Topic 29 Honoring Deceased Authors Who Served in the Military

Greetings,
My last blog mentioned I'd be exploring books I've read and point out what I considered unnecessary fluff or filler and see if you agreed with me. But, since Memorial Day, a Federal holiday in the U.S., is fast approaching, I felt it's only fitting that we honor deceased writers who served in the military. I'm sure you'll recognize many of the authors listed and their works. If you've never had a chance to read any works by these authors, it's not too late to check them out. Great reference material too if you need to write about a specific era.


Erich Maria Remarque--All Quiet on the Western Front (1929)

Henri Barbusse's (served as a stretcher-bearer on the front lines) --Under Fire (1916)

A.P. Herbert--The Secret Battle (1919)

Ralph Hale Mottram--Death of a Hero (1929)

Victor Maslin Yeates--Winged Victory (1934)

Ford Maddox--a tetralogy of novels Parade's End (1924-1927)

W. Somerset Maugham (served in the Ambulance Corp) --Ashenden: or the British Agent (1928)

Captain John Hay Beith (a memoir  of life in the army) --The First Hundred Thousand (1915)

Enid Bagnold--A Diary Without Dates (1918)

 Leo Tolstoy--War and Peace (1869)

Antony Powell--What's Become of Warimg  (1939)

Charles Lindbergh--The Spirit of St. Louis (1953)

F. Scott Fitzgerald--This Side of Paradise  (1920)


Until Next Time
This Is Marlene Chabot
Mystery Author

Topic 28 Resurrecting Life Experiences

Greeting,

A year ago this month to be exact, I started this blog. I named it Marlene Chabot Books and Beyond so I could easily move on from writing to other topics of interest. I'm thinking it would be fun to look at pieces of writing from books I've read or you've read and discuss what works or doesn't work for us the reader. I don't want to make this into a review of books we've read-I do enough of that on Goodreads. I hope you'll want to come along for the ride. I need your input so please do contact me.

Okay. Enough said on where I plan to go with this blog. Let's look at topics on writing as shared by some "Writer Unboxed" blogs. Today I came across the perfect quote from Stephen King on this wonderful site that is sure to get us writers motivated. "Write what you like, then imbue it with life and make it unique by blending in your own personal knowledge of friendship, relationships, and work. Especially work...."

We all have jobs of some sort, incorporate those skills and war stories into the story. John Grisham, who was a lawyer,  writes about lawyers. Robin Cook, a doctor, writes medical suspense novels. Agatha Christie helped in the medical field as a young woman and learned about all sorts of poisons. Nevada Barr, a retired park ranger, used her experience to write her mysteries.  I'm sure you could name many more authors who incorporated their life skills into their works of fiction. non-fiction, and poetry.  Besides focusing on our jobs, Keith Cronin-"Take Your Reader To Another World" Writer Unboxed blog May 10, 2016, says writers should also focus on how living in a specific area or time period affected us emotionally. We each have our own viewpoint, no two are alike, not even siblings.

The setting of your novel is extremely important too. It can easily draw a reader in or turn them away. It can also help reinforce the character's emotional state. Using your emotional experiences what places, music, etc. excited you the most? How did you feel? Donald Maass author of the article "Pixie Dust" in Writer Unboxed May 4, 2016, says, "There are everyday delights and then there are delights of a lifetime...."  Are we putting those delights into our writings for others to enjoy?

Happy writing-dig deep and resurrect your delights.

Until Next Time
This is Marlene Chabot
Mystery Author