https://bookmarketingglobalnetwork.com/book-marketing-global-network/author-dave-mcgowan/

Why do you write historical fiction?

Question # 6

Three short answers to that:

So that people might be able to understand other people.
So that people might be able to recognize truth.
So that people, readers, might enjoy happy, rewarding lives.
Since I write historical fiction, I will primarily use that genre to support my argument(s) here but there are many other genres that I read, mystery, adventure, espionage or sci fi   which can also be used to back up my opinion.
And please try to remember that.
What I write here is my opinion and I may even have some evidence to support that opinion --- but that’s still all it is.

 

This is very early on --- probably about 1955

Myself, brothers Robert and Douglas

Early on in life, sometime during my early education, I noticed that those who excel at anything enjoy it. Yes, it helps if they have a natural aptitude for it which heightens the enjoyment …

At this point I’m guessing. I have a general knowledge of several “working man” subjects, at few of which, if any, I actually “excel.”

… but even those who DO NOT excel but still enjoy it can navigate through the absorption of a basic understanding of the subject without experiencing life destroying trauma. At the same time a terrible, debilitating curse is to have a natural aptitude for a subject and find it boring, suppressive, depressive and suffocating.

I first started to see something amiss in history which led me to eventually understand this concept and apply it to other subjects.

Early on I enjoyed history but many around me didn’t, mostly because, as they claimed, they couldn’t understand why we would waste time on things we can’t change. But it was also because they couldn’t convince themselves of a need to remember dates, and thus didn’t, which was the only way the system could ensure we all read the material. If they didn’t remember the dates for the test then otherwise “smart” students failed.

But that misses the whole point of education in general or any subject in particular. Education is about being able to understand the basics of everyday life and how to avoid difficulties or find solutions to those that arise.

No, you can’t change the past, but the past is what created everyone. No, what happened 300 years ago will not have a direct effect on the student of 2026, but it may have had a strong effect on that student’s fifth great grand father, which is the reason he’s going to school in Regina and not in Prague. And perhaps alive because he’s in Canada and not the Czech Republic.

 

David John McGowan probably in 1890

 

David John McGowan, James William McGowan, Melville Alexander McGowan March 1919

 My grandfather on the left. James went to Scotland and the other two died not far from where this picture was taken in Thornbury Ont.

 What happened in the past (pick a date, any date) affected who and what I am and every other living creature on the planet. In the early to mid 1800s my ancestors came to Canada from Scotland so I’m a Canadian. By the time my father was old enough for military service in 1942, agriculture had been deemed a “necessary service” and thus, his not being accepted for the Army meant I had a father, unlike many Canadians only a year or two older than me.

So, history IS important but it isn’t very entertaining. Or is it?

What makes anything entertaining? Imagination!

We attend or turn on a team sport because we imagine there will be rivalry and action. We imagine our team will win. We imagine the rival team will be humiliated. (Well, if you’re a true sportsman, that they’ll just lose.)

We enjoy a TV drama because we imagine either that “It’s the way it should be” or “might be”. Or if it’s fantasy, we imagine “wouldn’t that be great”?

It’s the imagination that offers the entertainment. A drama that is poorly written and does NOT demonstrate the emotions, desires, reactions and needs of a human being is not --- without the imagination of the director, cast and special affects AND of the viewer --- in any way entertaining. A team sport where 11 or 12 team-mates, covered with $2000.00 of protective gear, spend several hours crashing into a similarly equipped opposition, demonstrating no strategy (imagination) and resulting in a tie score, no matter the number, is entertaining only to a masochist.

It’s the same with history. The date of Sameul de Champlain’s establishment of the settlement at “the point of Quebec” isn’t particularly relevant, but the fact that during that summer and winter and into the next year he established close relations with the Wendat, (aka Huron), Algonquin and Montagnais peoples becomes relevant when one employes one’s imagination. For example, how large was the population increase experienced by these local peoples due to the close proximity of an all-male French settlement? The local residents taught the French to make spruce tea which helped to avoid scurvy brought on by a diet restricted to meat. How many died or how many teeth were lost before they learned of or believed this “silly peasant idea?” The building of housing and maintaining life in the wilderness is hard work and drudgery but the interaction of peoples can be very entertaining.

Realizing that Champlain and all his men, though they may have acquired titles such as sailor, explorer, surveyor, carpenter, etc. are all and more importantly people is the first step toward entertainment.

“Nobel French explorers?” Not in the least. Just a bunch of men living in a world of poverty where the only way to advance was with financial support from someone with money --- in this case wealthy merchants. A similar circumstance experienced by young men of today except back then their chances of reaching 30 years were about fifty-fifty. Other than that, the same feelings, wants and desires as someone leaving high school today except less than 1% of the French population of 1600 received an organized education so their “life out in the world” could begin at about age 10.

The Wendat, Algonquin and Montagnais were the “Nobel Stoic Red Men?” Again, certainly not. But such was undoubtedly possible to a greater degree than with the French for they had learned that helping each other in the world of basic survival against the elements kept members of the tribe alive so that they might help you when you reach a place where you could not survive without that help. Thus the very people and the memory only persist if each work toward the survival of all.

And right there is where you find another important part of reading – and writing for that matter --- fiction. You discover the fulfilment, the pleasure, the personal development and need for empathy.

A person who does not understand that their contribution, even though it may be minuscule, is not only necessary but required for the creation of a community or a country, has never read fiction. A person that has no understanding of the forces that motivate another, has never read fiction. A person that can neither benefit from or be comforted by another person’s emotions, has never read fiction. A person that falls prey to fantasies or outlandish stories that lead to financial loss or identity theft has never read fiction. A person who believes the stories that lead to successful frauds has not read fiction and cannot be expected to understand the difference between the “logic” and “characters” to be found in good, entertaining fiction about people and the lies spread by those trying to make you comfortable and take your possessions ---- perhaps even your life.

That's why reading fiction is so important to the creation of a "whole " person.

You might think your neighbor is "one weird duck" but after reading about different personalities you realize that it's possible that the "weird duck" might have perfectly legitimate reasons for what you think is an "unconventional" view.

Why do I write historical fiction? So that people, including the writer, can have rewarding, enjoyable, productive lives. That they can form communities that grow with people of like minds. That they realize that those with other ideas are not necessarily evil and deserve the opportunity to express those thoughts until they interfere with the ideas of the majority.

Why do I write historical fiction? So that those who have read it can recognize a bad idea when it appears as having resulted in distress in the past. So that those who have read it can recognize evil, sociopaths and psychopaths quickly --- who have all put in appearances before --- and get as far away from them as possible.

 Leave a comment or take a look at a few slide-shows with some dialogue on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@davemcgowan6231

 A book should be good for at lest three reads over the years.
Or if you don’t have much of a memory, indefinitely.
 The book banner at top is from Book Marketing Global Network where there are links to most of my books on my page at https://bookmarketingglobalnetwork.com/book-marketing-global-network/author-dave-mcgowan/

 

A Golden Opportunity wasted.

 

I’m Very Disappointed!

A Golden Opportunity wasted.

 

For all of you waiting for my response to another writing question, I’m sorry, but I have to veer away for a bit. I believe integrity, moral actions and development for my fellow Canadians is too important to be ignored.

Canadian Coat of Arms

I’ll get back to “why the fence?” and “why fiction?” soon.

I’ve always considered myself as being a bit “right of center” which any reader should realize already. Partly because of what I write and partly because I believe, and have stated many times, that I believe the past is an integral, and the third most important part, of who we are after heredity and teaching and an important aspect of the other two.

Not that I would ever vote consistently for a political party. A party shouldn’t be governing people which is the concept touted by what is perceived as “communism” today, or can be more accurately described as “governance by committee” which is in turn governed by a cadre of up to a dozen or two considered to be the “head” of that committee.

(Sounds a lot like the mining, auto, petroleum company or bank you just invested in, doesn’t it?)

I not only don’t like the idea of people being governed by a “thing” and I found back in the 1960s that what often comes out of a party is a hangover.

I believe that people should be governed by people and those in the management (and ONLY management) position should be accountable to those they manage. As a result of that understanding (or development / teaching through my own history) I never vote for a party but for the approach professed by the candidates presented and asking for my support. Therefore, the ballots I have cast have been for what I believe was the best result for the country (province or community) at the time. In the50+ years I’ve been allowed to cast ballots I believe I voted conservative most times except for once for Jean Chretien and once for Paul Martin Jr.

Did some of them make mistakes? Sure, everyone one of them, no matter if I voted for them or not. Did some of them lie? Every one of them, and in some cases, particularly national security, it is mandatory!

During Canada’s last federal election, I was not particularly surprised that the governing party won again. I was looking forward to getting the bad taste out of my mouth from the previous ten years, but with little time to prepare and no real knowledge of many of the candidates, including Peirre Poilievre, the logical choice for me didn’t have much of a chance. I was not prepared however for the drubbing they actually did get because I didn’t realize how petrified the Canadian voter was of PP being --- as was actually expressed to me by others I thought conservative in nature --- “Trump Light”.

Personally, I don’t think any true Canadian could be as far, far, far right as what I believe to be a fascist, racist, immoral denier of science and fact as the present leader of the Donald Trump Party. (No, he’s no more a Republican than I am.) And PP has demonstrated himself to be a Canadian and has, in more than one interview, attempted to separate himself from the “Trump Faction” despite most Canadian media trying to put him there.

This is where my latest disappointment arises. PP missed a golden opportunity to raise, expand or even balloon his profile as a Canadian. When Canada was attacked, insulted and demands made to even change our identity, PP could have stood together with all Canadians and helped to expand existing trade channels and create new ones.

If you go in to buy a car, the salesman quotes you a price, you laugh then quote another price, you are into negotiations. If your wife says, “Isn’t that still too high”, negotiations continue. If your wife gets up and walks out or says, “That’s too low,” then negotiations are over and you lost.

And that’s what happened here with the Canadian trade negotiators facing US representatives who were flailing at them with lies and demands.

Royal Canadian Mounted POolice

I’m still not happy with the direction our country is going in regards to international trade and the expansion of the access to and sale of our natural resources. Yes, trade with our long standing and closest partner must / will continue but with statements made about the inequality of former agreements that are 180 degrees opposite of the facts, we can be guaranteed it will be a bad one for Canada --- but all of the previous ones, though not really bad, have not been good for Canada, ----------- so what’s new?

Having said that, if you go in to buy a new care and the salesman kicks you in the crotch, do you continue negotiations or do you look for another salesman? Or do you go to a different auto dealer? Or do you get some friends together and arrange for the crotch-kicker to go looking for a new job?

I see postings stating that in the past 80% of Canada’s trade has been with the US of A. That is unconscionable! Sure, it’s easy and local but is that good management? It definitely is not! At least three avenues of trade would be better insurance against the many problems we might find in the world, including the certifiably insane.

Yes, now I’ll get back to more pleasant subjects like writing about writing.

I’d like comments but if not, here are some connections to entertainment.

Slide-shows with some dialogue at https://www.youtube.com/@davemcgowan6231

 Look at some entertainment with a longer life at

www.Books2Read.com/DM-McGowan

 OR

https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B004V9WZVI

 A book should be good for at lest three reads over the years.

Or if you don’t have much of a memory, indefinitely.

The Downfall of a Great Little Town.

 The Downfall of a Small Town

Beyond Belief? It probably is!

No Proof? It's a fairy tale regardless that you Want to believe

Some things just don’t add up.

If you know someone in their late 20s who drives a gravel truck6 months of the year, spends the winters in exotic places, drives a new car every year and lives in a three bedroom house on a landscape acreage the smart thing to do is get as far away from that person as possible. Otherwise, when he is arrested for drug trafficking you could conceivable wind up in a cell right long side of him.

When you go into buy a car at the local Chrysler dealer and the junior salesman who invites you into his office starts telling you everyone in town likes him you MIGHT not get up and walk out but you should be thinking about it. He’s either lying or delusional. If he then says the product he represents is better than any other comparable auto, he’s delusional. If he says no other competitor can match his price then he’s a liar. In either case, you might as well leave.

But Hay, if you think you can be a greater sleaze-ball than him, go ahead and make the deal. Best of luck.

Let’s say you’re looking for a new house and there’s a new subdivision an agent has suggested. You find some people are saying that subdivision has some problems because last year was so very wet resulting in some foundation problems for all builds at that time. But your agent tells you that particular house you’re looking at was built during the only three dry weeks of the previous year.

That is a fairy tale. Get out of there!

Let’s say that same agent is running for mayor in your small town. He’s been in the community for more than a decade but no one remembers exactly when he arrived. Everyone does know that he’s been involved in several building and real-estate projects in the time he’s been around What is it, a decade or maybe two? He’s been very successful but everyone else in the business has either gone broke or left the area. He has other projects on the board and obviously, a real community builder.

And now he’s running for mayor, even though he has no background as an elected official.

But isn’t that what we need? A real businessman? He should be able to take the provincial grants and actually do something with them!

This real-estate agent, we’ll call him Karl, has some competition in this mayoral race. One is the town’s financial officer who has lived there is entire life, is 35 and worked in the town offices for 15 years. He’s also a member of the local Lions and Rotary. We’ll call him Gordon.

The third candidate is actually the most interesting contender to the public. He is popular with everyone and those who don’t know him know of him. He has been on town council for twenty years, is forty-five, considered the right hand of the previous retiring mayor and is a member of the Rotary, Elks and Freemasons. We’ll give this candidate the name Jack and explain that he owns the local meat processing plant, a local retail outlet and has meat supply contracts for outlets in a fifty-mile radius.

His little town has a history of slow but steady growth. A consistent record of infrastructure improvement, beautification through parks and rec and excellent recreation facilities, all the product of good management and a caring, united civic system.

Suddenly, in the months before the town election it is revealed that Jack is being sued by a female employee for parental support. Apparently, he has offspring that we don’t know about.

“Well, no, maybe only one.”

“Well, no, it’s just what we’ve all heard.”

“Have you heard about Gordon? They say there was grant money to pave that main street into the industrial area and anyone can see that wasn’t done.  

“You’ll notice Gordon and his family moved into that new hose. He’s gonna regret that; those houses in that sub-division all have foundation problems”

“Well, sure, I guess it would be alright if you could get it for free and sell your old house.”

That is exactly how a well-managed town can be destroyed. By believing the fairy tales about good people, good managers and community supporters and first allowing them to be destroyed. By believing lies from grifters, con-artists and frauds and ignoring their crimes because it’s embarrassing to realize you’ve been manipulated by a sleaze-ball.

Is this a fairy tale? It certainly is but it could be a positive fairy tale unlike the fairy tales about previous town councilors or any official who HAS ALREADY PROVEN HIS OR HER WORTH, MORALITY AND INTEGRITTY.

There is a great deal of talk about what needs to be done to save our societies. Rescind restrictive laws, make new laws, enforce existing laws, much more stringent penalties for breaking existing laws. None of these will make much of a difference without first demanding integrity.

If integrity exists, progress can be achieved.

Without integrity, chaos and destruction WILL ensue

First, establish integrity.

Second, realize that integrity and the people with it are the bases of everything that matters.

David M. McGowan

Leave a comment or take a look at a few slide-shows with some dialogue at https://www.youtube.com/@davemcgowan6231

 Look at some entertainment with a longer life at

www.Books2Read.com/DM-McGowan

 OR

https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B004V9WZVI

 A book should be good for at lest three reads over the years.

Or if you don’t have much of a memory, indefinitely.

Can I be a Writer

Almsot anyone CAN be a writer.

Should they? 

Question # 5. What advice would you give to someone writing their very first novel, especially when they have very limited resources? 

In answering this question I’m talking about fiction that is entertaining and strong enough for the reader to read several times and still be entertained. There is fiction that can be produced in a couple of months and upon publication excite some good revenue for a week or two and then dop off and disappear. A year later the same reader might not get all the way through it. Depending upon what you produce, you’ll always do better with an agent.

And that damn sure isn’t me!

 

But this is me.

If you want to receive some remuneration for your work, the artistic creation, the work or both, you will need an agent. Every reputable publishing house wants to deal through an agent. Traditional publishing houses have the distribution networks to sell your work.

Send out inquiries to every agent you can find listed and keep track of what you sent, to where, and any return you may --- pay attention here --- any return you MAY get.

If you wish to publish independently you will be doing your own editing, cover creation and distribution. Yes, you can find contractors to do all that for you but they charge a fee and none of them are cheap, including the ones that are ineffective. The good ones cost more.

https://books2read.com/GLW

All the covers on this posting were created by Samantha Zwicker

of  https://hojanueva.org/

First, plan on writing and re-writing at least 3 times. If you’re happy doing it 10 times, that’s up to you but you MUST do it 3 times.

After you’ve done your rewrites go though it again as an editor. EIDTIING AND READING ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.

About this time, you can again send out inquiries to every agent you can find listed and keep track of what you sent, to where, and any return you may --- pay attention here --- any return you MAY get.

https://books2read.com/Homestead

If you’re happy at this point you can look toward publishing.

There are several publishers who will charge you a great deal to publish, somewhere between $1500.00 and $5000.00 plus a specific price for “author copies” of the book you’ve written which will vary by the number of pages requires. Some of them offer services that have already been mentioned such as editing and cover design. If the initial cost was low on the 15 to 50 scale I mentioned above then the editing might cost anywhere over a thousand dollars. In the case of covers, most of those I’ve seen, even for those charging five grand for their services, are about as attention grabbing as a rainy day.

About this time, you can again send out inquiries to every agent you can find listed and keep track of what you sent, to where, and any return you may --- pay attention here --- any return you MAY get.

 

https://books2read.com/BarkervillePartners

Publishers that I recommend, as long as you can find the other services, (which you can) are Amazon, (yeah, I know, a bully), Draft2Digital and Lulu. My sone uses Lulu and likes them but I know not a thing about them. For the other two it costs you close to nothing for digital (ebook) with an ISBN but print will cost you per book printed.

https://books2read.com/P-o-t-W

In all cases, with a traditional publisher or independent publishing, plan on reading over what is offered for at least a week before making any commitment. With the vanity publishing, those who charge an up-front fee, give it a lot more thought, such as a month.

If you plan on audio books, either simple narration, with a small cast or with a full blown “sound-track audio”, that’s a whole different subject.

Oh, yes. About this time, you can again send out inquiries to every agent you can find listed and keep track of what you sent, to where, and any return you may --- pay attention here --- any return you MAY get.

https://books2read.com/GTandL

If you don’t have an agent you probably won’t make much of a living from your writing, but then it depends, like many things, on what you expect. Even with an agent and without a film deal of some type you’ll be doing well to survive.

Leave a comment or take a look at a few slide-shows with some dialogue at https://www.youtube.com/@davemcgowan6231

 Look at some entertainment with a longer life at

www.Books2Read.com/DM-McGowan

 OR

https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B004V9WZVI

A book should be good for at lest three reads over the years.

Or if you don’t have much of a memory, indefinitely.

https://books2read.com/The-Fence

All the covers on this posting were created by Samantha Zwicker

of  https://hojanueva.org/

 

What's Your Best Book

 

Question #4. Which of your books are you personally most proud of, and why?

 

Works out to be the same as asking about your having a favorite child: the one I’m dealing with right at the time is my favorite.

I’m in the process of recording “The Making of Jake McTavish” for an audio version and I’m constantly coming to some phrase I’ve forgotten I used that I feel is “cute” or an “interesting mechanism” to develop some reaction in or from the reader.

I’ve been giving away recordings of my first published story, “The Great Liquor War” which I’ve always thought could have been a much longer story with a lot more historical information. However, in the process of checking the recording for things like volume, continuity and understanding, I was surprised by how well the story works to not only tell of the working lives of the time but some of the action around a large construction project.

Upper Fort Gary in 1879 --- it'll make sense ina minute

The fourth story in “People of the West: A short story timeline” is a story I created from “whole cloth” that I believe demonstrates, through the character “Janet” the tough, strong women who built the west. When I say “whole cloth” I mean I’ve never heard a similar story or do I know a Janet. Yes, I know many woman who have built, helped to build or expanded existing cattle operations and farms and those operations are the finished modern operations of today. Yes, most of those women work and act in a calm, controlled and productive manner through a variety of difficulties but when they decide to straighten things out, get THE HELL OUT OF THEIR WAY!

Catherine Schubert (nee O’Hare) was the only female member of a group of “Overlanders” who by horseback and Red River cart travelled from Fort Gary (Winnipeg) to the Thompson River. They then spent 6 weeks attempting to raft down to Kamloops where, before reaching that long time trading post, Catherine gave birth to her 4^th child. She and her family then walked to Barkerville and became part of the Cariboo gold rush, though at least 2 years too late for any of the early discoveries.

Barkerville main street cattle drive about 1869

Sheepshead Claim, Williams Creek

Those women are not confined to cattle operations either. They were of a variety of life styles and locations and where and important part, a seldom recognized part of what built the country, including the west.

I believe “Stealing Janet’s Cattle” not only depicts those women but is a tribute to their character and the children and institutions they developed.

Women welders at a Canadian munitians factory WW I

Yes, all the stories did what I wanted them to do and in answer to a specific question I might pick one over the others, but in general, as with kids, I like them all. Ask me about diverse characters learning to get along with each other? That would be “Partners”. Ask me about conforming to the letter of the law, well that would NOT be “Partners.”

Answering this question does lead to something else that is closely related. I’ve never published a manuscript that I thought was truly “finished.” There is always something that could be better or something else to be added.

That includes editing, for no matter how many times you go over it there is always something that needs repair. In my case it’s usually a typo although “where” and “were” are bound to be misplaced. More often than that it’ll be “though” when it should have been “thought”. “Thee” instead of “there”, “cone” instead of “done” and no matter how many times I read it over I miss them because my brain translates what is written to what should be.

Something else is the great love you build for the character you’ve created which results in a gargantuan need to fully explain him / her. “If I add this little anecdote in chapter x? the reader will understand why he mistreats women.”. “I could go back and add another ….”

NO!  Use all those ideas to start a new novel.

YOU ARE DONE WITH THIS ONE! MOVE ON!

Here are three "digital only" collections that are only $1.95 USD

https://books2read.com/Alaska-Highway

https://books2read.com/What-Matters

https://books2read.com/Janets-Cattle

 Leave a comment or take a look at a few slide-shows with some dialogue at https://www.youtube.com/@davemcgowan6231

 Look at some entertainment with a longer life at

www.Books2Read.com/DM-McGowan

 OR

https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B004V9WZVI

because a book is good for at lest three reads over the years.

What has changed?

Do you remember any history?

The pictures that will appear with this posting apart from representing transportation in various eras, have another connection with the subject. Any idea what that connection is?

I’ll explain later.                                                         A "Brake" --- yesterdays pick-up truck 

A buggy

If you made it through school, you did read some history. Did you remember any of it? Did you find all those facts and dates boring? Have you ever made a mistake and realized, “I should have known that wouldn’t work”?

I believe that is part of the answer to the third question about writing.

 Question #3. How do you balance historical accuracy with creating an engaging story?

To my mind this question is answered within itself. I you’re writing a story then engaging or entertaining are the primary concern. If you’re writing history, then history is the primary concern.

However, if that concept is acceptable then extending the question it becomes, why write “historical fiction”? The primary response for me is that a small percentage of those who read will read history and few of those will remember what they read. For those who believe either that we, collectively and singularly, are the product of history, or that it is important to learn from that history and not repeat it, we have to first remember it. We also learn from that same source, history, that memory can be aided by including entertainment with the history.

1908 Rolls Royce  Silver Ghost

1920 Nash truck

My primary requirement then is entertainment. I attempt then to create a story that may be remembered. The secondary objective then becomes the historic accuracy, but if veering from the actual event destroys the story or its entertainment value, then a follow-up with the particulars of the historical recounting should not only supply the required accuracy but strengthen the memory.

1930 L-80 Chrysler Imperial Roadster

1932 Pontiac 8 Sport Coupe

For example, in “Homesteader: Finding Sharon” I recount a stage robbery that took place outside of Calgary which helps to demonstrate how two of my characters have been forced to demonstrate their true characters as immoral, narcissistic and evil, that they are still in the country and may be involved in other crime. This is undoubtedly true for the two individuals who actually DID commit the crime in the area depicted and with details depicted. However, in the story the holdup took place in 1887 but it really happened August 23, 1886 and the discovery of “Clinker” Scott’s body (also part of my story) a few days later.

This information is recounted in the “Author’s Note” at the end of the novel, a feature I try to include in one form or another in everything I write. Usually this is at the end in the “Author’s Note” as mentioned, but in the case of the short story collection, “People of the West: A short story timeline” it’s part of the introduction the piece in question.

1969 Ford Mustang

1987 Mercedes - Benz 560 SL

The short answer to all the questions at the start of this piece are that history is, like most things, about people. Not the date but what the people did that affected the country next door or the people ten years later or the people of today.

If you read about how an assassination in Sarajevo, July 28^th, 1914 led to the death of perhaps 22 million in the following 4 years you may immediately think the people of the time were stupid. However, if you understood their attitudes of the time, the fear and misunderstanding of others and desperate attempts to protect kith and kin from the unknown you would realize, not stupid but ignorant.

We’re doing it again: making decisions about people of which we know nothing based on misinformation --- ignorance --- of others.

 

What are the connections of the pictures included here? There was a time when each method of individual transport could excite men of that era and of a certain age. Most of the time a bicycle would be far more practical. Yes many things changed about transportation in 200 years --- or it could be communication, or farming practices or dozens of other things  --- but the people of then and now all had and have the same wants, needs and motivations.

 

Leave a comment or take a look at a few slide-shows with some dialogue at https://www.youtube.com/@davemcgowan6231

 Look at some entertainment with a longer life at

www.Books2Read.com/DM-McGowan

 OR

https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B004V9WZVI

because a book is good for at lest three reads over the years.

Health, Money or Living?

 

 

Bear Flats west of the Alaska Highway on the road to Hudson's Hope sometime in the 1990s. No, it has nothing to do with the question and answer just a picture of great country.

Are you writing for your Health, the Money or to make a living?

Question #2. 

Was there ever a moment when you seriously considered giving up writing? If so, what kept you going?

There have been many of those moments, particularly when I was still working a “day job.”  “I just don’t have time right now,” which may have been true but without the catharses (or whatever else you want to call it) of creating, your personality changes, sometimes becoming someone you don’t like.

 Sorry, you have to haul that person around with you, so you better do something about your attitude.

Better write a story, that’ll help.

Perhaps I wrote something, went back to look at it a week later and decided it was trash and I have no business being involved in writing. Perhaps, but what kind of a mood was I in when I wrote that? Perhaps I shouldn’t have been writing at that time.

There have also been instances when I was despondent because something I wrote wasn’t being accepted as I thought it should be and, again because I had another source of income at the time, I was writing very little. More than one instance of my return to writing happened because I bought a novel, or read something written by an “oft mentioned” writer that I found to be depressing, lacking entertainment value or not up to their usual standards.

“Hell, if he can sell that crap, I have no business being worried about anything I’ve written, whether it sells or not.”

In those instances, it all goes back to what I wrote in my answer to Question #1; It sold because it was well marketed and distributed, not because it was good work.

Which has led me to another conclusion:

The quality of a piece of writing has very little to do with its initial sale and has everything to do with its long-term life.

Which is also connected to, …..

Much of what is created today, both through AI and real writers, is for fast consumption and quick turnover and will be meaningless drivel in two weeks or two years.

If it, by some accident, ever has any meaning.

That’s because publishing, as with most other industries, forces producers or writers to create something that sells. Is it entertaining? Does it demonstrate personal development or support the creation of empathy? Does it teach something?

All of those things will be acceptable two years from now. But MOST of the “industry” doesn’t care about any of that. They want to know one thing.

Will it sell RIGHT NOW?

Take a look at story excerpts and pictures from the past at

https://www.youtube.com/@davemcgowan6231

 

Or the many platforms where can be found digital / print and audible versions

www.Books2Read.com/DM-McGowan