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My Legacy

SUCCESS

I am a retired soldier and Defense Department Executive with 45 years of service. Writing began years ago when I gave a short presentation on Union Major General Winfield Scott Hancock while visiting the Gettysburg battlefield. I was fascinated with his story, and a 15-minute presentation became a five-year research effort and the subject of my first two books, “Rebellion” and “Turning Point.” From that point until today, I have been hooked on writing as a second career and historical fiction as the genre.

Success is measured in many ways, but it is simply the first time you hold your book and realize all the time, effort, and editing that went into creating a story that others will read and enjoy. Regardless of how many reviews I receive for a book, nearly all provide encouraging words and contribute to my writing success. It drives me forward to the next story.

RESEARCH

Continuous research and details are critical when telling a story. In non-fiction, everything is accurately annotated with citations and extensive footnotes. Not so with historical fiction, which attracted me to the genre. The story takes the reader to a particular place and time, always set in the past. Every story element must conform to the era’s norms, clothing, equipment, and lifestyle. Even speech is accurately represented when crafting dialogue.

Once the idea for a novel begins to take shape, I have a pretty good idea of where in history I want to place the characters. I build a story with as much detail as I can gather. I begin researching early in the writing process and focus my efforts there for about three or four months. The setting makes the story believable – in a real place and believable time. The elements and actions of the story can be a mix of actual events or ones I have imagined.

Characters can also be fictional or historically accurate, and I enjoy mixing the two. For instance, the main characters in These Sacred Lands and Tremaine are fictional, but supporting characters, like Teddy Roosevelt or Ulysses S. Grant, are also part of the story. The characters, real or imagined, are wrapped in the historical context. So the question becomes, “How much research is enough?” My measure is enough to make the story correct in history and a bit more to satisfy the historians who look for accurate details. I continue to research throughout the entire writing process.

CREATIVE PROCESS

Along the way to creating novels, I found it very important to maintain a balance with other things I felt were essential to my life. Suppose I were trying to find the right words for a particular scene or thinking through the novel’s plot line; separating myself from the writing project was essential. I discovered skills that were a great surprise. I am detail-oriented, so it seemed to fit well.

I think I could quickly become an artist or furniture maker. At first mention, it sounds far-fetched or at least out of character. Still, the focus devoted to planning a project, selecting the materials, and slowly working on the project was very satisfying, not unlike developing a written work like a novel, short story, or even an article. The break from the writing desk allows me to think through aspects of the book that could be enhanced, said differently, or eliminated because they add very little to the story for the reader.

I developed chapters with this process and was amazed to discover I was becoming proficient in woodworking. Benches, tables, and refinished furniture for neighbors provided a never-ending list of projects. The result was so fulfilling. It is the same feeling when holding my newly published book for the first time.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Research still provides a great assist in selecting names. Historical fiction is a genre that demands accuracy in time and place. As I mentioned earlier, capturing the era in which the story is told brings a series of norms. Names of people follow the same framework.

Lakota names were derived from researching a long list of books from history. The naming conventions were unique and followed animals, as in the case of the main character Shadow Hawk, or some observation of unique behavior, like Woman Who Walks Alone. In each case, the names were consistent with the story’s times.

I discovered that biblical and historical names were common among the white folk in the late 1800s. Jedidiah and Joshua seemed a better fit for my novels. In the first two, Rebellion and Turning Point, the main character is Winfield Scott Hancock. His father named him after the sitting head of the Army, Winfield Scott, a national hero of the time.

I have also used lists of favorite Irish names of the Nineteenth Century. Many Irishmen were in the Army throughout the late 1800s, and many supporting characters had their names taken from these lists. It isn’t random; there is research to be accomplished.

COMPLEXITY

One may think that writing historical military fiction brings difficulty in showing battle scenes where the reader feels they are on the field. Courage and fear are at odds with each character as they move from engagement to engagement. The history within the novel makes the outcome inevitable, but how the characters wrestle with the long list of uncertainties must be described so that the reader wonders what will happen to the main characters along the way.

However, I found writing scenes of the families left behind quite challenging. The emotional impact of separation when loved ones face imminent danger must be felt, not merely described. I wanted the reader to see themselves in the kitchen, living room, or listening at the door when loved ones openly discuss their fears.

I wanted to return from the battlefield to the home front in Tremaine. Emotion was center stage, and families carried on with their daily lives while controlling the worry from every military family separation. I am the son of a soldier and could personally feel the longing my mother and siblings had while our father served in a war zone. Drawing on personal experience did not make writing less challenging.

There are loved ones lost within Tremaine and my earlier novels. Trying to capture the shock and the follow-on despair, I asked myself what it would be like to receive word that your soldier was gone. How did the ladies left behind react to the news that a family member was lost in battle? I could feel the hurt and pain his mother and sisters experienced and wanted to get on paper. Now, make the reader take that news personally.

POWERFUL LANGUAGE

I had a marvelous high school teacher who taught American and English Literature. He gave examples to students to review and read to the larger class. Throughout the process, he could see potential in students like me while covertly shaping us into lovers of the written word. In his daily sessions, we read many pieces from Shakespeare to Hemingway, Whitman, and Frost. I had little experience reading in front of a class, but thanks to reading excerpts from Macbeth, I ended up in front of hundreds of folks with a leading character role in the school play and a member of the school’s speech team. In both instances, I could see the audience’s reaction hanging on every word.

The stage was set, and a few short years later, I was an Army sergeant standing on a platform teaching classes to soldiers. The scene was different, but the result was the same – soldiers wanted to listen and internalize all I could present. I carried that skill throughout my career, speaking to thousands over decades. I may have perfected the delivery, but the result never changed. The audience, from a small group of soldiers to the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, listened and added my words to their decision processes. It is not only what you say but how you say it.

ORIGINALITY

I want originality first. When I write a scene, I envision where the characters are and how they may influence an event without altering or impacting history. Where the historian provides many facts, I wonder what it would be like to be physically present at a supporting event in the story, on a battlefield, or in a room when a discussion occurs. I then develop the dialogue I feel best captures the moment. At the same time, I want to present history as a learning experience for the reader.

The interaction between characters gives me many possibilities, hence the originality. I try to build in the emotion to heighten the experience for the reader. I mentioned research earlier. In These Sacred Lands, a Lakota maiden and the main character’s wife delivers her baby boy. I first researched how Sioux women delivered their babies and what happened immediately after. In Lands, something goes wrong, and she loses her life in childbirth. The following scene, where the warrior says goodbye to the love of his life, was something I felt the reader wanted for closure. Writing the scene with emotion opened a window to the Lakota warrior’s inner self and allowed the reader to see him in a new light for the rest of the novel.

I believe the readers want the same throughout the story while wondering what will happen to the protagonist. By the way, if you wonder what happened to the baby boy, read Tremaine.