tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2932500187353859270.post9106405306286689797..comments2024-02-13T15:37:51.463-05:00Comments on Ellis Vidler's Unpredictable Muse: How True is Historical Fiction?Ellis Vidlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918353154644739285noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2932500187353859270.post-72609493498816549592012-07-17T17:46:03.922-04:002012-07-17T17:46:03.922-04:00Ellis, I hope you enjoy reading Southern Cross a...Ellis, I hope you enjoy reading <i> Southern Cross </i> as much as I have enjoyed this blog.<br /><br />Linda, It’s funny that you mention checking daily weather records for the locale and time period. I did that and more. I checked the phases of the moon, baseball scores, and addresses . . . but I’m a retired engineer. At the end chapter eight in <i> Southern Cross </i>, when Schulte asks the T. C. Isbellhttp://mysteryalley.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2932500187353859270.post-27956235637094532142012-07-17T15:54:17.105-04:002012-07-17T15:54:17.105-04:00Great points, Tom. I set my WIP in 1984 to jibe wi...Great points, Tom. I set my WIP in 1984 to jibe with an actual federal farm loan program that figures into the murder and mayhem. The beauty of that time period is that my heroine has to figure things out the old-fashioned way, instead of hopping onto her laptop for incriminating information and calling for help on her cell phone.<br />At first, I got so hung up in historical accuracy that I Linda Bonney Olinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2932500187353859270.post-5117306446173041132012-07-17T14:48:46.368-04:002012-07-17T14:48:46.368-04:00Hi, Tom. Good post! I agree about the need for tho...Hi, Tom. Good post! I agree about the need for thorough research. I've just discovered I'm a technical dinosaur. In a critique group I learned about my MC's need for an aircard. Never heard of it, but now I'm researching.<br /> <br />The fire adds interest to your story. I have Southern Cross but haven't started it yet. I'm looking forward to it.Ellis Vidlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11918353154644739285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2932500187353859270.post-81559036087630371722012-07-17T12:22:07.803-04:002012-07-17T12:22:07.803-04:00Thanks, Polly. How true. Readers have lived throug...Thanks, Polly. How true. Readers have lived through recent history and know what they experienced. Events require closer scrutiny when fictionalizing something that happened five years ago compared to fifty years ago. A reader's preception of an event, as portrayed in the news media, must also be considered.T. C. Isbellhttp://mysteryalley.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2932500187353859270.post-65476467003232116282012-07-17T11:49:46.400-04:002012-07-17T11:49:46.400-04:00Great post, Tom. Research can definitely change a ...Great post, Tom. Research can definitely change a story. I'm finding that even near present can become history. A book written in 2002, reedited for 2012 needs a thorough vetting because of cell phones and other technological equipment. Most of the time we don't even think of these things when updating a book. Who uses a flip phone other than a few of us dinosaurs. A book written in 2005 Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2932500187353859270.post-80207652622451750432012-07-17T11:31:55.725-04:002012-07-17T11:31:55.725-04:00Thanks Lev, A tight plot and sound research are th...Thanks Lev, A tight plot and sound research are the keys to any good novel. Technical and historical facts help create a plausible story. If I had missed the fire during my research, most readers wouldn’t have known. However, devout readers of WW2 historical fiction might have.T. C. Isbellhttp://mysteryalley.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2932500187353859270.post-88667261990358012262012-07-17T07:28:46.833-04:002012-07-17T07:28:46.833-04:00That's a really good point about the fire. re...That's a really good point about the fire. research can sometimes knock you for a loop because you come across facts that seem to make your book more complicated. But patience can integrate those.<br />Thanks for sharing that insight!Lev Raphaelhttp://www.levraphael.comnoreply@blogger.com