“Do you get story ideas that you know you’ll never write?’

I have lots and lots of story ideas. Everywhere I go, every time I do research, and every time I read a snippet of history, I get stories ideas. There are so many fascinating places, people, and innovations out there, but there is only limited time to write stories. I work full time and have a family so time is my most precious commodity and I have to decide which story ideas to pursue and which to leave for the time being.

I have a number of half written manuscripts on my computers including another middle school book called Silly Willy goes to London, a cli-fi book about genetic engineering and the fourth industrial revolution (I wrote the first 40 000 words and plotted out all three books in a planned series), a memoir about my experiences with raising children with chronic illnesses and dealing with OCD and PTSD in family situations (direct and indirect), and three or four Sir Chocolate Books stories.

I also have three stories currently on the go: one short paranormal story for an anthology, The Soldier and the Radium Girl about the First World War and the radium girls who painted the glow-in-the-dark watches for use by the American troops in the trenches, and the sequel to my mother’s story about her life growing up in an English town during WWII. I have a great new idea for a book about the Anglo-Zulu war in South Africa and am planning a trip with my family to Ghost Mountain in Kwa-Zulu Natal to visit more historical sites [I’m very excited].

I know I will never finish Silly Willy goes to London or Silly Willy goes to Knysna (also started but only 17 000 words in). I doubt I will return to the cli-fi book having lost interest in researching genetic engineering and the expected impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution when Covid-19 hit. I decided it was better to write historical novels and not forward looking novels until the new normal is clear to me. It is difficult to try and predict the future while we are in the middle of a pandemic and don’t know when it will end or how it will impact the world economically. Financial crisis have a habit of leading to conflict and war, just saying.

I have decided not to publish any more Sir Chocolate Books because Michael is 15 years old now and has lost interest in a chocolate man who lives in a world where you can eat everything and my memoir is to painful to write so that has also been abandoned for the time being.

My plan for this year is to write three or four short paranormal stories for anthologies, produce a poetry anthology with Kaye Lynne Booth of Writing to be Read blog, finish After the Bombs Fell with my mother, finish The Soldier and the Radium Girl which is intended to be a novella and plot the outline for my new South African war novel, the title of which has not yet revealed itself to me. The title always comes to me when I have the end of the book in sight [which is relatively early in my plotting process, as I’ve mentioned before].

It sounds like a plan for 2021!

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Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

The original castle was built by William de Hever in 1270 and consisted of the gatehouse and walled bailey. In 1462, Anne Boleyn’s great-grandfather, Geoffrey Boleyn, purchased the castle. He extended it and converted it into a private home. When the Boleyn family moved into Hever in c. 1505 they converted it into a comfortable Tudor home.

Anne Boleyn, together with her siblings Mary and George, is likely to have spent a good deal of her childhood here prior to being sent to join the court of the Archduchess Margaret in 1513.

After the demise of Anne and Thomas Boleyn, the castle became the property of Henry VIII. In 1540 he gave it to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, as part of a very generous annulment settlement.

After this, the castle had several owners including the Waldegraves, the Humfreys, and the Meade Waldos. In 1903 the American millionaire, William Waldorf Astor, purchased Hever. He went about restoring the castle, building the Tudor village, and creating the beautiful gardens and lake.

You can join in this challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2021/02/04/author-author-thursday-doors/

Day 2 of the Spirits of the West book tour hosted by WordCrafter Press sets out some background to my short story, The Thirstyland Journey. You can find out more about the tours WordCrafter is offering here: https://writingtoberead.com/wc-book-blog-tours-2/

Background

My story, the Thirstyland Journey, is based on the Dorsland Trek (Thirstyland Trek) which is the collective name for a series of treks by groups of Boer (farmer) settlers from modern day South Africa in search of independence from Britain and better living conditions.

The first group of trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts set out on the 27^th of May 1874. This initial trek was followed by other groups, all taking different routes. The primary destination of the Dorsland trekkers was the Humpata highlands of south-western Angola. In order to get to Angola, the trekkers had to cross large parts of the Kalahari desert in Bechuanaland (now called Botswana) and South West Africa (modern Namibia). The trekkers suffered greatly due to lack of water and it is believed that 3,000 trekkers died during the journey.

Map from Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorsland_Trek

Extract from The Thirstyland Journey

“Exhaustion yaps at Elsbet’s heels as she holds Johannes’ hand tightly, helping to pull him along through the deep sand. Her thirst and rash from the prickly heat torture her and not a word passes by her swollen and dry throat. The drifting sand fills her shoes and makes lifting her feet hard work.

After a few hours of walking, one of the Hottentot shepherds lifts his nose and says: “I smell water.”  The others all spread out and presently a cry of “Water, here is water,” causes everyone to rush over and see what the Hottentot, Tom, has found. It is water, but only a small amount which had filled a natural rocky depression during the last rainy season and been covered by the drifting sand. Everyone gets to enjoy a few sips of this filtered and cool water. I need more. Two sips is just not enough.

There is not enough to share with the animals and they continue to go without. As they continue walking through the arid environment broken only by the odd patche of scrub, the Hottentots discover similar small pools of water. Elsbet, looks all around carefully, doing her best to spot these water filled depressions but she doesn’t have the sharp eyes of the Hottentots.

When the convoy finally stops, soon after the devil sun starts its march across the bleached sky, the family suck down their allotment of water and pass out into a heavy and unfulfilling sleep. “We need to be extra careful about water,” says Papa.

On the third evening in the desert, Elsbet wakes and rubs her dirty face with dry and flaking hands. Her lips and eyelids are stuck together and she pries them open with her fingers. Aletta and Johannes are in a similar state and she helps them in the same way. Aletta’s small face is pinched and her chubby cheeks seem to have melted away, leaving a skin covered skull with the sharp contours of a much older person. Sheer exhaustion has allowed the children to sleep longer and the sun is already dropping behind the horizon.”

Purchase Spirits of the West anthology

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Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

During our recent trip to Fugitive’s Drift Lodge in Kwa-Zulu Natal, one of the battle sites we visited was Rorke’s Drift. This site is better know it seems than Isandlwana although the battle occurred on the same day, 22 January 1879. May this is because of the movie, Zulu, featuring Michael Caine which presents a [slightly inaccurate] version of this battle.

Rorke’s Drift was a Swedish mission station that was commandeered by the British Army prior to its invasion of Zululand. The rectory was in use as a hospital and the church as a store room for ammunition and supplies.

On the afternoon of 22 January 1879, after the successful Battle of Isandlwana, a force of approximately 4,500 Zulu warriors, crossed the Buffalo River into Natal and attacked Rorke’s Drift. The station was defended by just over 100 British troops and there were 29 men recovering in the hospital. 300 Basuto troops assisted with building the fortifications of the station, but fled when the attack began.

Here are some of my photographs from the day:

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The British troops built a makeshift fortress out of sacks of mielies and biscuit boxes as part of their defence.

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You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2021/01/28/trinity-church-et-al-thursday-doors/

If you are interested in South African history, my new historical paranormal book about the Great South Africa War is now available here: https://tslbooks.uk/product/a-ghost-and-his-gold-roberta-eaton-cheadle/

If found this interesting discussion on Dramatica https://dramatica.com/questions/what-is-the-difference-between-backstory-and-background describing the difference between backstory and background which is a great jumping off point for my thoughts on including these in a novel.

What is the difference between backstory and background?

The Dramatica dictionary has a definition for backstory but not for background. What is the definition for background? And what is the difference between backstory and background?

Backstory includes the events that directly lead to the “story” and its storyform. For example:

Bob’s backstory involved the loss of a child pet that made him hypersensitive to having children, pets, or any other form of personal responsibility. The story begins with the death of the Bob’s only living relative and his custody of Aunt Betty’s fifteen year old cat, Wobbles.

Background, for a character, includes the elements of his or her history and experience. Things such as family history, education, work experience, hobbies, etc. can fit into a character’s background. These may, or may not, be relevant to the character’s involvement in the story, but do help to describe how a character might be prepared for varying scenarios. For example:

Rita’s background includes being valedictorian of her class, graduating suma cum laude, and having a degree in Russian literature with a minor in Restaurant Management. She’s an Army brat and lived in thirteen different countries while growing up with her Siamese twin brothers. None of this prepared her for working at the Taco Mart.

So, the main difference between Backstory and Background is that Backstory is directly tied to the essential growth and development of the story’s storyform, while Background provides an environment within which the characters have individual, historical contexts as an aspect of the story’s storytelling.

My thoughts

In my forthcoming novel, A Ghost and His Gold, both the background and the backstory are vital to an appreciation of the actions of the ghosts and why they react as they do to each other and to the main characters, Tom and Michelle Cleveland, whose whom they are haunting.

The genre of this novel is historical paranormal and one of my main aims with this book is to share the emotions and details of the Great South African War from both a British and a Boer perspective.

The backstory of each character and their experiences in this terrible war impacted on their attitudes toward the opposing side. The book is intended to demonstrate, via this microcosmic look at the experiences of select individuals during the war, why people felt the way they did afterwards and how this helped to shape the course of South African history going forward.

The lives of the characters are entwined and their interactions with each other and other lessor characters, as well as notable events in their personal lives all drive the main circumstances of the book.

The backgrounds of each character are important and are also woven into the book as they impact on how the characters have developed, their personal attitudes towards their governments, the opposition, their own people, and their relationships. Each characters background and upbringing also influences the way they think about, and react to, certain circumstances and information provided to them through discussion with peers, other members of their societies, leadership figures, and even propaganda.

I have used various tools to weave all of this in including flashback to the past, dialogue, and Robert, the British soldier’s, diary.

I have endeavoured to keep the backstory and background interesting and relevant and ended up cutting out chunks of information (which I found very interesting) but which were not important to the story or the attitudes and behaviour of the characters.

How do you deal with backstory and background? Tell me in the comments.

How do other blog-hoppers deal with backstory? Click on the link below to find out.

Rules:

1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!Click here to enter

Yes, I know it’s Friday, but Dan said I could post on a Friday and I had a mad day yesterday. Actually, it’s been another crazy week and I am so glad it is Friday evening and the weekend has started.

In Dan’s words: Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

Over the course of the last two Thursdays I have posted about my family’s visit to Fugitive’s Drift Lodge in Kwa-Zulu Natal and share pictures of doors taken at the guest house and lodge.

Today, I am sharing some pictures of the Isandlwana museum and the battlefield.

The Battle of Isandlwana was the first major encounter between the British troops and the Zulu warriors during the Anglo-Zulu War and took place eleven days after the British invaded Zululand. A force of 25,000 Zulu warriors attacked a portion of the British column comprising of approximately 1360 men who were camped at Isandlwana. Only 55 British soldiers survived the battle and these were all officers who were wearing blue coats. Our Zulu guide said this is because the Zulu King had given instructions that the warriors were to focus on killing men wearing red coats. The attire for officers had changed from red coats to blue, and this fact was the survivors saving grace.

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You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2021/01/21/cedar-hill-cemetery-thursday-doors/

Ghostly Interference

What Amazon says

Jag Peters has one goal in his quiet comfortable life—to keep his karma slate wiped clean. A near-miss crash with a candy apple red Harley threatens to upend his safe world. He tracks down the rider to apologize properly. Slipping into a seedy biker bar, he discovers the rider isn’t a “he”, it’s a “she”, a dark-haired beauty.

Rena Jett is a troubled soul, who lives in a rough world. She wants no part of Jag’s apology, but even while she pushes him away, she is attracted to him. When he claims to see a ghost—her brother—can she trust him? And could her brother’s final gift, a magical rune stone with the symbol for “happily ever after” have the power to heal her wounds and allow opposites to find common ground—perhaps even love?

My review

Ghostly Interference is an unusual romance between a middle class young man who has a good career in the IT industry, and a young girl who has had an unfortunate childhood and is now on her own with no family. Why I say it is unusual is that the young man, Jag, is not particularly happy in his chosen job, but is trapped by its perceived safety factor.

Jag has other talents and desires which he has swept under the carpet in his determination to play it safe and have a reliable income. It takes an unexpected encounter with Rena, a woman with a wild and free spirit, to help him along the path towards happiness and fulfilment. This is quite different from the traditional Cinderella style of romance where the poor, unhappy woman is saved by the rich and handsome prince.

There is a supernatural element in this romance but it is not scary or alarming. Rather, it is comforting in it’s message that our love never ends completely and our loved ones remain spiritually on the prereferral of our lives, watching over us.

I really enjoyed Jag as a character. He was cautious, reliable, but stuck in a rut. It was fun to watch him unwind and start to live life and discover passion, enthusiasm, and freedom. An unfortunate incident with his female boss, who is very obviously attracted to him, proves to be an enabler that allows him to break free from the trap of his well-paid job. This part made me wonder how many people remain in well paid jobs all their lives because they are scared to take a chance and try something different.

Rena is a interesting character. She has experienced the worst life has to offer, right down to losing her only brother who is the rock in her life. The author did a terrific job of making the reader really care about Rena and feel great sadness that she had experienced so much hardship and suffering as a child. Her journey to trusting Jag and gradually allowing herself to experience love and faith is very touching.

This book also touches in a natural way on some serious topics such as child abuse and discrimination. These sub-themes are not preachy or obvious, but are presented subtly in a way that gives the reader food for thought.

Purchase Ghostly Interference

Amazon US

Brazos Wind

What Amazon says

War-torn drifter, Jack McClean is left with nothing but bad memories, scars, and a restless soul. When he stumbles upon a burning homestead, and an unconscious woman, beside the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, he stops to render aid. Grieving widow, Savannah Logan, sees no reason to live, and only wants to join her husband and children in their graves. But, Jack refuses to let her die. In saving her, he might somehow find redemption for himself and hope for a new tomorrow. Is it possible that both Jack and Savannah can find a new destiny in the changeable flow of the Brazos wind?

My review

Jack McClean is burned out with his life of drifting, moving, and fighting, but he hasn’t found any where to settle or anyone to create a home with. He is riding near the Brazos River when he sees smoke and, on investigation, discovers a burned down homestead. The only survivor, a woman called Savannah, is in a terrible state and he is compelled to help her.

As Savannah starts to recover and heal, she shares the sad story of the deaths of her husband and children. Although the fire was an accident, she had lost the will to live by the time it occurred.

This is a story of redemption as both Jack and Savannah rediscover reasons for living. There are hints at a potential romance although the book ends before this aspect develops.

This is a quick and pleasant read that will leave you feeling good.

Purchase Brazos Wind

Amazon US

This week’s writing prompt is a lamp which lent itself to my sharing this short extract from my new supernatural short story entitled Hide-and-Seek.

Hidden behind the heavy, velvet curtains covering the window on the upstairs landing, the listener gazed at the fabric with flat, empty eyes. Moments later, she gave a shudder and thought, she’ll come upstairs. She’ll go to the secret room in the attic; it’s a great hiding place.  

The stairs creaked.

Behind her screen, the listener’s thick lips twisted into a pleased smile, as the graceful bride stepped onto the landing, looked around briefly, and slipped soundlessly in the direction of the smaller staircase leading to the attic. 

Moving stealthily, despite her bulk, the listener followed Anne up the stairs, and disappeared into the deep shadows just inside the attic door.  

Unaware of the listener’s scrutiny, Anne moved towards a large chest on the other side of the attic. Reaching out, she pushed on the paneling.  

Click! 

A piece of the wall slid back, exposing a doorway.  

Anne stepped through into darkness.  

Click! 

The hole slid closed. 

The listener approached the concealed door and stood outside it, her eyes blank. Thoughts, like dark moths, flew randomly around her mind. The casket, I’m sure she’ll hide in the casket.  

Like a bright lamp, this idea attracted the moths until, a little at a time, a plan formed…  

You can join in the challenge here: https://sooozburkeauthor.wordpress.com/2021/01/15/fiction-in-a-flash-challenge-2021-new-image-prompt-week-32-come-and-join-in-the-fun-iartg-flashfiction-writingcommunity-writingprompts-pursoot/