Creative Writing

Writing History

/ Stefan Nicholson

The Writing of History and Biographies

I am a great fan of Lewis Carroll – the mathematician who became a writer of children’s books and nonsense poetry.  He observed the world around him, and applied logic to show that what we see, and our understanding of it, depends on your perspective.  So too, with the writing of history: people, places and times.

Wearing his hat for a few minutes, I would have to conclude, that everything that is not most useful, is necessarily less useful) – an interesting question for this week.  And yet, if anything is useful, it is just that – otherwise it would be useless. Say that fast, three times.

From historical evidence and sequence of events, a biographer presents the logic of the true event, and the story teller within, moulds this into the storyline – or it can work the other way around. Biography is the true story – as can be reasonably told based on fact and reasoning, notwithstanding that some biographers lie through their teeth.

So, how do you write about history?

  • I have learnt that writing history demands the mastery of being able to tell a story, while simultaneously telling the truth in critical areas.  False account and erroneous fact will be picked up by the critic.  Reputation is closely linked to accuracy and meeting audience expectations. The facts of history may be consciously or unconsciously distorted by bias and/or malice – depending on the context of the events by the writer.
  • Historical fiction is the incorporation of real historical events and figures, into a story line, whereby the setting must be true to the reality of the past.  Sometimes the characters are themselves, and at other times, generally when sensitivities and legalities are required, the characters may have new names – or nick-names.
  • A hard-nosed journalist will write the historical work according to the facts.  The writer of a biography or autobiography will write a memoir or complete life-story, adding their own bias of thoughts and feelings.  An historical fiction writer will use imagination and lateral thinking to work in with history, and build up an entertaining, action-packed story, using story board technique and character role play.
  • I have learnt how to gather information from linked sources, as well as family and friends of family.  We have each recounted the affect that events may have on the history of the family – notable migration, marriages, deaths and wars.
  • Hidden stories, secret facts, and sensitivities within the family history, must be explored, debated and effectively dealt with to ensure a “reasonable” and ethical outcome for all parties.  The possibility of sitting on a story, to synchronise the release of truth, while avoiding litigation and copyright issues, has been well rewarded many times.  A good lawyer should always provide the ultimate advice on such matters.
  • Visuals, choosing fiction writing and acknowledging the requirement to tell a story at its best, taught me that the story-line and audience participation is of prime importance.  The audience becomes the writerly-reader – adding another dimension to the existing work. Visuals may be used to reduce some of the descriptive embellishment – allowing photos and graphics to “show” by example.  This enhances the concise narrative and dialogue, to create a mood or historical atmosphere, so that the reader’s imagination is encouraged – rather than being lectured to.
  • Finally, I have learnt through the experiences of fellow students, lecturers, authors and supporting readings, that there is both pleasure and pressure experienced by the historical writer.  Whether you choose to write imaginative historical fiction, or engage in rigorous and academically precise researching for biography, or classical historical works, there are expectations of sensibility and much research of material.

Where to go from here with the writing of your next book?

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat

“I don’t much care where ——“, said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat

“—- so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.

“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough” 

(excerpt from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”)

I am going to have a long thoughtful walk, and plan out another interesting historical work. I lived the life of Adam Lindsay Gordon for long enough to share his experiences, when I wrote a poem for the Adam Lindsay Gordon Association – and came out of it a wiser man – and second prize winner.

Best regards to everyone.  I hope to be reading your published works in the near future.

Does The Shoe Fit?

/ Stefan Nicholson

Identity is the individuality of a person – their self, and their uniqueness.  Their uniqueness is displayed to the external world through personality, character, and specifications as if choosing from a list of attributes. 

A photograph identifies a person based on physical attributes.  We can also identify people by the sound of their voices, by tell-tale gestures and mannerisms, and sometimes by how others describe them. 

A writer may be identified by their style of writing, and what they write about.

Identification seems to work the other way around.  We ask what sort of person would have certain attributes.  We erroneously assume that all people with those attributes, act and think the same. Identification is the cataloguing of attributes, to act as a filter for our human necessity for labeling.  We seem to label everything, in a desire to understand the whole, while ignoring the individual. We determine what sort of writer would write about certain topics – by apparent attributes but not by knowing their real persona.

As an example of identification: When I was driving a maxi-taxi, people often slotted me into that one role. When I was in recruitment, job applicants with multiple skills would be labelled and filed away with one job specification, instead of the multiple skills and previous varied jobs and study.

So, what is more important – and for whom? 

For a non-fiction writer: Identification is equally as important as the identity of the author.  Do they qualify for expertise in research and analysing scenarios of events that happened?  Do they have inside information as to what it is like to belong and have identification for belief? Have they presented the “facts” without bias or imagination?

In writing fiction: Well, anything is possible, and even wrong facts may actually be a twist on the real thing. Imagining what the writer is like in person is sometimes impossible. This is the nature of creative writing. Imagination is the key ingredient for creating a tantalising plot.

Personally, as a writer, I would just like to be identified as having the right skills for the work I do. My identity is my persona – my identification merely a catalogue of my belongings and the labels that people assume to fit, based on my attributes.

Also, we do not often wonder about the writer’s life when reading their book. When we read, we become the writer, within our imagination and feelings, with all our positive and negative interpretations of the original writer’s work and its many possible meanings.

Two opposite sayings indicate how identification can be misleading and coerced by myth:

  • “Don’t judge a book by its cover”; and
  • “Birds of a feather flock together”.

To finish, with another saying:

  • “To really understand someone, just walk a mile in their shoes”.

Example of a Comedy Script

/ Stefan Nicholson

“Cool Cat” – (c) Stefan Nicholson 2015 Tasmania

OPENING SCENE:

(James is playing “Clair de Lune” on piano which has a bust of Debussy on top – His cat is sitting next to the bust)

Eric who is not very sharp, enters the room and looks unaware of his environment and has a blank look.

Eric

Wow man . . . who wrote that cool music? . . . It’s all floaty and surreal man.

James

(Points to the composer’s bust on piano, next to the cat)

Debussy. Yeah it sounds like some random falling of leaves on a winter’s night.

Eric

(looking at the cat which stretches out its paws)

Are you messing with me man. Is that the dude?

James

No kidding man . . . Claude Debussy. A French composer, who wrote it one night while looking at the moon.

Eric

(looking at the cat and talking slowly)

Well done Claude, that is a very nice piece of music . . . if you understand English man.

James

Good grief Eric . . . I was pointing at the composer’s bust.

Eric

Wow, sorry man for missing the clue.  So sorry Claudette, for making a huge mistake with the boobs and all.

(James crashes his head into the keyboard and bangs his hands up and down on the keys)

Eric

Wow man . . . is that another one of the pussy’s compositions?

James

Are you planning to have children in the future Eric . . . because they would probably smother you while you were sleeping, around the age of three when they would surely realise that cats DO NOT compose music!

Eric

But what about . . . ?

James

Don’t you ever mention “Cats” the musical in front of my cat . . . you may give it grandiose ideas.

THE END

How to write a SCREENPLAY

/ Stefan Nicholson

The typical structure for summarising a screenplay in three acts, would be:

ACT ONE:

  • Show that the main character has a serious flaw (but not detailed)
  • Show the evidence of the flaw by its effects on others
  • Introduce the Key Flaw (shown to us by dialogue from someone close)
  • Allow the audience to perceive some depth to the main character and wonder how far down will the character sink – while having some good point
  • Introduce a Crisis Point – which needs to be solved before moving on
  • Escalate rapidly into a Climax – exposing raw emotion and inner self

ACT TWO:

  • Change the location or circumstances of their environment – hint at changes
  • Gradually awaken the main character to think about their problems
  • Make the central character aware of their serious flaw (needs, desires, hurdle to overcome)
  • Introduce sub-plot relationships (love works well with audiences)
  • Midpoint – main character is now fully aware of Key Flaw- not in denial to self – but inability to rise above (“I can’t, and I won’t” inner expression and conflict)
  • Make the central character face up to the Key Flaw – possibly as an internal challenge
  • Produce the Catalyst for changing their behaviour – can become proficient in another task – healing of one element by another unrelated event
  • More work on sub-plot relationships – involving the effect of new behaviour on others
  • All indications of change and turmoil and choices – leading to a Dilemma – What to do?  Making the right choice at the expense of other things (needs, desires, love interests, problem solving etc.)
  • Crisis Point occurs when some factor pushes the main character too far – enabling a change in thinking to be made – and a new chance of success
  • Climax point for Act Two (hard to write) – major event releases emotions in other areas – major point is good, but often negative smaller issues suffer – especially relationships

ACT THREE:

  • Give the main character a chance to beat their Key Flaw and associated effects and character traits
  • Catalyst for change in obtaining an expression for breaking their Key Flaw
  • Show main character has resourcefulness – as all heroes exhibit this
  • Establish a proving ground where main character is Confronted by their fears and goes beyond the call of duty to beat their Key Flaw attributes
  • Throw in a final Crisis Point, where it looks as though the main character will eventually lose out, after all they have been through – generally because they are up against an insurmountable choice or have too much to lose on behalf of others
  • Resolution is the end result of overcoming the Key Flaw, and the problems encountered, that were the reason why the problems could not be faced.
  • Send the audience home with a tear in their eye, a sense of having lived the tale themselves, having experienced all the roller-coaster emotional tugs and pushes – and left with a thought that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

(c) Stefan Nicholson 2009