Newbie with many questions

sissybaby

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I'm certainly not a newbie to the boards, but I hang out in children's and need some direction.

I'm being urged or encouraged to write a historical novel centered around WWI. There's a story regarding young men from our town and their experiences during the war, and I'm pretty comfortable in the way I want to approach the particular story I have in mind, but I don't know the rules regarding using actual facts vs. fiction.

Can I use the names of the boys who fought, and then make up daily experiences? Or do I use fictional names for everyone? I realize I'd want to be very clear in my author's notes on where I took liberties with the facts, but I don't want to even approach this project unless I know from the beginning which direction to take.

Since it's not been that long ago, I do have access to quite a bit of research material available, but I want it to be interesting to middle grade kids, so I need more detail and action.

Thanks for any advice you can give me.
 

Siri Kirpal

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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

I'm working on a wip covering the same era and am also using primary sources for certain sections of the story. I've changed all names. I think it's cleaner that way.

But if the folks are dead, it won't matter that much. Would the people urging you to write the story want the names the same or not? That might make a difference. I would ask them.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

angeliz2k

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Sissy, though the young men in question are almost certainly dead, they very likely have living relatives (children/grandchildren). If you tell the stories of these real people specifically, you'd have to be careful about how they're portrayed. Anything less than a positive portrayal, whether accurate or not, might ruffle feathers. Is it relatives of these people who are encouraging you to write this? Even if it is, there's a good chance they expect a positive representation of what happened during WWI.

That's why I steer clear of more recent history and/or real historical personages...
 

sissybaby

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Thanks for the feedback, Siri Kirpal and angeliz2K!

It's actually the town librarian who wants the story told. There's so much to it and I think most of the story I would be able to tell would center more around the people back here in the states, with correspondence between the soldiers and their families. We have actual letters, and I have a list of family that we know of who are still in the area.

I would not do anything to put a negative slant to any of the people involved. But I will be as factual as possible. So far in my on-line research I have found nothing detrimental regarding any of the young men.

I want to tell a story that would engage the younger kids regarding a memorial that the town was gifted with to honor these young men. Since we can find very little information regarding the memorial, I would be writing a fictional account of how it came to be. But since it was being created while the war was in progress, I felt a need to incorporate actual details and names.

It's all new territory to me and so far I'm not feeling 100% secure in my ability to do it. But I'd love to give it a try. I just wasn't sure about using their actual names as far as legal issues go. I mean, I know people write about George Washington, but he isn't around to complain about it!
 

PorterStarrByrd

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With good writing and good judgement you can tell a historical story without fear of using reals names. Straying in the direction of malportrayal of real people, is unwise whether they, or their family, are alive.

The story should be more important than the names and is the main consideration. Unless there is a reason to report something that was not that admirable with a real name, why use one?
 

sissybaby

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Thanks for your input, PorterStarrByrd. My gut instinct was to change all the names to fictional ones, but I think I'll have conflicting feelings about that. But I agree, what's important is the story, and I can always include a list of the real names at the end if that's what everyone wants.

I think I just need to write the story that I'm getting from my research and what my head tells me, and then see what the overall feedback is.

But I'm going to need tons of luck!
 

snafu1056

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When in doubt, fictionalize. I dont think using real names enhances the story in any way, so its not really something worth stressing out over. If you want to take the experiences of real soldiers and apply them to a fictional one, thats fine (so long as theyre obscure enough to not be instantly recognizable). Mario Puzo cobbled most of the Godfather together out of real mafia lore. But I'd avoid real names.
 
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Cathy C

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My first novel was historic fiction. I walked in with the idea that I'd do a fact-by-fact account. Then I started talking to people and discovered that my proposed heroes were people. They had foibles and bad sides. Well, hell! I certainly didn't want to expose that to others, including families that idolized them. So, what I did is use the real people for the documented activities that I could back up and that would maintain the good name of the real people. Then I dropped in characters that would take over the bad traits, because the bad traits were also part of the real story. The families that knew of the bad traits knew who I was talking about, but appreciated that I severed the trait from their ancestor.
 

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The last American WWI veteran died a few years ago at the age of 107. But this is tricky, because your target audience are kids you're trying to hook into taking an interest in their own town's history, and yet it's also a fictionalized version of that history. I recommend changing the names, but in your author's note you can say the book was inspired by the lives of [name the real people]. I imagine some families are still in the area and would like to see those names in print. I can also imagine kids recognizing those real names on the memorial, and maybe even in the local cemetery (for those who made it back and lived out their lives in town--any KIA would have been buried in France). Best of luck.
 

Jamesaritchie

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You can use actual names, but it's not a good thing to use real names, and then have them do fictional things. These were real people, who led real lives, and who all did real things. Leave this alone for the sake of their families.

It's fine to use real names here and there for verisimilitude, but make your actual characters fictional.
 

sissybaby

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Thank you all for the helpful comments and for your generosity in helping me with this. I'm still somewhat overwhelmed with the entire idea of attempting such a project, because history has always been so difficult for me to get a good grasp of. But I'm thoroughly enjoying the research. Yes, the (fortunately) few who fell are all buried in France, I'm assuming near Argonne Forrest where they fought.

I'm sure I won't please all the people supporting me in this project, but I'm going to be delicate as possible and respect their memories.

But depending on how this goes, it may be my last attempt at historical writing.
 

frimble3

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I like Cathy C's solution: Use real names to 'connect', and then make up other names. After all, the local boys would have been part of larger units.
I think the real names are good if you're writing for local interest and, particularly, schoolchildren. Then, when they see the memorial, they can recognize some of the names, as they can in the local cemetery.
"Oh, wow! History is real people! His family lives down the street!"
(It might be an idea to check who is buried in the local cemetery.)

And, seconding the idea of 'Author's Notes' in the back, explaining the real vs. the fictional, as well as, perhaps, a timeline of the war, including when the locals took part.
That way, as the children grow up and read other stuff about the war, they can see how 'their' history fit in.

I wonder if it's possible or practical to find out where in France the local boys were buried? There's a lot of interest in wartime graves in Europe these days, as anniversaries keep coming up. It might be useful, in a completionist kind of way, if anyone from town ever gets over to France on a vacation, is near the place and wants to see it for themselves.
 

Maxx

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Sissy, though the young men in question are almost certainly dead, they very likely have living relatives (children/grandchildren). If you tell the stories of these real people specifically, you'd have to be careful about how they're portrayed. Anything less than a positive portrayal, whether accurate or not, might ruffle feathers. Is it relatives of these people who are encouraging you to write this? Even if it is, there's a good chance they expect a positive representation of what happened during WWI.

That's why I steer clear of more recent history and/or real historical personages...

Speaking of names, wars, accidents and surviving relatives -- I picked a name for an evil Princess and it turns out she has surviving relatives at a Swiss Bank. Should I pick another name or figure I got it all okay by pure luck?
 

sissybaby

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frimble3 - actually, I have found where at least three of them are buried. American cemeteries in France. But I can't find all 7 of them. I think it's amazing that out of the number this town had over there, only 8 didn't make it home. Two died of pneumonia (possibly as a complication from the influenza epidemic), and six killed in action.

Unfortunately, I am not far enough along in my research to locate the other 5. I would love to go visit the region - I think it's Romagne or something like that - and visit the gravesites.
 

frimble3

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frimble3 - actually, I have found where at least three of them are buried. American cemeteries in France. But I can't find all 7 of them. I think it's amazing that out of the number this town had over there, only 8 didn't make it home. Two died of pneumonia (possibly as a complication from the influenza epidemic), and six killed in action.

Unfortunately, I am not far enough along in my research to locate the other 5. I would love to go visit the region - I think it's Romagne or something like that - and visit the gravesites.
Romagne? I assume you've checked the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, the largest? And the American Battle Monuments Commission website?
It's not the same as going there, but if you could find the gravesites, the Commission will apparently take a photograph for the family. I would think that if you explained your project, they could consider your project 'on behalf of the families'.
 

Deb Kinnard

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I agree with all the "no real names" comments above. However, once when I did a long, long ago historical (14th C), I kept an excel spreadsheet to remind me what Sir Oddsbody Culpepper-Smythe's "real" name was. That kept me from getting confused as to what pseudonym I'd chosen for which historical personage.

May your work find favor!
 

sissybaby

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Yes, Frimble3, they are listed in that one cemetery. I've read letters from their chaplains and commanding officers. Some of them were buried near where they fell and then later moved. The letters are so helpful, but the quality is poor and my eyes want to bleed trying to decipher them.

I think I'm going to just use random names and then list the boys at the end. That's the only way I'm going to feel comfortable doing it.
 

rtilryarms

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I'm a little late but saw the WWI tag.
It is a subject on which I have well-researched data.
But one can only know a portion of a story.

I had a subject that pretty much begged the same question you pose.

You don't give much specific information to help answer the question so I offer the following summary guide:

Is it a novel?
Is it non-fiction.

A novel can contain historical or current facts plus have fictional references. Never use a real name or relation on anything other than well-researched facts. References to people are ok in a story, but don't write anything contrary to the facts.

Non-Fiction should be well researched and accurate in any way.

My expertise in the WWI era is South Carolina and California - the Engineers.

Which location and division are you researching?

rt
 

sissybaby

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Sorry I haven't caught this earlier, RT.

It's fiction, and aimed at MG. I'm wanting to stay with the 139th Infantry boys for the most part. But most of my story is going to be happening back home. I just don't know how age-appropriate I can make the actual battles, so I figured to stay away from them.

These boys were at St. Mihiel and the Argonne. That's mostly what I know as far as where they fought and were killed.
 
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