Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Fooling the muse
I’ve been researching an idea — yeah, research, that’s a good name for it. Sounds so much better than procrastination. I’m just tickled that my muse has found something to wake her from her long slumber, since I had begun to think that portion of my psyche had suffocated in mothballs. Still, researching ain’t the same as writing, and I don’t know how some writers spend a year or more at this, especially since they do it full time, while I dabble. Full time research? Blech.
One interesting wrinkle has presented itself. In the beginning, this idea had presented itself as an alternate history. The more I study the era, however, the more I see that reality is of more than sufficient interest, with an ample share of villains and heroes, and no shortage of background color. The only reason to pursue an alternate history is that the romantic in me wishes there had been a different outcome. But I could easily stay within the bounds of fact and still write a ripping good yarn.
Main trouble is, this history is new territory for me. Hence the research. And it’s not like I haven’t tried something new before — I finished that romance, after all.
And I shouldn’t let the fact that I’m neither black nor Native American slow me down. No sirree. Write the thing first, then worry about the screams of “How dare you!” I’ve already decided to make my protagonist a Jew (don’t ask me how a Jew will find his way onto a Florida sugar cane plantation — that’s a big part of the fun & surprise right there), so I won’t be completely lacking in credibility.
Just mostly.
D.
Some of the delightful things I’ve found during my research:
This quote from an R. Mosley,
In contrast, Mosley’s observations reminded me of my college friend Sam, a Sephardic Jew who had a black roommate whom he greatly admired. Sam loved to insist that he and all Jews had African origins. On the other hand, I can recall a few of my East Coast relatives who had a very rich streak of prejudice indeed.
Also interesting: this page, which discusses the various eurocentric interpretations of the Bible which were used to justify slavery and black inferiority.
sounds fun…if you want an editor/proofreader/sounding board once you get that far, i’d be happy to help!
Thanks. When I do get to the writing phase, your help will be greatly appreciated.
However you write it, be prepared for some people to be offended.
Jay Lake wrote the original post, something about Writing The Other, that started the whole Race Fail mess last year, which wound up such a stew of shrieking hysteria that people like Patrick Neilson Hayden were accused of being racists, and, if I remember right, sexists. Or maybe it was Teresa that was accused of that, I don’t know.
Anyway, Jay writes of the painful aftermath here http://jaylake.livejournal.com/2120148.html.
Not that this should dissuade you from writing the story. Just that you should be warned. 🙂
I guess I should be delighted if I get that far.