Category: Historical Fiction
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The Most Acclaimed Bad Novel I’ve Ever Read: “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead
Colson Whitehead’s historical-fiction novel The Underground Railroad was published in 2016, and rare praise wasn’t far behind it! The book won a National Book Award, a Pulitzer Prize, and a host of other prestigious commendations. It’s the story of Cora, a young woman who flees slavery on a Georgia plantation via the storied grassroots escape…
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The Trouble With Online Research: What’s A Gal to Believe?
AI is making us lazy… and maybe even stupid. Remember what Socrates is said to have said? To paraphrase, written text makes us lazy because we don’t remember anything, so our minds atrophy… even though we still think we’re smart. Or something like that. Today, I went online to research “inserting” as a sewing technique.…
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Living Up to a Surprising Family Legacy
I have an impressive role model. Seven years ago today, I spent the day in New Castle, Indiana, paging through musty books, peering at microfilm newspaper articles, and digging through gigantic, bound court record books. My son Ted Shideler and I were just starting my second Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship Award project. For the past…
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Frederick Douglass, Mary Jane, and Me: Bringing Historic Figures to Life
A week ago, I saw Frederick Douglass: Well, not really. But I did attend a performance by Darius Wallace, an actor of notable skill. In character as Douglass, Wallace delivered a one-man show at the Historic Fall Creek Meetinghouse, east of Pendleton, Indiana. The outdoor venue perfectly framed the venue and the context: Douglass briefly…
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Reconstruction Diary Meditations: On Waiting
Friday, April 6, 1866 We made preparations to start on our journey today at one o’clock but some accident happened to the train so that it did not come in. We waited all the evening ready to start at any time. About 7 o’clock a whistle sounded and a coachman employed to take us to…
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Where to Even Begin?
Hmm: A runaway mule team that nearly mows down two women? A quarrel between two sisters who claim to be pacifists? A public argument between a female Northerner and a male Confederate sympathizer? For several months, I debated about the best narrative hook for my novel based on the real family-heirloom diary of my ancestor,…
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The Biggest Mistake Historical Fiction Writers Make – And How to Avoid It
Writing historical fiction is the dream of so many aspiring authors – but it requires real research! Back when my high school juniors were writing stories related to the American Civil War, it was the little details that tripped them up. One student wrote about a doctor reaching into the medicine cabinet and pulling out…
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Reconstruction Diary Meditations: Did my ancestor suffer from seasonal depression?
Diary Entry: Saturday, February 3, 1866 The forenoon of today has been spent making a bonnet to wear, and owing to a headache feeling unable to do much more. Anna French is better today. At two oclock an ambulance wagon came round to take us out riding and eight of our family took passage for…
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Podcast 4: I hate the Facebook hoops!
What’s going on with all this Facebook publicity? Why do I have to wave my hat and draw attention to myself?
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Diary Entry: Wednesday, January 24, 1866
Last night we had quite a shower of rain, and this morning the weather is cool again and remained so all day. I had fifty scholars at school today, suffered with the headache considerably yesterday and last night… -Mary Jane Edwards, writing in Jackson, Mississippi…
