"I am not throwing away my shot" - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Inspiration, and Persevering in writing

I had heard the rave reviews of the smash-hit/blockbuster/phenomenon known as Hamilton for a few years ... I finally saw Hamilton on July 4th, locked in my air-conditioned room trying to block out the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers and tuning in to the sublime music and acting that makes Hamilton so unique.

I loved it! Since then I have listened to the music over and over (I'm listening now) and I plan to see it again soon, trying to rope in some of my family members to watch it with me.

Forgive me for presuming, but I have sensed a few parallels between Lin-Manuel Miranda and me.

1. He read a book that inspired him - Ron Chernow's biography of Hamilton.
    I read a book that inspired me - The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano.

2. He spent years working on the music for Hamilton the musical.

    I spent years researching Equiano's life and that of his daughter, Joanna Vassa.

3. He built a world for theater-goers and movie-watchers to inhabit for a few hours.

    I built a world--Nigeria and South Carolina in the mid 18th century; England in the early

   19th century, for readers to inhabit for a few days.

4. He fashioned a compelling story about a complex man--Alexander Hamilton.

    I attempted to fashion a compelling story about a complex man--Olaudah Equiano.

5. He taught some American history while entertaining audiences.

    I teach some American and British history in my historical novel.

5. He wrote an award-winning musical, as both composer and lyricist, attracting millions to the stage and screen.

    I wrote....

Well, that may be where the parallels end. I did write a historical novel about the daughter and sister of Olaudah Equiano--Remnant. I am passionate about Equiano's life and telling his story. I researched for years and wrote for years. And yet, my novel is not yet published.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has inspired me to not "throw away my shot." I am returning to the novel into which I put my heart and soul, and will keep revising. Then I'll send it out into the world of publishing again. But if all else fails, I'll self-publish. I have resisted self-publishing, but it may be the best route for Remnant in the current publishing climate. Stay tuned...

Have you written a novel or short story or poem? Have you tried to get it published? Don't give up! Keep sending it out there into the world. Don't throw away your shot!

The Glass Ocean - three strong story lines by three admirable authors

Over the summer I'll blog on books I'm reading, highlight aspects of brilliance, and what I learn about writing by reading.

The Glass Ocean is a historical novel about three fascinating women. What is especially intriguing about this novel is that each of the three authors wrote one of the storylines--and they have not revealed who wrote which! It's a mystery I'm trying to unravel by reading their other books. The collaboration of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White seamlessly meshes the storylines together, leading the reader riveted.

Three strong characters

Don't ask me which of the characters I like the most. If you did, I might say Tess, which surprises me because she is the least like me! Tess had an unconventional upbringing and uses her artistic skills to create forged paintings that get sold for a profit. She wants out of the "family business," but is strongly tied to her older sister--surprises abound there. Tess is aboard the Lusitania in 1915 to forge documents. 

Caroline is a debutante married to a wealthy steel magnate who is trying to outrun his humble upbringing and become part of New York's high society. She is also attracted to a male acquaintance from her home in the south.

Sarah is a historian whose first book, Small Potatoes, on the Irish potato famine, was a big hit, but five years later she hasn't written anything new, and paying for her elderly mother's care has drained her bank accounts.

Each of these women has a distinct, saucy or confident, sweet or serious, funny or surprising character. Their dialogue is unique to their character and their relationships reflect their values. Hmmm - maybe that's easier when you're only focusing on one character...

Three dynamic stories

Tess is participating in a scam; Caroline is fending off a potential lover and trying to rekindle love for her husband; Sarah is trying to make a comeback with a new book on her great-grandfather (who just happened to work on the Lusitania.

Who will get caught? Who will fall in love? Who will survive the German's torpedo striking the Lusitania? There is enough intrigue in each storyline to keep the reader engaged. Possibly Sarah's storyline has a bit less drama, but the romance plot keeps it going.

Pick-up-the-thread transitions

The triad of skilled authors creates a thread of transitions between the chapters, which alternate between the three characters. Read these examples:

End of chapter 10 - "Surrounded, you might say, by all his secrets"

Start of Chapter 11 - "With a flourish, Jones help up the pale pink silk tulle and linen tape lace afternoon dress, her expression like one who'd just exposed a secret."

End of Chapter 11 - "G. Forgive me."

Start of Chapter 12 - ""Pardon me," said Tess." 

End of Chapter 16 - "Don't mess with my Rubik's Cube while I'm gone..."

Start of Chapter 17 - "Caroline felt as if she were playing a game..."

Too much of this could become annoying, but I found myself looking forward to how they would connect one chapter to the next.

Reading the book convinced me, inspired me, to revisit my historical novel and introduce more trauma, conflict, and suspense to Joanna's storyline. A slave who escapes during the Revolutionary War has drama aplenty, but my biracial heroine in early 19th century England leads a charmed life. I'm going to make her life a bit more difficult!

__________________________________________________________

Williams, Beatriz, Lauren Willig, and Karen White. The Glass Ocean. William Morrow, 2018.

Utopia

As I write this on June 2, 2020, I bet most of you feel like we're in a dystopia. COVID19 has taken the lives of over 100,000 Americans and almost 400,000 people around the world. With the recent murder of George Floyd, what else can we call it when a police officer dispassionately kneels on the neck of an American citizen (who happens to be a Black man) while his fellow officer kneels on his back, effectively cutting off his oxygen and killing him, and the subsequent protests and riots, the USA feels like a dystopia right now. Writing about Utopia is either outlandish or well-timed - you decide. I'm still blogging about British Literature, and my class read the classic text Utopia, by Sir Thomas More.

What is Utopia? Can an ideal society even exist? In our British Literature class, we examined several works whose authors explored the concept of utopia.

Throughout the class, several settings included some aspects of a utopian society -- the hall at Heorot, after Beowulf killed Grendel and the men were at peace; King Arthur's Camelot--when they weren't fighting and his wife, Queen Guinevere, wasn't going off with Lancelot; or maybe Avalon, that legendary island, almost an earthly paradise, where King Arthur went to be healed of his fatal wounds (a bit oxymoronic), and where Lanval traveled to with his gorgeous fairy queen. Yes, I think Avalon best fits the title of Utopia, largely because it is an unknown island where only healing and blessings exist.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Utopia-by-More#/media/1/620772/163819

Sir Thomas More created his own ideal utopia and dictated the rules, principles, and characteristics of this island nation, purportedly visited by Rapheal Hythloday in his novel, Utopia. What are some of the characteristics of this utopian society?

• Everyone works six hours a day - no idlers
• Goods are justly distributed
• Scholarship and learning are respected
• Buildings are built to last
• Compassion reigns - not competition
• Everyone eats well - they all eat meals in the community together
• Very few laws and no lawyers
• They live on an island and detest/avoid war

Sounds good, right? Well, there are other characteristics that are not so "utopian." This society also includes the following:

• No money or private property
• No lawyers (not sure which side to put this on!)
• People are moved from the city to country - rotated into new settings and families
• Slavery exists (can a society be utopian if slaves are necessary?)
• Each city is ruled by a prince elected for life
• Those who are elderly and infirm are urged to starve themselves

What do you think? Here are a few characteristics of a utopia I would want to live in:

• Equal opportunities and rights for women and men, all races, old and young, immigrant and native
• No discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, race, language, differently-abled
• A Government that truly is "of" the people, "for" the people, and "by" the people - led by men and women who are compassionate, intelligent, humble, and wise
• Free expression is encouraged but hateful acts and speech are so disparaged and de-legitimized that no one wants to engage in it
• Dialogue and community replace violence and misunderstanding
• Universal education and health care for all
• A hybrid capitalist/socialist society where all have needs met and no one is abysmally poor or unnaturally wealthy
• Freedom of religion - personal and corporate

I could go on and on. I believe there are aspects of American society that are utopian--though it's hard to see it right now.

Please add your thoughts -- what are some of the elements of your Utopia?