cj Sez: Newsy tidbit: Now that spring has sprung, U.S. and Canadian Coast
Guard ice cutters getting ready to clear the shipping lanes in the Great Lakes.
Three Coast Guard cutters gathering at the Soo Locks will
open shipping channels in Whitefish Bay and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, to
facilitate $500 million worth of commercial traffic during the shipping season.
In an average year, the Coast Guard breaks ice for 120 days. Whitefish Bay on
the eastern end of the southern shore of Lake Superior is 90 percent
ice-covered. There are windrows of ice piled four feet in upper Whitefish Bay.
The U.S. Coast Guard operates nine ice-breaking-capable
cutters on the Great Lakes, including the heavy ice-breaking Mackinaw. At 240
feet in length, the vessel, with a crew of nine officers and 46 enlisted
personnel, can break solid ice up to 42 inches. (Excerpted
from the DetNews.com, March 23, 2018)
**
cj Sez: Ice 42-inches thick? I moved from Michigan to the Gulf Coast, so let's get back to my personal reality…
The above is a picture of about 50 feet of my side yard in
Mobile. The picture was taken March 8. What a difference 1,300 miles
makes.
**
Some things to remember when writing historical fiction
manuscripts:
First, as with all stories, well-developed conflict drives
the plot.
I have seen historical manuscripts described as those set in
a time that predates the end of World War II.
That makes a lot of writers I
know historical figures, so I don’t buy that definition. Historical to me would predate the end of World War I, but you go ahead and be safe. Use the World
War II definition.
Historical characters, their dialogues and dress have to be
appropriate to the time and setting.
Historical
manuscripts require long hours of research (notice my footnotes just in this
post).
The things that fill the scenes have to belong there. Examples:
Incandescent
lights didn’t exist before the late 1800s.2
Before 1947 the number of U.S.
homes with television sets could be measured in the thousands.3 (It's likely that very wealthy people may
have had one.)
Don’t beat your reader over the head with all the historical details
you’ve discovered...the dreaded info dump.
Historical elements are essential
but mustn’t be boring. They should be blended into the plot. You want these
details to draw the reader deeper into your story.
 |
| Yeah, right, D.T. (Love this one.) |
All of the above points directly to long hours of exacting
research to write a historical fiction novel. Keep in mind, if a history buff
reading your novel spots an error s/he considers egregious, your Amazon review
will not only reflect that reader’s disappointment but can deflect potential
buyers as well.
That’s it for this week’s post. Please let me know if you found a
nugget in here you can use or improve upon.
You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the
same.
cj
Although Crimson Romance has closed, Simon&Schuster
still has (so far) my books available on Amazon, so stop by and try one. I think
you’ll like it.
Qrtly
newsletter sign-up: cjpetterson@gmail.com
Choosing Carter -- Kindle / Nook / Kobo / iTunes/iBook
California Kisses—10 ebooks publisher’s
bundle (includes Deadly Star)
The Great Outdoors 8 ebooks publisher’s bundle (includes Choosing Carter)
Bodies in Motion — 10 ebooks publisher’s
bundle (includes Choosing Carter)
Short romance stories in:
Pieces Anthology 20+ short stories published
by Mobile Writers Guild
The Posse
a Western anthology of 8 short stories
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