C. David Murphy's Blog
December 13, 2012
“A Diary’s House” – Christmas Special
December 25 -27, 2012
Free Download of “A Diary’s House” for all Amazon KDP Select members.
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As a special promotion to all of our fans, “A Diary’s House” will be offered on Amazon’s KDP Select Program for free.
It will be available on all Amazon Kindle devices.
Unwrap your new Kindle this Christmas and let “A Dairy’s House” be your first download.
The post “A Diary’s House” – Christmas Special appeared first on C. David Murphy.
September 22, 2012
Blog Tour
My Novel, A Diary’s House: Where True Love Endures will begin its’ virtual blog tour on Monday, September 24 thru October 31, 2012. Visit all of the blogs on the tour to read excerpts, interviews with me, view guest posts written by me, and much more…
Blog Tour Schedule
1.
September 24 Promotional Blast
2.
September 25 My Crafty Life Review
3.
September 25 Jenns Review Blog Guest Post
4.
September 26 Midwestern Moms Review
5.
September 26 Cuzinlogic Guest Post
6.
September 27 Two Ends of the Pen Interview
7.
September 27 Ginas Library Review
8.
September 28 Nikis book Corner Review
9.
September 28 What U Talking Bout Willis? Excerpt
10.
October 1 Coupons with Q Review
11.
October 1 Literary Sweet Excerpt
12.
October 2 Lynn Hardy – Official Blog Interview
13.
October 2 Jenns Bookshelf Excerpt
14.
October 3 My Cozie Corner Review
15.
October 3 Deals Equal Savings Excerpts
16.
October 4 Living At The Whiteheads Zoo Review
17.
October 4 Suburbia Unwrapped Excerpt
18.
October 5 eReading on the Cheap Interview
19.
October 5 Pretty Opinionated Guest Post
20.
October 8 Mommy Reads too Much Review
21.
October 8 JamericanSpice Excerpt
22.
October 9 The Socialites Closet Review
23.
October 9 Sweeping Me Guest Post
24.
October 10 My Mommys World Review
25.
October 10 Baking Beauty interview
26.
October 11 Reading Rainblog Review
27.
October 11 Dr. Pepper Diva Guest Post
28.
October 12 Identity Discovery Review and Interview
29.
October 12 More from Mom Excerpt
30.
October 15 Kainas Book Blog Review
31.
October 15 The Lucky Ladybug Guest Post
32.
October 16 I am, Indeeed Interview
33.
October 16 beck valley books Guest Post
34.
October 17 Black, Divorced and Virtuous Review
35.
October 17 Susan Heim on Writing Excerpt
36.
October 18 Tiannas Coupon Cafe Review
37.
October 18 Reviewing in Chaos Excerpt
38.
October 19 Andis Book Reviews Review
39.
October 19 How Was Your Day? Guest Post
40.
October 22 I am, Indeeed Review
41.
October 22 Sweep Tight Excerpt
42.
October 23 The Shopping Duck Review
43.
October 23 My Devotional Thoughts Excerpt
44.
October 24 Beauty Brite Guest Post
45.
October 24 Delphina Reads Too Much Excerpt
46.
October 25 Generations of Savings Guest Post
47.
October 25 SavyGreenSaver Excerpt
48.
October 26 Stressed Rach Interview
49.
October 26 Charisma Media excerpt
50.
October 29 Taking Time for Mommy Review
51.
October 29 Fairy Tale Reviews Excerpts
52.
October 30 Literary Addicts Feature
53.
October 30 Saving for 6 Excerpt
54.
October 31 Book on the Bright Side Review
55.
October 31 Sweeping the USA Excerpt
56.
October 31 Bookalicious Babes Review
Purchase A Diary’s House Here
Blog Tour Sponsoring Giveaway Beginning September 24, 2012
Enter for a change to win an Amazon Kindle Fire or an Autograph copy of A Diary’s House
The post Blog Tour appeared first on C. David Murphy.
September 11, 2012
A Diary’s House – The Fifth Heartbeat
This chapter was a late bloomer, inserted very late in the process and nearly as an afterthought. But the purpose of it brought out a whole new dimension within the novel. It deepens the woven fabric to several sub-plots which become more relevant as the reader ascends through the novel. Principally, this chapter was meant to give the conflict element a deeper, more spell-binding scenario with the introduction of three characters – that before, were merely not developed at all.
Its composition was more to set the table of an eerie, brooding, mysterious, almost mythical sense for the reader. That danger lurked everywhere, and you simply don’t know where the danger will come from. The pacing was shortened; experimental at points to push the reader through at a quicker rate. Some writers call this formation ‘white-paging’. I prefer to think of it as a more useful tool to stir the imagination.
I would caution anyone reading this chapter to be attentive to its subtle details. You might overlook something if you do. There are elements which become important as you get deeper into the story. Other elements are ‘set-ups’ for the immediate sequel. I don’t want to give too much away, so I will leave it at that statement.
But surprises abound – don’t overlook them…
The setting had to be convincing – a place that had to be truly authentic. Otherwise, to write about such a place would seem less real and less formidable to the reader, Landon, & his two school fellows. But such a place does exist. I mentioned it in a previous heartbeat – Cades Cove along the NC and Tennessee border. There is an eleven mile drive loop, and near the end of this loop is a settlement – a barn as described, a home, corn mill, creek/waterwheel & other structures that mirror the basic setting described as Boore’s Farmhouse.
I wanted to bring about the sense that the reader is a ‘partner in crime’ with the three boys entering a haunted, hostile, and seemingly dreadful farmhouse. There is purpose in every detail. The beginning to this chapter prevails to set an ominous tone; one that evokes a feel of restrained peril, perhaps an onslaught of terror if the boys were quickly exposed this time in the act.
The backdrop and history on this farmhouse was one of abuse, strong-will & obsessive, delusional behavior by the owner – which led to eventual self-destruction. There is an uneasy calm with a place such as this, when a time and an event comes to fracture the world of an entire family. This is such the case here. What’s left is an abandoned, haunted realm – a realm where the boys must enter into.
The reasons are aptly explained within the chapter. This is the first occasion where the boys discover the true meaning of ‘real danger’- the discovery on an outcast clan of men who, in the best light, have an obscene, ulterior motive at hand. This creates a new mystery which is not so easily observed until it is revealed later in the novel (but not all of it!)
There is somewhat of an illusion (perhaps the best word to describe it) at the beginning of the chapter; the general mystery of the unknown; the boys caught in the middle of something, but they are not sure what it might be. The vague and shadowy realm between the mortal world and the spiritual – this farmhouse appears to be caught between the two.
The chase is on, yet they have no understanding what is after them. They quickly find themselves hiding in an underground cellar – from what they aren’t sure. But more mysteries abound and they are caught in the middle of a conversation which is incomplete – a conversation between a cohort of men.
What’s missing is the implicit nature embedded within this conversation and the general / specific understanding that the boys are unaware of. They are inadvertently trapped; trapped in a world they can only partially see. And one which prevails to present more mysteries than the relevant answers they discover to resolve them with.
They are discovered…
Another chase ensues – this time it’s for real. Guns; knives; death is in chase of them all. No where to turn, no where to hide, only one avenue for escape. This wretched clan is after them, and if caught, Landon and his schoolfellows will know their own end soon enough. Their lives are at stake. They have no other alternative but to take flight; to run away; to find rescue in the depths and obscurity of that night.
The mysteries will have to be left to themselves. Such born travels will need to wait for another time and another adventure. Landon and his friends hear the shots from the gun barrels and pistols; explosions; knives flying in the air. They stumble, they crawl, and they are nearly caught. Capture and death was now breathing down their backsides.
Their heartbeats will run with them and race along as quickly as their adolescent feet could carry them away. Shadows in the night are stalking their every move. The echoes from that unbridled revelry; pirates afoot and on land, wielding terror where they could. These devils for men will have their ends sure enough.
Will Landon and his school fellows escape? Will they live to see another day? The seeds to their adventure now have born them real danger, and have also captured the attention from men with the most unsavory characters – men who had secrets to keep, and who would stop at nothing to keep them hidden.
But what could these men be hiding? What did they know? This was no accidental acquaintance. They were out to do bloody harm. The truth lies somewhere in the coming volumes; the coming chapters. The secrets are there. You just need to go and find them…
There is a heartbeat that comes with every blink. Each heartbeat tells a tale; a life which unfolds. There are more heartbeats to come. Listen for your own – perhaps you will find a bit of yourself embedded within this story. It is a universal tale – one with worlds from the unknown, of a magical scope and venture – but one which also resides deep within…
‘A Diary’s House’ will speak volumes regarding our universal dreams; for that singular hope for tomorrow; to yearn for what will be. There is a new day which brings hope within its horizon…
And it sits in the very breath of today…
And so goes the fifth heartbeat to the ‘Language from the Heart’ series…
Until the next heartbeat…
C. David Murphy
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August 31, 2012
A Diary’s House – The Fourth Heartbeat
Cause and affect. This implants the notion that the mischief from the first chapter episode leads to the consequences in the second. Life can be a great teacher of problematic issues when we are adults. But a child often needs the tutorial tug of a parent in order to be guided onto the correct path. Children can be easily diverted, even with the best intentions, and this is the humor premise for this particular chapter.
Landon has his mind full of ideas, some inserted by his father at an even earlier age, though his father would not portend that his son would have utilized such a fashionable tale (from the prologue) as he ultimately did. Boys of this age do like adventure, this not being such an uncommon thing. Boys with a kinship to adventure have a general preoccupation with it, sometimes to the point it consumes every thought they can muster, and sometimes it can even consume their better judgment.
During the days and times from Landon’s era, this would have been no different.
Being truant and away from your sleep at such a young age can have its grave consequences. In the previous chapter, Landon had garnered the trust of his two fellow schoolmates, and their adventure to proceed down the Randola River was soon to come. But having to stay up all night, away from home, and not getting an ounce of sleep left our young hero with a bit of sleep deprivation. What made it even worse was his parents had detected his truancy during the long night, and they too, were deprived of their sleep.
The parent’s worry turned to the point where they had to fetch the local sheriff. And upon Landon’s early morning arrival, he was caught in his own implied deception. Now how should a parent arrive at the correct punishment? The traditional ways might be ‘go to bed without any supper!’ or ‘I’ll need to introduce you to the hickory switch!’ or ‘you’ll spend the next two weeks after school, in your room, and without friends or anytime outside…’. All may appear appropriate to derive the correct punishment for Landon’s childhood prank and foolery.
But Landon’s parents were more intuitive than this, and the more articulate in their approach. I’ll tease it but I will not give away the essential aspect of this chapter. But let’s just say Landon felt the unexpected embarrassment which would have proved out the parent’s choice in the matter – Landon would indeed learn his lesson soon enough.
Sleep, so untimely misused before and simply mis-guarded, becomes a high commodity which, as it turned out, needed to be attended to almost immediately. Landon would not have such a luxury. The lesson he learned here is a tempered one, but becomes more effective by the way it teaches than by the vital lesson itself.
Landon would learn to become more calculated in his truancy’s. The power of adventure and the prevailing draw it had on him could not escape unless he caught the curiosity of a cat, and so he does – the Randola River would soon have its potential new victims..
The hardships he would endure were more of a testament to his persistence than the wisdom he would eventually garner from such lessons. This chapter is a mere building block to future lessons, and deeper ones at this, that he would inevitably discover.
Even though he would not travel often close to the Randola, the stories his father once told him brought the river to him; the undertows, the variant and violent currents, the lives that were lost, the history, the profound mythical realm this river drew – all had his fancy and his single-minded approach. It was as if he could hear the rush of those waters and the torrent nature to this miniature sea that captivated him so.
Initial impressions are often deceiving, sometimes a downright thief of the truth. But Landon had his eyes and heart set on defeating the Randola. If only he knew what would was in store for him, he might think better on his decisions – but then again, maybe not. Life has its own lessons and we can’t escape them, no matter how hard we try to avert our paths away towards safety. Sometimes we are destined to endure the long journey they bring, including Landon Hampshire…
We all have our own Randola River to conquer…
But the river has more than waters in it; something deeper, something more prevailing. Perhaps the Randola also carries the heart of ‘A Diary’s House’ within. Perhaps this is what draws Landon after all, or the mere mystery and allure which is synonymous with the legends that such a river carries. Landon knew something was out there that no one else had ever seen. He would venture to meet with it, and find a direct course to his own destiny.
More adventure was to come. The next chapter has its own story to tell. A farmhouse, steeped with as much mystery as the Randola, lies in wait. The next turn of the page will reveal new mysteries and new beginnings; ‘A Diary’s House is to unfold, piece by piece, page by page…
And so goes the fourth heartbeat to the ‘Language from the Heart’ series…
Until the next heartbeat…
C. David Murphy
A Diary’s House – The First Heartbeat
A Dairy’s House – The Second Heartbeat
A Diary’s House – The Third Heartbeat
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August 27, 2012
A Diary’s House Reviews
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A Diary’s House
‘ Before I began reading ‘A Diary’s House’, I really didn’t know what to expect. I suppose the best way to describe it is, like anything you read, you make it personal for yourself. Well, that is the way it was for me. When reading this book and coming to the ending, I thought of my very first love when I was fifteen. I was young then (I am now in my fifties, a single mom of a twenty-three year old son) and I can’t tell you how much this novel made me remember a time so long ago, brought me to emotions I thought were lost or forgotten. This novel moved me to remember that time, and I never thought I would ever read a novel which would make me feel the way that this novel made me feel.
Frankly, it was an emotional experience. And not having any real expectations before I began reading it made it that much more powerful in the end. I thought about Landon Hampshire (the main character) and his journey, much more for the emotional and spiritual journey than going down the Randola River as he did. This was simply an antidote for the real heart in the story.
You won’t be disappointed in the end. I promise you. Everyone dreams of having real, true love, and ‘A Diary’s House’ delivers in every way on this element. The emotional impact drew me to tears, and made me weep for a boy and his grandmother, and how they took this journey, in some respects together – in a very, very special way. It was truly a moving experience unlike any novel I have read.
If you really want to read a true, true, true love story – read this book. It will have you thinking about life in a whole new way when you are done…’
Lynne S. – Charlotte, NC
‘A Diary’s House’ is the absolute best! The visual affect the writer demonstrates throughout the novel is extraordinary. As if you were in the novel experiencing the adventure, pain, excitement, drama and most of all – love. The words to describe the beauty and love within the novel have become scarce. A gasp and awe! Describes it all… It will leave you speechless and wanting more…’
April F. Chattanooga, TN
‘A Diary’s House’
‘ Thank God for young people with true courage and drive, whose depth of conviction simply will not allow them to quit or be compromised in pursuit of their endeavors.
Thank God for David Murphy who is all that – and a writer with stories to tell; a story teller who has important, wonderful stories that can really transform the most cynical and jaded among us. A writer who makes ‘reading’ feel like the way time travel must feel, and who allows you to be the voyeur we all yearn to be.
No movie, no seven course extravaganza can compete with our own imagination unlocked by the literary genius of one like David Murphy. Read and rejoice! ‘
Mark W. – Mooresville, NC
The post A Diary’s House Reviews appeared first on C. David Murphy.
A Dairy’s House Reviews
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A Diary’s House
‘ Before I began reading ‘A Diary’s House’, I really didn’t know what to expect. I suppose the best way to describe it is, like anything you read, you make it personal for yourself. Well, that is the way it was for me. When reading this book and coming to the ending, I thought of my very first love when I was fifteen. I was young then (I am now in my fifties, a single mom of a twenty-three year old son) and I can’t tell you how much this novel made me remember a time so long ago, brought me to emotions I thought were lost or forgotten. This novel moved me to remember that time, and I never thought I would ever read a novel which would make me feel the way that this novel made me feel.
Frankly, it was an emotional experience. And not having any real expectations before I began reading it made it that much more powerful in the end. I thought about Landon Hampshire (the main character) and his journey, much more for the emotional and spiritual journey than going down the Randola River as he did. This was simply an antidote for the real heart in the story.
You won’t be disappointed in the end. I promise you. Everyone dreams of having real, true love, and ‘A Diary’s House’ delivers in every way on this element. The emotional impact drew me to tears, and made me weep for a boy and his grandmother, and how they took this journey, in some respects together – in a very, very special way. It was truly a moving experience unlike any novel I have read.
If you really want to read a true, true, true love story – read this book. It will have you thinking about life in a whole new way when you are done…’
Lynne S. – Charlotte, NC
‘A Diary’s House’ is the absolute best! The visual affect the writer demonstrates throughout the novel is extraordinary. As if you were in the novel experiencing the adventure, pain, excitement, drama and most of all – love. The words to describe the beauty and love within the novel have become scarce. A gasp and awe! Describes it all… It will leave you speechless and wanting more…’
April F. Chattanooga, TN
‘A Diary’s House’
‘ Thank God for young people with true courage and drive, whose depth of conviction simply will not allow them to quit or be compromised in pursuit of their endeavors.
Thank God for David Murphy who is all that – and a writer with stories to tell; a story teller who has important, wonderful stories that can really transform the most cynical and jaded among us. A writer who makes ‘reading’ feel like the way time travel must feel, and who allows you to be the voyeur we all yearn to be.
No movie, no seven course extravaganza can compete with our own imagination unlocked by the literary genius of one like David Murphy. Read and rejoice! ‘
Mark W. – Mooresville, NC
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A Diary’s House – The Third Heartbeat.
Many people don’t realize just how dark it can get in the wilderness; uncanny, eerie, provocative superstitions; things that go ‘bump in the night’ within one’s mind when the only faculty they truly have is what they hear. Your thoughts can sometimes play tricks on you then because you don’t have the sight to tell you otherwise. I wanted to capture the impending story of the Randola River in such a way, as to create an evening when the wilderness can talk to the characters and arouse superstitions they never knew they had.
That’s the backdrop on the opening chapter for ‘A Diary’s House’. So the symbolism of utilizing the church is a) to express a sense of apparent security and b) to introduce the main conflict character in the book. I’ll take the former element first. I researched appropriate spots in the mountains of NC & Tenn. for the right location regarding Chapter 1 of A Diary’s House. There were several spots of interest, but I always came back to the feeling and aurora of a unique place called ‘Cades Cove’. It is a place where time has stopped; preserved in its original feel and sensibilities to the time period – A local community, self–efficient, residing between the NC and Tenn. border. It is made up of old farmhouses, rustic homes, and old, single-story churches where the residents both lived and worshipped. The place certainly has a special appeal and it seemed to be the perfect backdrop for the opening chapter of A Diary’s House.
You can see a similar ‘visual’ sense of the location in Thomas Kinkade’s painting ‘Streams of Living Waters’ (though this painting was not used to inspire my visual description of the setting – chapter 1 had already been written before this painting was created and released to the public).
Chapter 1 also introduces the character ‘Sinister Minister’, and no it is not a bash on Christianity or religion in general. In fact my father was a Presbyterian minister for all his adult life – quite the contrary. Rather, he becomes the paradox for one who, publicly aspires for the good of the community, but privately becomes a self-serving individual with ulterior motives. Ministers were a strong mainstay in communities from this era (as strongly noted in the series ‘Little House on the Prairie’), and they are to represent a righteous countenance for all of us to follow. When such an individual becomes mis-guided, then this exposes the true paradox of public affiliation from private endeavors. To the three boys in the opening chapter 1 scene, a minister is implied to be someone who has the ‘voice of God’ in their ear.
So the opening of A Diary’s House features the three boys (Landon’s two school mates and closest friends) who are devising a scheme to take a trip down the dangerous and deadly Randola River. The story on the creation of such a river was implanted in the prologue, and certainly the history and incredible folklore had not been lost on the three boys. So what was the purpose in doing so? To travel down a river which had taken so many lives before seems like a far-fetched thing to do. Simple – they wanted to be men, and the further legend of pirates, with buried gold/treasure on an undiscovered island at the river’s end only enhanced the boy’s desires for this particular adventure. Boys at that age long for adventure, seek it out, and carry a real desire to dream of such a place and world. Much like boys today want to be sports heroes – the fancy for such an adventure during this era was very prevalent.
I wanted to bring a pictorial element of mystery; to visually cascade the story with a strong sense of adventure, lore, and superstition. Three boys sitting around a campfire in the middle of the night, near what first appears to be a vacant church, and being spooked by everything imaginable (including their own tales) seemed like a perfect beginning. There was a sense of bravado, masking of their true sensibilities, and seeing which one would back out first – during their initial conversations at the campfire.
None of the boys wanted to budge; rather, play the cat and mouse game so not to appear weak against any of the other boy’s masked bravery. It was a proverbial game with no winners allowed. They would do, in the end, what we all wish we had the courage and stupidity to do – travel down a raging river and land on an uninhabited island; one filled with mysteries and legends; a magical place steeped as much in lore as in truth. Or is it? The cloudy haze between reality and mystery can often be a confusing mixture – and somewhere in that mist lies the real heart to the adventure.
The reader will discover this all too distinctly in those chapters to come. This is better left for future ‘heartbeat’ posts. Remember, above all, the boys want to be men, but to the definition of how they self-describe what a man should be. There is more to learn in this tale – both for the boys and the readers.
And so I introduced the minister, awakened in the middle of the night by a campfire and three boys who were not so derelict in having mischief all hours of the night, but being most derelict in not attending church that very Sunday morning. There would be a lesson learned this day; one they were not soon to forget. The minister intercedes, but in a somewhat comical manner to ‘re-introduce’ the boys to, not only the vital Christian message they missed out on earlier, but also to the entire elements of the bible itself.
This sermon would take the whole night to venture through. A pulse and remedy to an otherwise trio of boys who seemed to not know better; or did they? Perhaps the story deepens in the next installment. ‘A Diary’s House’ is filled with many of these antidotes. But further mysteries are ahead – if you feel this story only leads to an uninhabited island and nothing further; think again. Perhaps you have taken a wrong turn in your conclusions if you are premature in feeling this way. Look deeper – the novel will tell its own tales…
The heart of ‘A Diary’s house’ lies somewhere within – dig deeper; you will find the truth in a place where reality and mystery often collide…. And so goes the third heartbeat to the ‘Language from the Heart’ series…
Until the next heartbeat…
C. David Murphy
A Diary’s House Other Installments
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August 21, 2012
Writing Historical Fiction: The Specific and General Prose to Historical Fiction Writing
So, as a historical fictional writer – how do you begin? The mastering of any situation is simplification. Picking a subject matter, which entails geographic elements and time, can harbor a wide array of possibilities. My scope has always been threefold: 1) will the historical event or series of events provide necessary elements for a compelling story, 2) can I infuse extraordinary story lines and characterizations to coincide with such historical events, and 3) is there an individual interest and passion for such events which can be effectively conveyed to the reader in a way that they will understand and be compelled by.
As we know the English language requires a very subjective skill-set. This is further complicated by the fact that we are dealing with a venue, historical fiction, which has its own subjective nature. The English language and the spelling/meaning of words have radically evolved over the years. This fact is not a concern in contemporary fiction, but it does play a critical role within the historical fiction element (i.e. the withdrawal of ‘slang’ terminology and the correct usage of language elements). Background, cultural persuasions, and geographic historical connotations all play an important role in the basis to writing a historical fiction novel.
There is a wide variety of fiction out there. As a writer you have to take into consideration that some people simply will not like your work, no matter what subject matter you prevail to write about. Which brings me to the second point (and the most relevant one at this) – the answer to the basic question is a bit more complicated than what one might suspect.
What narrative should the writer use when writing historical fiction?
The very first hurdle, and perhaps the most prominent, is what style and narrative would feel most authentic to the times. To take the case in point, I’ll use my just-released historical fiction novel ‘A Diary’s House’ as the prevailing example. The original manuscript start was completely different than the one I finally settled on. This also altered the writing style throughout the book; unique, in format to the Victorian style of the era.
I initially looked at having the narrative as a man in his middle years narrating the story of his own personal life. Once the reader makes it through the initial settings of the book, they quickly understand the power required to have the necessary affect at the ending. It is a very powerful, emotional, and impacting sequence which would have required an older man who can adequately relate his life, in conversation form, to the reader.
This also would have utilized a greater sense of the English language. I also looked at having the narrative as a young boy (such as Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn narrative style), with a more basic, simplified form of language use. But that would have presented an even more limited scope on the emotional impact the book entails at the end. It simply would have been out of sorts and not authentic – nor true to the ending.
Historical Fiction Writing Style Usage
Now to the writing style – I will defend the Victorian elements and use in this manner. I performed quite a bit of research on the Trail of Tears before I began this novel. I am, in some sense, a cosmic historical sponge. Many of the personal witness accounts to this episode in Cherokee history were riveting, emotional, and quite frankly, disheartening to read. But what you take away from such research is not only the details to these events, but also the manner by which they describe such events in the first place.
People from the 1830-1890’s range had no TV, no movies; nothing with regards to quick entertainment. The generations were completely different; highly educated in the reading habits and in their writing styles. Their essay skills were more elevated than in today’s terms. Their language content, syntax use, composition, and metaphor range all required more writing conversational performance than in today’s contemporary styles. Journal and diary excerpts were critical in getting a good feel on how people thought, how people spoke, and how people related to one another. Authenticity is paramount to me when writing or reading historical fiction.
I’ll give you an example. The History channel’s current program of ‘Hatfields and McCoys’ was very popular. If you watched the series, you would have felt it was authentic to the times, and in large measure it was. The dialogue was riveting; the drama very well put together. The story was concise, though intricate at times. The language elements regarding ‘cursing’ could have been greatly toned down, due to the fact that it became disruptive to the core story lines. Then you get to the third episode and one of the characters used the term ‘knocked up’. This is like finding a big turtle in a tiny bathtub. It simply stuck out and was an incorrect use of language.
Another example – EL James Fifty Shades of Gray series. Many of the complaints are directed to her language use in relations to how the location residences speak. It sticks out. The language she uses, at times, is not authentic to the location. As a writer trying to write a novel authentic to a location, this can be a perilous attempt. If you don’t do enough research upfront – it shows. People from that locale will say “Hey, I live there and we don’t talk like that!”.
Perhaps the most critical element is taking a point in history, building a compelling storyline, and threading an important historical event within the novel. But the reader still has to identify with the work; the use of narrative formation, the times, the language elements, and the characters’ personality traits. It appears it’s an impossible task to be successful in every phase of your historical fiction writing. And still, the story is lost if the reader can’t identify with the work.
There is a classic difference between contemporary fiction and historical fiction. Bridging what the reader is not regularly exposed to with a place and time from the past can be a difficult hurdle to overcome. Some historical fiction today should not even be called this. The language elements are simply not there. Sometimes it’s a hidden term for ‘commercial fiction’ to be kind of wrapped up in ‘literary tones’.
There is a responsibility of engagement for both the writer and reader. The writer must relate the story in the most concise way possible where the reader needs to be open-minded and utilize a good degree of internal thought; not just be entertained – thus the difference between commercial and historical fiction. The reader should understand that with historical fiction, they are essentially walking into a different and sometimes foreign world. If you read only what you know, how can you ever expand and explore worlds, scenery, subject matters, and emotions you never thought you had?
A writer needs to have the intuitive notion that people have varying degrees of education, language skills, dialect use, syntax awareness, etc. Dealing with a vast audience can have great appeal to some while having no appeal to others. It’s simply not adept to some reader’s taste and the writer has to accept that some readers will not engage the work, and perhaps may not even find the historical fiction novel likeable at all. It’s quite true you can’t please everyone, and in large measure you can’t please most everyone.
There is a broad range of people out there. As a writer with exposure to a vast array of individuals you discover just how diverse people can become. The reader doesn’t see this – they only know what they know. If a reader is open-minded then you have the opportunity, as a writer, to expose them to a historical event, a world, a place in time they are not familiar with. And in greater terms, it stirs the reader to investigate the actual historical events you are writing about.
‘A Diary’s House’ exposes the tragic events relating to the initial outset of ‘The Trail of Tears’ – the great exodus of the Cherokee (and other tribes) in the mid-west. Capturing the emotional, spiritual, and physical aspect of such a horrific episode in American history was absolutely important to me.
A historical fiction writer should always be looking for compelling stories in history to write about. Justify the work with due-diligent research; demote the times you are writing about; language and usage form; select an appropriate narrative and type (whether in first person, third person, or narration) and the age by which you are narrating the story. Subsequent character invention, storyline creation, and streamlining events instills a good beginning to your story. Other elements, such as the pace and flow of the story, descriptive forms versus dialogue, and writing style are better suited for another topic discussion.
In conclusion, you want to write a good, compelling story; one that will reach the broadest readership possible, instill interest in the historical event you are writing about, and create general acceptance for your historical fiction work…
The post Writing Historical Fiction: The Specific and General Prose to Historical Fiction Writing appeared first on C. David Murphy.
August 20, 2012
A Diary’s House – The Second Heartbeat
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A Diary’s House
Perhaps the hardest thing for a writer is how to begin a story. Where does the tale have its birth? It’s the human element which draws us in; this being the most profound kind of interaction. It’s what the reader will relate to the most, and how they will discover the quickest attachment for the characters within any novel. Sometimes it’s a very dramatic, tortuous event which draws the reader right away; how they will discover and support the character (or characters) initially placed in peril. This being where the story has its start at the most dramatic moment in the novel, then it works its way about this particular event.
While other stories begin with a perspective, reflective tone – and require the reader to be just a tad more patient. This can be difficult because of the instant gratification many contemporary readers require in today’s society. It appeals to the ‘get-it-fast’ & ‘fast-food’ generation we live in. Caution: it’s not always the best stories which reveal the whole plot upfront. Some readers will bail quickly, while others will move through the novel as if it were a tale worth reading – all the way to the conclusion. To those readers who do bail, you might be giving up on a story which, in the end, will move you tremendously. Such is the world with ‘A Diary’s House’. You can’t always wait for the movie – many worthy stories don’t make it that far.
The Beginning of A Diary’s House
So what brought me to begin ‘A Diary’s House’ the way that I did? Trust me, there were varying elements at play with that decision. I looked at nearly seven different options based on the continual storyline which ultimately prevailed to make the novel what it is. But in the end, it had one key ingredient which had to be the driver for the story. This would be Landon’s story, told in his manner and in his fashion – and it had to be human in every phase. The story is complex and it would have required nothing less.
I looked at the option of having Landon tell the story in his early youth as the events unfolded; his middle years, sitting on a hilltop with his horse, under a tree, drawing the first whims of his tale in the dirt and ground; as a stately person more established in his life and times; or as an elderly man, reflective, responsive to his thoughts, and recollecting his history with a fond mind-set, almost as if it were the greatest treasure in his life.
The stage where he sits feeding the pigeons, knowing every detail and personality for each one, and taking care to attend to them all – this was an antidote for humility. That the simplest things in life he’d come to realize were the most important, the most enjoyable. And the feeding of these pigeons was a representation to the abiding wisdom he had learned throughout his lifetime. At some point in time our lives do come full circle in some way and fashion, as it did with him – a sort of ‘Forrest Gump’ bench setting to begin his humorous yarn. I wanted to instill a similar atmosphere and aurora.
It needed to be simple, aspiring – Landon being a breeder of a wonderful tale to relate in the most appealing way towards his own listeners – the reader. He had a story to tell, and he wanted you to know how grand of a world he had lived through. The story’s emotional complexity also required a character to have lived a lengthy life, and to be at a certain stage in their lives where they could give such emotions the fullest dimension and apt description. The story had to breach its deepest impact for the reader or something important would have been lost (if I told you that little snip-it, then it would ruin the story for you!).
In order for it to work, the story he would tell had to be just as compelling. Otherwise the reader would be disappointed by the story. As a writer, if you are going to project such a reflective tone and then not deliver on the storyline, the novel will fall flat and the reader will feel like their time was not adequately invested in.
A story of adventure, romance, and of true love are all universal elements for such an ambitious novel as this. Through this simplicity of a man living, as it were, a very regular and ordinary life in his ‘golden years’, somehow he has a great secret he wants to reveal. It’s up to the reader to listen and respond with their own emotions as they work their way through this novel. It’s a journey, no doubt, but even the longest of journeys can be worth it as long as the story prevails to speak in a compelling voice.
The first segment of the Prologue deals with this very element, with humorous antidotes on his settled life in a small town deep within the mountains of NC. The second half of the Prologue deals with the very heart and basis of the story’s beginning. It reverts back to his earliest memories of his family, the admiration for his father, and the beginning tale his father wanted him to know about – The Tale of Kituhwa.
This reflects back to some of my earliest memories with my father reading me stories and rocking me to sleep when I was a very young boy. So in some respects, the very first tale for Landon is actually my own. Without reading carefully through the Cherokee tale of Kituhwa and the beginning of the Cherokee nation, the reader will lose the essence on the striking affect this story had on Landon’s earliest years. This legend from so long ago was told, in descriptive detail, by the only living thing which could have lived so long – a living tree.
The birth of the Cherokee nation, the creation of the North Carolina mountains, and the beginnings of the mighty and mysterious Randola River are all weaved tightly together in this particular tale – told much like the myths and stories handed down from Cherokee generation to Cherokee generation. Its affect would remain with Landon throughout the novel and it is one of the principal drivers to his pursuits.
We all know legend and lore is a mixture of facts and embellishments. Where the lines are drawn we can not clearly ascertain – thus the alluring mystery of such a tale. But with the clever combination of both, the story takes on a new dimension of its own. I researched many of the Cherokee legends and myths which had traveled many generations. And through this atmosphere and backdrop, I wanted to create a story which would acknowledge such legendary tales but still be completely different in the same stroke.
Landon would never forget this story and he begins to be drawn to the Randola River and the mysteries which shadow and surround this entire region. It would soon lead him on an adventure of a lifetime. An adventure with no clear outcome or resolve – but one which would shape the rest of his life in a most profound and engaging way…
I suppose this is where the heart of Landon begins to beat on its own. And thus is the second heartbeat to the ‘Language of the Heart’ series…
Until the next heartbeat…
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August 8, 2012
A Diary’s House – The First Heartbeat
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A Diary’s House: Where True Love Endures
I suppose the world began for me (in the figurative sense) during my earliest years, growing up in the mountains of North Carolina. Truly, what a magical place. It can cause the mind to grow with its imagination, bring new worlds into being - and at times inspire us to believe there is a ‘good earth’ in us all. I never had a tempered imagination. There were worlds which I only knew of, and no one else could even fathom or even understand. Worlds I created; some from the fabrics and parcels of reality; others derived exclusively from my own imagination. But one of these worlds, in fact, was the place and times which I utilized as the primary backdrop for ‘A Diary’s House’. It was a complicated venture, taking years to evolve and produce the story it ultimately became to be.
As a writer you have to inscribe the elements which best attracts your audience to ‘come inside’, so to speak. Something of interest and magnitude. A place where people have relations with and understanding of the moments and times each character will experience and live through within the novel itself. A novel is an adventure. Not only for the reader, but also for the writer as well. In a delayed sense, both will experience the journey together.
The first thing I tell any writer is that you will discover so much about yourself when you write a novel. It brings clarity to your soul; defines the outlines of your spirit. In the end you will find yourself a better person for doing so because it forces you, as an individual, to constantly evaluate yourself. How else is a person to grow, if not for the reflective nature a mirror can show? Life is a challenge. But also finding yourself is as much of a challenge as anything you will ever experience in life.
This takes you to the connection between the reader and the writer. Such a connection has to be of the most genuine kind. It needs to be a trusting relationship. We, as writers, must always speak earnestly to the readers; give dimension to our cause to which we have a ‘voice’ for. The characters have to be impactful and show correct familiarity to the ways one might act in each situation. Scenes and situations where the drama is embedded have to carry the strongest thread of truth in it. The audience will not trust the writer otherwise.
So the journey begins. A journey where the road is not clearly known, yet the destination is assured. I have traveled a good distance on this journey. Now I ask you to join with me; to discover the lands which I have created. The places and the homes to the heart where all who are touched by this story will find it to be a most refreshing world to envelop themselves within.
This can become a perilous tale. One fraught with danger, adventure, drama, joys and sorrows, and the ultimate redemption of all. You will see this world thru the eyes of Landon Hampshire. His eyes will become yours. Close your eyes and let your imagination draw sight for the words you read. The images will soon follow. Once this world is brought into view, you are ready to begin. Your thoughts will reach for his hopes and dreams. You will become his champion, his companion, and his ‘angel on the shoulder’. And during your travels together, your emotions will become his, and his will become yours.
This is a journey unlike any other. You will sense Landon’s feelings and emotions as if they were your own. It will become a virtual reality in the world of your mind. ‘A Diary’s House’ will take you there. The story is steeply buried in legend and lore, and you will become a first-hand witness to the world he must endure. But before you go on this journey you must understand that your first-formed impressions will attempt to calculate what you are about ready to enter into. Don’t believe your impressions. There is so much more embedded within this time and place you are yet to know of.
Why do I say this? Simple. It was that way for me during the stages of writing this novel. It took me to places I never knew of; not ever explored, yet became the very fabric and backbone into the novel you are preparing to escape into.
So Landon is waiting for you… He has a story to tell. He is on a journey to find the essential treasure needed for his life. And in this long-reaching hope, perhaps you will discover a bit of yourself in the process. How far does the depths of one’s soul go? You are about ready to find out. Not only for Landon, or for the other pertinent characters inside ‘A Diary’s House’, or for me as the writer, but also for any reader who dares to enter into this magical world.
It’s a special place I assure you; a very special place. Laughter will come; tears will flow, and you will find a piece of yourself sitting on the opposite end of this incredible tale.
I think the term ‘Language from the Heart’ is very appropriate for this particular blog. Each entry will speak to your heart and I hope it will move you; to reflect, to discover a lining of hope, to dream of something new, to affect change, and at last - encourage all of us to do our part to make this a better world…
Until the next heartbeat…
C. David Murphy
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