Are you stuck because of history or does it call you forward?
In my first novel, my “inner” MC explores and obsesses over history. She keeps centuries of historical archives at her fingertips, not to collect a pile of facts, but because her curious mind is full of questions.
The complexities fascinate her. History, unlike time, does not cut a clean and simple path. It is messy and even “cold, hard facts” are laced in nuance and agenda.
She knows that time and those in control of the inkwell distort historical chronicles, which is why literature holds equal gravity for her. Fictional narratives often draw readers closer to the truth than solemn tomes.
What captures her attention most is how even the mostly undistorted histories settle in two different ways.
Some can’t shake the old, learned patterns. Damned by history.
Others? The past is lessons that draw them forward. Saved by history.
The question is, will my MC’s obsession help her navigate a crucial turning point in world events or will she become a casualty of it?
Which histories keep you tethered to outdated and unhealthy patterns?
Which histories draw you forward, like a light on an uncertain path?
If you're stuck, how can history be a tool to pull you out of the rut?
©Pennie Nichols. All Rights Reserved. 2023
Stories from history are the legs I stand on. History moves me forward.
Wonderful questions!
Thanks, Diane. I think history moves me in a good direction too.
Wonderful, thought-provoking questions. We’re certainly all products of our culture, family, and yes, history. Its getting the distance that’s the tough part.
Distance can either give us better perspective (and hindsight), OR (and this is why we chew on things so much), distort. Because memory decays.
Hi Pennie, my love of writing could be my history. I was just rereading a diary I kept right after my son Andrew was born. I was an older mom by that time, but very busy with Andrew, our two older daughters, and going back to school to get my RN. But crazy me, I was also writing. 30 minutes a day, when I could. HISTORY THANKS FOR YOUR POST.
Thank you! And, the thing is, we can’t not write, right?