I've been attending an event at one of my local libraries, "Making Sense of the American Civil War." This program is a series of five discussions about the Civil War. The American Library Association designed the program to converge with the 150th year mark of the Civil War.
As a part of the program, they've selected several books to accompany the discussions.
-"March" by Geraldine Brooks
-"America's War" an anthology
-"Crossroads of Freedom" by James M. McPherson
These materials pull us into the world of the Civil War through historical fiction, speeches, and journals.
I have been amazed at the stories. Until I began the research for my WIP, I'd never read some of the selected materials.
I don't know if there are any history buffs out there, but if there are I would suggest reading America's War. It's really been a truly eye opening piece for me.
I wanted to share some more of the research I've been reviewing for my current WIP. Because this is the 150th year anniversary of the Civil War, the Smithsonian has an exhibit of Civil War paintings. I stumbled upon this exhibit flipping through the channels. I caught the last half of a broadcast discussing the exhibit and how the paintings were selected.
I think, after watching the documentary, I had a greater appreciation for the exhibit. A lot of the imagery in the paintings would've been lost on me had I not seen it.
Take a look at the pieces included and let me know what you think. (There's also a book to accompany the exhibit.)
I'm branching out a little. For anyone that's read any of my pieces, you know my wheelhouse would be classified as Women's Fiction or Contemporary Romance. Well, I've been teasing myself with a few pieces that will take me deep into other genres.
One of the pieces I've been researching will cross two: historical and paranormal. Because they both will be new to me, I've been deep in research trying to lay the foundation for my story. As a result, recently, I watched a PBS special titled "Death and the Civil War," which was inspired by Harvard President Drew Faust's book The Republic of Suffering.
Let me first say that while in high school and college, history class meant nap-time to me. So, why would I decide to write this new piece. I don't know. It's been something that I've wanted to do for awhile, but I wanted to wait until I'd tackled a few other pieces, first. Now, I feel like I might be ready, but I'm still terrified that I won't get the story quite right.
The only way to make myself feel a little more secure is by researching what I can about each piece of my idea. After I have enough detail, then I'll tackle telling my story.
This documentary was so powerfully sad that it again made me wonder if my treatment of my story idea will work. I don't know, but I can't quite let it go.
If you haven't watched this documentary, I would definitely suggest it. But, I would definitely warn that if you come from a military background, or the southern part of the U.S. touches your world in any way prepare to cry and feel like you owe somebody something. I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming feeling of love I had for the soldiers that served. And I was thankful that the military members of my family weren't subjected to the conditions that the truly brave men of the civil war endured.
