RESEARCH DAY
On Monday afternoons I teach a creative writing class at a nearby Senior Citizens Center. Since my husband plays pool (billiards) with friends on that day and we share a car, I usually drop him off in the morning, run errands or head for the library. Today was research day.
My intent was to look up some information on the Old West for a short story idea I have. Even if writing a romantic comedy (which I hope this will turn out to be), you need to have your facts straight. I wanted to be authentic with the clothing, a saloon and the lawmen of the times--can you see the story begin to form here? After getting some general information from several books, I pulled off a large tome titled, "The New Encylopedia of the American West" (Edited by Howard R. Lamar).
This reference book is compiled of characters, famous and infamous, that make up the history of the Old West. There are the cowboys, military, Indians, and the outlaws of the time. It was interesting just to glance at some of the people who have been a part of our history, and the movies we've seen. And, of course, I had to look up my distant cousin. I wasn't too happy that they tore the myth of my outlaw kin, Jesse James, into tiny pieces. Deep down I know he was a robber, an outlaw, a murderer but--I like the picture many of the disenfranchised people of Missouri and Kansas painted better: He was a Robin Hood of the times.
With time on my hands, I couldn't seem to get out of the Reference Section of the Library. Next, I came across a book titled, "Notable American Novelists." Now, I have never been much of a reader of fantasy or science fiction but I am a fan of Ray Bradbury. His biography is very interesting; the fact that his eyesight was so poor he was turned away by the draft during WW II and was sooo happy that he had an excuse to continue writing, was intriguing. It has been a long time since I saw a list of his publications and some of them brought back memories of great reads: The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451 and my favorite, Dandelion Wine. In that particular work, a 12-year old is the hero in a small Illinois town in 1928. I never knew critics accused him of attempting to make a very depressed Midwest town appear idealic during the beginning of the Depression. Bradbury said that to children no home town is ugly. End of discussion.
"Facts About the American Wars" was not a pat on the back, let me tell you. It reminded me that we have been wrong more times than not in our chosen enemy.
My last glance today was at "The Folk Songs of America." There has always been music in my home, from childhood through today. I know the words and tune to hundreds of songs of all musical genres. But I am here to tell you that there were hundreds of songs in that book I have never heard of! "Whiskey in the Jar, The Horse Named Bill, The Good Old Rebel, Lincoln and the Soldiers," and "Willie, the Weeper" were but a few of the wonderful (??) tunes. I actually did recognize some of the folk songs: "Shenadoah" (The name of a group of singers, too, isn't it?), "Down in the Valley" (I heard Gene Autry sing that once), "The John B's Sails" (some 1960's folk singers did this one), and Big Rock Candy Mountain (who sang that??).
Well, I guess the ones I did recognize still put me in the "folk" category after all. I suppose research can also remind us that we are fast becoming a part of history too.
My intent was to look up some information on the Old West for a short story idea I have. Even if writing a romantic comedy (which I hope this will turn out to be), you need to have your facts straight. I wanted to be authentic with the clothing, a saloon and the lawmen of the times--can you see the story begin to form here? After getting some general information from several books, I pulled off a large tome titled, "The New Encylopedia of the American West" (Edited by Howard R. Lamar).
This reference book is compiled of characters, famous and infamous, that make up the history of the Old West. There are the cowboys, military, Indians, and the outlaws of the time. It was interesting just to glance at some of the people who have been a part of our history, and the movies we've seen. And, of course, I had to look up my distant cousin. I wasn't too happy that they tore the myth of my outlaw kin, Jesse James, into tiny pieces. Deep down I know he was a robber, an outlaw, a murderer but--I like the picture many of the disenfranchised people of Missouri and Kansas painted better: He was a Robin Hood of the times.
With time on my hands, I couldn't seem to get out of the Reference Section of the Library. Next, I came across a book titled, "Notable American Novelists." Now, I have never been much of a reader of fantasy or science fiction but I am a fan of Ray Bradbury. His biography is very interesting; the fact that his eyesight was so poor he was turned away by the draft during WW II and was sooo happy that he had an excuse to continue writing, was intriguing. It has been a long time since I saw a list of his publications and some of them brought back memories of great reads: The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451 and my favorite, Dandelion Wine. In that particular work, a 12-year old is the hero in a small Illinois town in 1928. I never knew critics accused him of attempting to make a very depressed Midwest town appear idealic during the beginning of the Depression. Bradbury said that to children no home town is ugly. End of discussion.
"Facts About the American Wars" was not a pat on the back, let me tell you. It reminded me that we have been wrong more times than not in our chosen enemy.
My last glance today was at "The Folk Songs of America." There has always been music in my home, from childhood through today. I know the words and tune to hundreds of songs of all musical genres. But I am here to tell you that there were hundreds of songs in that book I have never heard of! "Whiskey in the Jar, The Horse Named Bill, The Good Old Rebel, Lincoln and the Soldiers," and "Willie, the Weeper" were but a few of the wonderful (??) tunes. I actually did recognize some of the folk songs: "Shenadoah" (The name of a group of singers, too, isn't it?), "Down in the Valley" (I heard Gene Autry sing that once), "The John B's Sails" (some 1960's folk singers did this one), and Big Rock Candy Mountain (who sang that??).
Well, I guess the ones I did recognize still put me in the "folk" category after all. I suppose research can also remind us that we are fast becoming a part of history too.
posted by Barb | 10:01 PM
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