(Yippee

It’s still in draft form with a lot of editing ahead, but I think I just concluded Part I of Eliza’s story. The scene just felt right where I led her to a logical stopping point. I have laid out enough background information which shapes her character and guides her decisions for the rest of the novel.

Finishing this part also forced me to consider the other major sections of the story. I have always had a rough outline, but now it is fleshed out more and I see the block of years for a historical novel coming together in a sequential order. Simultaneously this week, I have been reading a recommendation from one of the Facebook groups I follow, Historical Fiction Book Lovers. P.S. Great group if you like the genre. It’s filled with recommendations and discussions. My TBR pile is getting too long!

The book is As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner. It caught my eye in the FB group mentioning it covered the Spanish flu epidemic in Philadelphia. As Eliza’s story will cover this time period, I wanted to take a look at another author’s presentation of the event. Ms. Messier did an incredible job with the details of the flu and seamlessly wove it into her story. She also employed varying POVs with four characters. This is a difficult approach for writers but she maintained consistency swapping between each one, even having the language grow and evolve as the characters did throughout the novel. Bonus for me was the list of references she included for her research so I can access them as well for my own research of the flu, planned for Part III.

For now with Eliza, it’s on to Part II. I think it’s going to get a heck of a lot juicier!

Stay tuned.

 

10 thoughts on “Part I: Done”

  1. Congrats – that’s a huge step! I was actually thinking of you and your writing journey as I finished my recent read. It’s called, ‘We Were The Lucky Ones.’ You might have already read it but it is also a historical fiction based on the author’s grandfather’s family during the Holocaust. It was so amazing and I highly recommend it! And at the end of the book she goes into her process of researching her family’s story…really fascinating!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Liz! And thanks for the rec, I’ve seen We Were the Lucky Ones mentioned in that FB group several times. You just made my “to be read” pile grow some more! If you’re on FB, check out that Historical Fiction Book Lovers – it is full of great recommendations.

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  7. Pingback: 2018 Books In Review – JRD Writer-in-Progress

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