Searching for Headroom

" '...You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!'

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens 

When writing went from a pastime to a serious endeavor as a novelist, so too went the fantasies of writing the Great American Novel, becoming a NY Times #1 bestseller, earning millions and getting a seven figure deal for the movie rights. Yes, that was a letdown, to be sure, but in my heart I knew I was writing because I wanted to. I enjoyed the research, the work, the late hours letting my imagination conjure people, places and plots. I was having fun. Of late I haven't been having much fun.

The problem is writer's block, but not the kind you are led to imagine is the dark despair of a dearth of ideas. Most writers have more ideas than they will live long enough to commit to keyboard, monitor and hard drive (more modern than paper, you know).  No, the blockage is much more prosaic. It is ordinary life. The things we all have to do. Earn a living, take care of our obligations, spending time with family and friends. These all take time, energy and increasingly a piece of my soul. Which brings me to my Dickens quote.

The actual muse that drives each artist is as individual as a fingerprint, and it occurred to me last Christmas, as I watched George C. Scott deliver those famous words as Scrooge to Marley's ghost, that Dickens could have been describing the creative act. It doesn't take much to upset the applecart, so to speak. Sitting at a keyboard, of course, is the first task, and comes highly recommended from experienced writers, but in and of itself is pretty useless.

I also need a clear head. One that isn't jammed with the detritus of the day, demanding my time, disrupting my process. As they say, messin' with my head. I haven't been able to find that place recently and as a result I lose the momentum of the story. I used to dream in character dialogue and plot lines. Now I dream about elder care and medical procedures and mortgage payments and dinner menus. This is not helpful in finding the way back to the keyboard for something other than Facebook debates on politics or Tweets about where I might be having dinner, perhaps the source of that undigested bit of beef.

And that's really the thing here. Petty annoyances accumulate to create disruption and dyspepsia of my muse. It's really bothersome, too. My writing should be where I find my solace and diversion and when that element is missing it manifests as a cantankerous attitude (well, more pronounced than usual, at any rate), and a sort of irritability whose source can't quite be pinpointed and an amplitude that can't quite be quantified. 

Now this is the point where the reader would expect despair to win, and read an announcement that I was leaving my writing behind to devote more time to other things. You would be wrong. This is actually where I tell you that I draw inspiration from my friends and colleagues who know exactly what this place looks and feels like, yet manage to forge ahead in spite of the challenges. Friends like Jennie Shortridge, who just launched her latest book Love Water Memory, and Robert Dugoni who actually had to tell his law firm that he was a writer first (and a damn fine one), and a lawyer part-time. William Dietrich whose work ethic and finely honed skills as a writer set a standard to which I aspire, Kevin O'Brien who has carved a niche in the thriller genre to be envied and Garth Stein who actually got that brass ring. All these writers and many more whom I know and respect show me that the trick is not in being beset by daily life, but inspired by it.

Now comes the transition. The moment when I actually sit at the keyboard and create new worlds and characters. Now is when the beef, the mustard, the potato, cheese and the gravy come together to make a meal. And sometimes just musing on a blog will kick start the process. So to all my patient and long suffering readers, thanks for lending me a moment as my collective of silent shrinks. I'll try not to waste your time. 

Pardon me for the interruption, I need to get back to work. 

From Fact to Historical Fiction - Book Reviews

Among the wide-reaching arc of genres that populate fiction, historical fiction is particularly broad, offering both readers--and writers--the opportunity to explore what was real through the eyes of fictional characters, imagine what might have been real by fictionalizing accounts of real people, or bending both to suit the needs of the story.

My own work Island Dawn, for example, begins the story of a fictional Japanese immigrant and his family through the late 19th century into the post WWII era. In my case I have characters buffeted by the real-world events and circumstances of the times over the course of a trilogy.

Such an approach is also taken in Guernica, the debut novel for Seattle journalist Dave Boling.  Set in the moments before the outbreak of WWII in the Basque region straddling southwestern France and northwestern Spain, this novel is a beautiful meditation on the power of love and a heart-wrenching exploration of the devastation the machinery of war visits upon the innocents of all ages.  While this book tells the tale of the people at the heart of Basque culture in Guernica, it paints on a canvas even larger than Picasso did for his epic mural. This intimate portrait paradoxically sprawls across the sweeping events of the era and illuminates--through fiction--the horror of war, the heroism of living a meaningful life in the face of unimaginable heartache, and the dignity of doing the best you can in the worst of circumstances.  This was a five-star read for me, and is a fine example of how fiction at its best illuminates and informs the best and the worst in us.

Guernica, A novel by Dave Boling
Published by Bloomsbury, New York City.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-59691-637-1

Stepping back five centuries Saltspring Island resident C.C. Humphreys uses a different approach by taking a historical figure shrouded in myth and legend and imagines what the life of the real person might have been in Vlad - The Last Confession.  Within these pages is an epic novel that gathers historical data and casts Vlad Dracul--the real Dracula--as the reviled impaler to his enemies, the Dragon's Son to his people and ultimately the hero of his homeland.  This richly textured narrative, as told by those who knew him best (remember, this is fiction), casts the cartoonish figure of Stoker's novel in an entirely different light. It brilliantly brings into sharp focus the twists of fate, political and theological machinations and external forces that may have driven Vlad to the intense and excruciating means so vividly depicted by Humphreys.  The rich characterizations and exquisite eye for detail make this an epic read, though not for the faint of heart. As Vlad Dracul learned the hard way in the 15th century, 'we torture so that we will not be tortured'.

Vlad - The Last Confession, a novel by C.C. Humphreys
Published by Sourcebooks Landmark Naperville, Ill.
Paperback ISBN: 13: 978-1-4022-5351-5


Taking yet another avenue in Blood of the Reich, Anacortes based William Dietrich takes a peculiar true historical incident, in this case a Himmler sponsored expedition of German scientists to Tibet--the roof of the world--and combines it with a fictional power supposedly left by the ancients in a remote monastery awaiting the 'blood key' to unlock the secrets.  Convinced of their Aryan superiority the Nazi expedition treks treacherously to the forbidden gates and discovers 'Vril' only to have its power denied them by the interdiction of an intrepid American archeologist and an adventurous lady pilot, presumably saving the world from Nazi domination--for now.  Dietrich cleverly switches to and from pre-war German obsessions and a modern day thrill ride as destinies separated by seven decades race toward a breath-taking collision.  Here the elements of history, fiction and the supernatural are blended seamlessly with the peculiar world of sub-atomic physics to produce an exciting page turning adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat right till the last page.  A great read, and I will note for the record, Bill's work is among my favorite reading.  His scholarship is evident, but always serves the story well without distraction.  When you finish this one, try Hadrian's Wall or the Ethan Gage series.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

Blood of the Reich, a novel by William Dietrich
Published by Harper Collins New York City
Hardback ISBN: 976-0-06-198918-6