Marilyn's Musings

This month I was asked to give a talk to a writer's group about what it was like way back when I began writing. I've always written, but I'm going to start here what it was like when I began the first book of mine that finally got published, Two Ways West.  The idea came when my sister did our family's history. That was long before the computer and the Internet. She researched the census and talked to old family members who were still around. She composed a booklet for all of us with what she'd discovered. It fascinated me, and made me curious about why the family did what they did--especially all the moving from one place to the other. I began writing in longhand and doing my own research. As I learned more about these people I researched the history of the places they'd been by using the library.. I also had the opportunity to actually visit and chat with some of these old-timers. One big help came from the historical society of Brownsville...

By Vicki Weisfeld The most frequent lament I hear from people who write (or want to) is “not enough time,” and I get that. A chronic time shortage has forced me into becoming a miner and a recycler. Whatever else I’m doing besides writing has to contribute in some way to my creative output. My interest in family history may seem too particular for this purpose, but it’s helped me in at least three ways. Research Any topic you delve into deeply can improve your research skills. Perhaps you’re interested in botany or in the behavior of sharks. Whatever you know about them lurks somewhere in your brain, ready to be laid on the page when your fiction requires it. Meanwhile, the techniques of factual, photo, and geographic research, such as those I’ve developed working on my family history, have made the research I do for fiction both more creative and efficient. Empathy The kind of family history I create is not merely a “tree of facts.” It tries to answer the question,...