reader, chapter book, middle grade book or YA novel in the month of March is my kind of challenge. My current series, HISTORY’S MYSTERIES, is based on little known historical events, mysteries, and legends. Since I’m in the middle of book three, “Hunting Gris-Gris”, I wanted to share some of the things I try to keep in mind when sitting down to write my chapter books. While I’m focusing on historical fiction, these tips could easily apply to any type of story you might create. I must have been channeling Goldilocks and the Three Bears when I was wrote this!

TOO MUCH

While there is quite a bit of “fiction” in my story, it’s the “history” part of my books people are interested in when they buy them. I typically research for at least four to six months before I even think about writing. In “Hunting Gris-Gris”, Emma is having to deal with World War II at home, a father serving oversea, a British refugee staying in her home, AND the Cajun legend of a swamp monster called a gris-gris. That’s a lot of info to weave into my 11,000-word manuscript and all of it had to be historically accurate. Using Google, movies, my local library and bookstores, I ended up with more than 300 index cards full of information I could use. Like Goldilocks’ plight, it was a case of TOO MUCH and I had to filter through all the research to make sure only the info crucial to my story was used and I didn’t end up with just a lot of info dumping.

TOO SOON

Once I had all the research completed and outlined the general story idea, I had to plot out Emma’s trials and adventures. Life was challenging during World War II in the bayous of southern Louisiana, so I couldn’t allow her to resolve her problems in the first couple of chapters. My readers needed to see her disappoint, frustration, and even anger with events she has little control over. It’s my job as a storyteller to take my readers on that roller coaster ride with me until the very end. What kind of story would it have been if Goldilocks walked into the bears’ home, had a cup of lovely tea and scones, took a quick nap in a comfortable bed, and sashayed home refreshed from her walk? I’m pretty sure THAT story would never have  been published.

TOO COMMON

While I watch how much research I dump into my story and make sure I’m not making life too easy for Emma, I also had to consider how many other KidLit books focusing on life in America during World War II have been written. For example, book one of HISTORY’S MYSTERIES was about the Titanic. My research found HUNDREDS of books published about that particular topic. If I would have followed what every other author did, “Ship of Dreams” might have gotten lost in a sea of other Titanic books. Luckily, I found an angle which had NEVER been done before, and the little-known historical event tied to that ship has allowed my book to stand out. Now I’m doing the same thing for Emma’s story by challenging myself to find something most of my readers would not know about this time in history.

JUST RIGHT

By paying attention to every aspect of writing in the historical fiction genre, a writer can elevate an average story into something a reader doesn’t want to put down. Just look at adventurous Goldilocks. She didn’t settle for mediocre, but kept searching, kept tweaking until she found something JUST RIGHT for her. Good luck with this month’s writing challenge and remember Goldilocks. If she can do it, so can you!

*****

KidLit author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of flash fiction, children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of

books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection.

Contact info:

Email: www.donasdays@gmail.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/donnalmartin

Facebook: www.facebook.com/donasdays

Twitter: www.twitter.com/donasdays

LinkedIn: Donna L Martin/Story Catcher Publishing

Book blurb:

Amelia Earmouse travels back through time to uncover little known events. You may THINK you know your history but wait until you see what Amelia uncovers in book three of HISTORYS MYSTERIES.

Eleven-year-old Emma misses her father who's serving in Europe during World War II. He left behind a treasure box with six secret compartments to be opened during her birthday week. He also told her to watch out for the gris-gris while he was gone. Looking out for swamp creatures and dealing with wartime rationing was hard enough, but now there's a British refugee coming to stay at the house! How will Emma enjoy her birthday and keep her decision to hunt for the gris-gris a secret with a stranger hanging around?

*****

Give-away

I (Becky) make metal charm bookmarks. The above picture is just one example of one of my bookmarks. Today's give-away is one of these charm bookmarks. It will not necessarily be the same as the one above as I make them from different charms and different bases on a frequent basis. (I also do themed-ones for specific books.)If you are already a signed-up member of the challenge, all you have to do to be entered into the drawing for today's prize is comment on this blog post. 

Write It and They Will Come by Donna L Martin #ChaBooCha

Image by rawpixel on Pixabay

WRITE IT AND THEY WILL COME

In 1989, actor Kevin Costner starred in a movie about an Iowa corn farmer who heard voices. They whispered, “build it and they will come.” He thought they were telling him to build a baseball diamond in his fields. When he finally did, magic happened, and the 1919 Chicago White Sox came out to play.  

FIELD OF DREAMS fueled my imagination when it was released. I loved that movie. Not only does it portray America’s favorite summertime sport from a bygone era, it can give writers the incentive to create their own dream of becoming a published author.

WRITE IT AND THEY WILL COME

At first, Kevin Costner’s character ignored that inner voice. At times, he even doubted what he was doing. It seemed a little crazy. But every good idea starts with a spark…a dream…a nugget of something nibbling at the back of your mind. Back in 2014 I was a READ TO ME volunteer at a local elementary school. That year I tutored a second-grade girl who struggled with reading comprehension. Working with her, I got a spark. An idea for a story about a young girl who came from a long line of “story catchers”, but who had trouble “catching” her own stories. Later that year I participated in Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month…later renamed Story Storm) where I developed that nugget of an idea into a picture book. Fast forward through a year of working on that manuscript, receiving critiques, and editing until I entered THE STORY CATCHER into a contest where it was seen by the editor of a small publishing house. In January of 2015, my debut picture book was born. Writers need to listen to that inner voice whispering to them, the one that says to take a chance with their publishing dreams.

WRITE IT AND THEY WILL COME

While working to convert his corn fields into a baseball diamond, Kevin Costner’s character ran into many obstacles. Having to deal with people who thought he was crazy. Trying to track down others to convince them his dream could become their dream too. Later in 2015, I came across a Google image that stopped me in my tracks. One look at a ship sailing toward a moonlit horizon and the idea of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound was born. I couldn’t get the picture…or Ariana’s story…out of my mind. I played around with the prospect of writing a young adult fantasy novel for at least six months until NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) in November of that year challenged me to get serious about my story. I completed the first draft that month but set it aside for almost another two years while LIFE got in the way. But good stories have a way of whispering in a writer’s ear to come back to them, so in 2017 I got serious about that manuscript. After polishing it, I sent out queries to dozens of agents and received dozens of well-meaning, mostly encouraging, rejections in return. Does that mean LUNADAR wasn’t worthy of being published? Not necessarily, so after much research into the publishing side of writing, I decided to pursue an indie route. My company, STORY CATCHER PUBLISHING was born and LUNADAR was released in October of 2018. Writers need to be fearless about believing their stories are worth fighting for, especially when you want to give in to self-doubt.

WRITE IT AND THEY WILL COME

In the end, Kevin Costner’s character built the field of his dreams and in the process, he planted the seed for an even bigger dream. As writers, we never truly know when good things will come our way. Like the fact Becky had enough faith in me as a writer to ask me to participate as a guest blogger in this year’s ChaBooCha event.

But I DO know one thing.

NOTHING will come our way if we don’t try. Sometimes we get knocked down by rejection letters, writer’s block, or even our own self-doubt, but serious writers get back up, and brush themselves…and their bruised egos…off. They get back to the writing. I firmly believe in the “write it and they will come” philosophy. No harm will come for letting my writerly dreams free rein. But what MIGHT happen is the realization of an even more fantastic dream than I could have possibly imagined. And isn’t that what writing for children is all about? Creating a legacy with our words that will last long after we’re gone?

I’d like to think so…

*****

International best-selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of flash fiction, children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. Her latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound, can be purchased through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection.

Website: http://www.storycatcherpublishing.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/donasdays

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/donasdays

Email: www.donasdays@gmail.com

Linkedin search: Donna L Martin/Story Catcher Publishing

Goodreads search: Donna L Martin

Snail Mail: Donna L Martin

                   c/o Story Catcher Publishing

                   P O Box 27788

                   Knoxville, Tn 37927

*****

Give-away

I (Becky) make metal charm bookmarks. The above picture is just one example of one of my bookmarks. Today's give-away is one of these charm bookmarks. It will not necessarily be the same as the one above as I make them from different charms and different bases on a frequent basis. (I also do themed-ones for specific books.)

Comment on this post, and, if you are a signed-up member of the challenge, you will  get one entry into the drawing which will be done using a random number generator to choose one person to win a hand-made charm bookmark by me.