A Tour of My Bulletin Board

I like to be organized, and having a dedicated office makes it easier. I use a bulletin board as one of my organizational tools, and where would I put it if I had to write in a coffee shop or even at my kitchen table? Yes, I also have notes and lists and research materials in binders, but I like having crucial information a glance away.

Maybe a bulletin board would work for you, too. It’s something to think about, anyway. And if you need ideas, here is a tour of mine.

The upper left-hand quadrant lists my monthly writing goals. I have three goals for August: to send my just completed manuscript out for editing, to work on the second draft of my current work-in-progress, and to send an earlier manuscript to the next round of agents. I’m currently right on track, but I might not be without the list in a prominent place to remind me.

The upper right-hand quadrant has two items. The top one is a copy of my Indiana Registered Retail Merchant Certificate, which is a sales tax registration that basically authorizes me to sell my books out of the back of my car. It reminds me that writing is a business as well as something I enjoy doing. The second item is an inspirational quote from Hebrews 12:2.

The bottom left-hand side has the outline for my current work-in-progress. I’m somewhere between a plotter and a pantster, meaning that I work from a skeletal outline and change it when circumstances warrant. My outlines are a one-line summary of each chapter and include the day of the week and the date for each one. If I get lost, I just glance up and find myself again.

The content on the bottom right-hand side changes with the manuscript. My current WIP takes place in the real town of Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1863, and I want to get the location details right. A significant portion of the story occurs in a cave built as a multi-family bomb shelter that also serves as their dwelling. Although the particular cave is fictional, the layout needs to remain the same throughout the book. So this month that lower right-hand quadrant contains a map of Vicksburg as it looked in 1863 and a diagram of the cave. When I was writing about the Great Chicago Fire, that part of the bulletin board was covered with a map of the fire’s spread. For a story that follows the seasons, I post a copy of the calendar for the relevant years. In every case, however, that portion of the bulletin board contains information that I consult frequently while writing.

Every writer has a different routine and a different way of organizing to write, so what works for me might not work for you.

But feel free to use my bulletin board ideas if they help.

The Changing Face of Political Correctness

Recently, a friend was reading Desert Jewels and asked me about the authenticity of a passage explaining that the protagonist’s Japanese American father and Caucasian mother got married in Indiana because it was illegal in Chicago. While the book is fiction, the scene is based on the real life experience of Nakaji and Eleanore Torii, who married in Crown Point, Indiana in 1930.¹  To add to that story, apparently the FBI tried to pressure Eleanore to divorce Nakaji in 1943 but she refused because he was a good provider. Although this is pure speculation, I would like to think that the real reason she refused was because she loved her husband. However, saying he was a good provider was an answer more people would likely understand or accept.

In 1930, mixed marriages were not politically correct. And during World War II, it wasn’t even politically correct to have Japanese American friends. Entire families—including many American born children—were incarcerated simply because of their blood line.

Then there are my current works-in-progress, which take place in the South before and during the Civil War. In that time and place, it was politically correct to support slavery and politically incorrect to oppose it.

These days, very few people would argue that mixed marriages are wrong and that the Japanese American incarceration and slavery were right. And it isn’t that the rightness or wrongness changed with the times, although many people who held those now outdated political beliefs did think they were morally right. Political climates and beliefs change, but right and wrong never do.

So don’t expect me to be politically correct if I don’t believe it’s right.

__________

¹ Images of America: Japanese Americans in Chicago, by Alice Murata. See pages 9, 15–18. 

The photo at the top of this post was taken by Dorothea Lange in San Francisco, California during April 1942, while she was working for the War Relocation Authority. It is in the public domain because it was taken as part of her official duties as an employee of the United States government.

Own Voices v. Other Voices: Why Not Both?

The “Own Voices” movement started as a hashtag created by Corinne Duyvis to encourage authors from diverse/marginalized groups to write about the groups they belong to—whether that be a particular race, disability, or sexual orientation—and to promote those books. That’s an admirable goal, and I’m fully behind it.

In this “politically correct” atmosphere, however, many people go farther and condemn works by voices writing outside their culture. (This is not where Corinne Duyvis takes it, as you can see from the Q&As at www.corinneduyvis.net/ownvoices/.) The restrictive view of acceptable authorship is short-sighted and, I believe, counterproductive.

First, some background. I’m about as WASP as you can get, but the protagonist of my first middle-grade book, Desert Jewels, is not. Here’s the blurb.

Twelve-year-old Emi Katayama is half Japanese, but she is all American. Then Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, and she suddenly becomes the enemy.

I wrote Desert Jewels because the Japanese-American incarceration is a part of our history that often gets ignored, and I wanted to change that. I could have used a white protagonist who lives outside the camp, as Kirby Larson did very effectively in the Dear America book The Fences Between Us, but I wanted to get closer.

Research is key. Since I didn’t live through the experience, my research relied significantly on the voices of those who had. Memoirs have always been my favorite resources, and the Japanese-American incarceration generated a number of them.

No matter who writes the story, it is important to get the facts right. While the experience is primary, knowledgeable readers may stop reading if the details are wrong. And this is just as important for members of the in-group as it is for writers from outside the group. Unfortunately, I have read several books written by Japanese Americans that have gotten the facts wrong. As an example, many of these books merge the so-called “no no boys” with the draft dissenters and treat them as if they were the same group. The “no no boys” were Japanese men who answered “no” to two questions supposedly designed to test loyalty, while the draft dissenters answered yes to each question. (You can read more about the Heart Mountain dissenters in my June 2, 2014 blog post.)

The biggest problem with the restrictive view, though, is that it limits both the offerings and the audience.

First and most obvious, it limits the offerings by narrowing the number of people who write those books. I understand the very realistic concern about other voices getting it wrong, and this is where publishers can and should be gatekeepers. But some other voices get it right. And if you want people to read own voices, those must be quality works. So while I support publishers prioritizing for well-written own voices, they shouldn’t automatically discard other voices.

Second, restricting stories to own voices also limits the audience. Some people outside of a group feel that people within the group have a bone to pick, and these readers discount own voices books as biased. (It is the perception rather than the accuracy of the claim that is important here.) The best way to reach this audience is through white voices writing outside their culture and getting it as correct as possible.

So yes, publishers should be gatekeepers to ensure that all voices portray people accurately and with sensitivity. Sometimes that means giving priority to well-written and well-researched own voices.

But restricting it to those voices is short-sighted and counterproductive.

__________

Desert Jewels is available in paperback and Kindle versions from amazon.com and in paperback from Barnes and Noble.

Detecting History

Only detectives should write historical novels. I don’t mean the kind of detective with a magnifying glass or a knowledge of fingerprints. But writing historical novels requires a significant amount of research and deductive reasoning to get the history right.

In June, I dragged Roland along on a research trip. I am writing a book that takes place during the Civil War Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and I wanted to do some research at the library in the Old Court House (pictured above) and visit the battlefield. While there, I gathered information on a real girl named Lucy McRae. She never comes onstage in my book and is only mentioned briefly, but she was trapped in a literal cave-in and I want my protagonist to hear about that incident. Also, Lucy comes from the same income class as my protagonist, so they would probably live in the same part of town and attend the same school. Knowing more about Lucy helps me make my own character more authentic.

My earlier research indicated that Lucy was 10 or 11 years old, but the movie at the battleground said she was 13. When writing for a middle grade audience, that is a big difference, and I needed to determine whether she was younger or older or the same age as my twelve-year-old protagonist. This is where the detective works comes in.

The research library had copies of the 1861 city directory and the 1850 census but none of the 1860 census. The 1861 city directory and the 1850 census showed a William McRae who was a merchant. At the time, he had four sons and no daughters. Was he Lucy’s father? He could be if she was 10 or 11 in 1863 since she would not have been born when the 1850 census was taken. And it was also possible that she could have been 13 if the census was taken early in the year and she was born right afterwards. But the 1850 census listed the youngest boy as less than a year old, making it less likely that Lucy would have been born shortly after.

And was this even the right William McRae? Several sources identified Lucy’s father as the sheriff, and both the city directory and the 1850 census listed this William McRae as a merchant. So did he become the sheriff by 1863?

After returning home, I went online and found a copy of the 1860 census. It showed a William McRae who was listed as sheriff and named the same wife and sons as in the 1850 census. The 1960 census also showed a daughter, Lucy, and gave her age as eight, which is consistent with her being ten or eleven at the time of the siege. Mystery solved.

But it took some detective work.

Don't Donate That Book!

Last week, I mentioned that Roland and I have been volunteering at a summer reading program held at Ascension Lutheran Christian School in Gary, Indiana. When the school put out a call for new and used books, it was flooded with contributions. I was reading one of them during a break and realized that not every book is a good candidate for donation. This isn’t a matter of censorship. I’m a big supporter of the First Amendment and would never advocate banning books. But I do believe in using good judgment.

The problem isn’t what you might think. There is nothing in the book that is insensitive. It doesn’t contain bad language, sex, or violence. It is simply out-of-date.

In the book, the protagonist’s father is a photographer who uses film and develops his own pictures in a darkroom at home. The process spills over into the kitchen, with chemicals and other equipment spread out everywhere. Then there is the typewriter the neighbor buys because everyone else in her class has one and the test the protagonist had trouble reading because the purple ink from the mimeograph is too light.

So why is this an issue? Because donated books often go to children who aren’t good readers or need to be motivated. If they come across outdated technology that they don’t understand, they may become frustrated and give up. (For simplicity, I’ll continue referring to technology although the same applies to outdated customs, modes of dress, and anything that might become a passing fad.)

When I mentioned the book to Roland, he said that children need to learn about how things were in the past. I agree, and if they were reading these books with parents who could explain them, I’d be all for it. But I don’t think that’s the situation for most of the recipients.

In this particular book, the chemicals for developing film are important to the story, but the mimeograph and the typewriter aren’t. The story was appropriate in its time and might still be a good read in the proper circumstances, but it isn’t a good book to donate.

This doesn’t mean that I’m ruling out all books that were written before the current technological age. On the contrary. Many books that were placed in a contemporary setting many years ago are still easy reads. Louisa May Alcott set Little Women in her own time, and E.B. White did the same with Charlotte’s Web. But they avoided getting too specific about the technology of their day. To use the donated book as an example, the mimeographed test would have worked equally well if the text merely mentioned “ink” or “print,” and the story would have had a longer life. 

Historical novels are a better way to help children learn about the past. The well-written ones don’t frustrate the reader because the author places the story at a clear time and uses context to explain the technology, customs, and other now outdated matters. Although many do include references to the pop culture of the time, they make it self-explanatory.

I’m not trying to discourage writers from using I-Phones and Twitter and the fad of the moment in their stories if they don’t care about longevity. But I am saying that these are not good books to donate after the technology becomes outdated. 

Just because something is old doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be donated. But books that assume the reader understands the technology don’t wear well, and volunteers and staff may not have the time to weed them out. That means the person donating the book should be the first reviewer.

So if you want children to catch your love for reading, don’t donate books that will frustrate them instead.

"I Don't Like to Read"

Roland and I have been volunteering at a summer reading program held at Ascension Lutheran Christian School in Gary, Indiana. The first day we were there, I overheard one girl say “I don’t like to read.” My immediate response was, “Oh, but reading books will teach you . . .”

Then I stopped. Children don’t want to be told what they can learn. What I was about to say could actually be a disincentive. So I changed it to, “Books take you to new places and let you meet new people.” And I probably should have added something about going on new adventures.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t convinced.

By the time my children were that age (going into second grade), Caroline loved to read. John didn’t spend as much time at it as she did, but he enjoyed a good story when he read one.

So how do we instill a love for reading in our children?

The best way is to set a good example. This means reading to them and making frequent visits to the library. But it also means letting them see us reading.

Programs like the one at Ascension help, too.  The free program meets twice a week through most of June and July, with volunteers staffing stations for various language arts activities.* 

At the end of the Thursday session, children pick several books from a pile of donations. (See the photo below.) Book ownership will help encourage them to read, especially when they have made their own choices. That’s the idea, anyway.

Most children can’t get to the library or a summer reading program unless a parent or guardian takes them. If you aren’t motivated to read yourself and to take your children or grandchildren or neighbors to age-appropriate reading activities, they aren’t likely to be motivated, either. And before you know it, you’ll hear them say, “I don’t like to read.”

Fortunately, it isn’t an incurable disease. That girl who doesn't like to read has been at Ascension for most sessions, so maybe the program will change her mind.

I hope so.

__________

* Although the billboard mentions scholarships available, that is for the regular school year.                                                    

Rome: Appreciating Art

Like Florence, Rome is a city filled with art. Actually, some of it is in the Vatican, which isn’t technically part of Rome. But in both cases, much of it is Michelangelo’s work.

The first picture is Michelangelo’s “Pietà” located in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good photo that didn’t include that line. The crowds kept me from finding a better angle, but the biggest problem was that the statue is protected by a glass box. That’s because it was vandalized in 1972, when someone attacked it with a hammer and broke off Mary’s left arm and hand. “Pietà” has since been restored, but it is still a reminder that not everyone values good art. And that’s a shame.

Vatican City also contains some of Michelangelo’s paintings, with the most famous ones being in the Sistine Chapel. I’m not going to talk about the “Creation of Adam” or any of the other frescoes on the ceiling because I think “Last Judgment,” which is on the wall behind the altar, is more interesting.

Photos were not allowed in the Sistine Chapel. Talking wasn’t, either, so the tour guide couldn’t explain anything while we were inside. The Vatican must understand the importance of tour groups, however, because the plaza had a number of identical stations with photos from the Chapel that helped guides explain the art to their groups.

Study the next photo carefully, and look especially at the naked man in the lower right-hand corner with the snake around his body. Then I’ll tell you what our guide told us.

Actually, most of the bodies are naked, and that caused a problem. Michelangelo felt that we should celebrate the bodies God gave us, but not everyone agreed. Biagio da Cesena, who was Pope Paul III’s Papal Master of Ceremonies, made scathing remarks about the painting. Michelangelo got his revenge by painting da Cesena in hell with a snake around his body. When da Cesena saw it, he complained to Pope Paul III, who said that Hell was out of his jurisdiction and the painting would remain as it was.

Michelangelo also sculpted elaborate pieces for grave markers. His “Moses” (shown below) was commissioned by Pope Julius II for his tomb. The tomb was never built, and Moses and some surrounding sculptures (not by Michelangelo) now reside in the San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter-in-Chains) church in Rome proper.

Most Romans couldn’t afford such elaborate art to mark their graves, however. The catacombs, which were Christian underground cemeteries, not hiding places, are filled with grave markers like the one below that used simple religious symbols. But whether elaborate or simple, art should be appreciated, not vandalized.

This is the last post about my trip to Italy. We went many other places and saw many other sites while we were there, but I just can’t cover it all.

Next week I’ll return to a subject more directly related to writing.