Susan K. Earl
So…You Want to Write a Book
1
Let’s start a book together. Join me on a journey of discovery as I write my next book… with your feedback, your insight, and you can even add your own ideas to the story line.
Just a few rules first, though. I write clean fiction, so all text will be reviewed before it’s posted. I don’t want to offend my readers with inappropriate content. Yet, if your goal is to get inside the head of an author and discover how my mind twist and turns as I create a story, then this blog is for you!
I can’t wait to get started!!
So…You Want to Write a Book
2
Now the work begins… the first thing every good writer needs is an idea to begin their journey with. My genre is usually historical fiction, but tonight may change that… or maybe not. My first inclination is to write about what I know. This way I don’t leave myself hanging and wondering where the story line will go next. Moon Dance was written using many primary sources, as well as a lot of imagination. The same can be said for Ghost of Johanna. I’ve written two distinct historical fiction novels that are miles apart in content, but I write, as they say, where the spirit leads me. Tonight it leads me down a new path of discovery, and I hope you’ll take this journey with me. I never know where it may lead!
The first thing I consider is the plot… the problem… the trigger that will inspire me to write “the next great American novel” (I Wish!!) I usually have an idea in mind before I sit down to write, but tonight we’re going to discover the plot together. How? Research is my forte. I need to find a window in time that I’d like to explore. When and where will the story take place? Who will be the protagonist or the antagonist? I’ve been thinking lately about the Vietnam War, which occurred back in the olden days when I was young and impressionable. I like to write in two voices, so that my readers can delve into various perspectives of the same issue. I like to use primary sources, but I don’t know who would be my primary source if I write this book.
I’m feeling that little quiver of excitement that always touches me when an idea is born. I think I really want to write this story. I know a little about the story line now. One voice will tell the story from the perspective of a soldier, and the other voice will tell the story from the perspective of a draft dodger. Most of my first-hand knowledge of this war is from the children of Vietnam Vets. My own father was a veteran of WWII, and I really have no one in my family that fought in Vietnam. I do remember friends whose loved one was MIA, and the hope they felt that their father or brother would soon be found and come home. I remember the bracelets they wore that reminded us all of the fear and loss and hope that filled their hearts. I can remember their faces, but I can’t remember their names.
Oh, this is good. I am ready to discover many, various, wonderful, or terrible memories of a time in history that our “heroes” were shunned, and many young men fled to avoid what they considered an “unnecessary” war. My goal now is to research the era and find as many details as I can to support my story. It will be gripping and relevant, and I hope it portrays a truth that needs to be told.
Request number one: If you were involved in the Vietnam era in any way, please contact me if you would like to share your story with me. I promise that the book will be honorable. It’s a scary time frame, but I feel that your story is a story that needs to be told. You can contact me through this blog, or at authorsusankearl@gmail.com
And now, we have begun!
Stay tuned for more…
So…You Want to Write a Book 
The War in Vietnam was happening as I was going to high school and college.
The only boy I dated seriously in high school joined the Navy and went to Vietnam and served as a Crew Chief on a helicopter. Fortunately, he came home.
My twin brother was drafted and ended up as a clerk in Da Nang. He also came home. My younger brother didn’t have to go because his brother was already there, or at least that’s what I understood.
When I was in college, many of my classmates were returning Vets who were going to college on the G.I. Bill. I knew some of them, dated a few, and learned first hand, in a few cases, how the whole experience messed with their heads.
Idea – What if your draft-dodger goes to college and sees the war through the eyes of those who have already been there? What if he decides to be a Conscientious Objector? Many young men took that route to avoid the war and some went to Canada just because they were afraid they would die.
Hi Judy,
Great minds think alike! 🙂 I have actually been doing a lot of research on both sides of the Vietnam/anti-Vietnam issue, and had come to the conclusion that the draft dodger’s character will become a “conscientious objector”. I watched a documentary on netflix last night on Joan Baez (2009). It was really good, and it had actual footage of Joan and her now ex-husband, David, who was head of the draft resistance, as they encouraged young men not to fight. I didn’t know that she was a Quaker and therefore a pacifist. The documentary was very informative and moving.
Thank you so much for sharing about your brothers and your friends who fought in Vietnam. I’m feeling very emotional about all these young men that I’m learning about. It was a very difficult experience that, as you said, messed with their heads. I haven’t talked with anyone who has positive memories of their time in Vietnam. I’ve written it all down, and I’m still interviewing. Once I have time to ponder on their stories I will publish more pages. I would love to hear about anything your brother or friends would like to share.
Blessings 🙂