Historical Fiction Memoir?

Augsburg's Writer · Aug 21, 2012

I have been wrestling with a story I have had in my head...creating the fictional history of a fictional town. However, as I write it, it either becomes as stale as real history, or the history gets lost in the story.

Now what I was contemplating is writing the town history as a "memoir" of sorts. The idea I have is to write about each generation of the family, while incorporating the key events in the history of the town. My idea is to use 3rd person omniscient POV.

Now of course, this is less about writing a "publishable story" than it is about getting this story from my head onto paper. If it's good enough for others to read, all the better.

So does it sound like I can make the idea work? Or simply go back to the idea of a novel?

suki · Aug 21, 2012

Augsburg's Writer said:
I have been wrestling with a story I have had in my head...creating the fictional history of a fictional town. However, as I write it, it either becomes as stale as real history, or the history gets lost in the story.

Now what I was contemplating is writing the town history as a "memoir" of sorts. The idea I have is to write about each generation of the family, while incorporating the key events in the history of the town. My idea is to use 3rd person omniscient POV.

Now of course, this is less about writing a "publishable story" than it is about getting this story from my head onto paper. If it's good enough for others to read, all the better.

So does it sound like I can make the idea work? Or simply go back to the idea of a novel?

If the town, family and events are fictional, even if you sort of write it in memoir format, then it is fiction. It's fiction if you are making things up.

But you might want to take a look at a book out this year that is described as a documentary novel - it is fiction, but tells a partially fictionalized account of the life of real people and incorporates some historical facts and documents. It's called No Crystal Stair, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. It might help you conceptualize what you want to do.

~suki

frimble3 · Aug 21, 2012

James Michener did something similar with 'Centennial'. You probably don't feel the urge to start with the geology of the area, though.

Jones() · Nov 14, 2012

It could work, but I don't think you should worry too much about the history getting lost in the story. I tend to like novels best when characters, not the setting, drive the story.

take care

---Jones()

Historical Fiction Memoir?

Augsburg's Writer

Still Writing with "Training Wheels

suki

Opinionated

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

Jones()