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Any ideas on how I can write about some memories I discovered?
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Glen wrote: "Hi everyone, bit new here, so firstly sorry if this is in the wrong place! I was looking for some thoughts and / or advice. I've already published my first novel and was thinking of making a sequel..."It sounds like you're struggling with from whose POV to write the book. If you're not, you will need to tackle that first. Will it be Gran's story? Will it be an independent story with Gran's facts and feelings woven in? Before you do anything else, except additional research, you'll need to decide. Your story hinges of the POV.
The second most important thing to do is to write the story as if it is happening in the present. No "once upon a time," or excessive wording that begins with "She remembered."
"Stein on Writing" by Sol Stein is a great book that helps and gives examples of writing the past as if it were the present. When you write in the past like so many traditionally do, you distance the reader. To bring them closer to the story, as if they are eavesdropping, you need to present your prose in such a way that events occur in the here and now. This method keeps the reader reading and makes them a part of the story.
Stein is excellent at teaching this. The thing I love most about his book is that he does not like to hear himself talk. In other words, he does not fill the book with a ton of narrative before he makes his point.
The book costs about $17.99 U.S dollars (not sure where you live), on Amazon. You can also buy a used copy for less. You can find this particular example (flashbacks) on page 143 - Flashbacks: How to Bring Background into the Foreground.
Hope this helps.
Donna
https://rb.gy/b7fwne
Glen wrote: "Hi everyone, bit new here, so firstly sorry if this is in the wrong place! I was looking for some thoughts and / or advice. I've already published my first novel and was thinking of making a sequel..."Hi Glen. What an interesting problem to have and one that I can resonate with... I've just published my first novel (Our Silent Footsteps) which is based on the memories of a fascinating lady who grew up in Egypt in the 1920s and met her future husband during the Second World War. After interviewing her over a period of a few months, I was left with a bundle of memories that had the beginnings of an captivating story but I wasn't sure how to proceed. In the end I chose to write the story as a work of fiction which enabled me to get into the head of the main characters, as well as build up an emotional connect with the reader. This didn't stop me adding historical facts within the story (and here, research is the key) which added background to what was happening to the characters.
Despite the plethora of WW2 stories out there, there are still new angles to explore and misconceptions to address. Everyone's experiences were unique.
I see what you're saying in terms of not wanting to get caught in a particular brand of WW2 story (the picture of a woman in front of a bombed out building) but this is entirely down to the design of your front cover - the shop window to your story.
Best of luck!
Looking around at what exists already, I'm adamant this isn't going to become one of those quaint 'wartime story' novels, the type where they have a woman in a red dress and hat on the front standing beside a bombed-out building. I'm thinking of somehow trying to weave her memories in with facts about what actually happened, but then also concerned this might end up being some sort of textbook, which is not what I'm after.
What does everyone think? What would you suggest?
Thank you!