As I mentioned in my last post, I had intended to write a
story about a girl living in the Pullman District of Chicago during the Pullman strike of 1894, but I just
couldn’t get the plot to flesh out. So what went wrong?
When writing historical fiction, research information about
both facts and experiences is necessary to create a realistic story. I love
memoirs, letters, and “as told to” accounts because they give you the color and
emotional content that makes history come alive. Facts about the Pullman District
and the Pullman strike were both easy to come by, but lived experiences have
eluded me.
It
isn’t as if I haven’t tried. There are newspaper and magazine articles and a
propaganda booklet about all the wonderful amenities provided to residents, but
I couldn’t find anything that provided insight into their daily thoughts,
feelings, and experiences.
Have
I given up on the idea? Not entirely. I’ll take the Historic Pullman House Tour
in October and continue looking for better resources. But if this story doesn’t
want to be written, I’ll just move on to the next one—again.
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