When PC Language Creeps into Historical Fiction

When I heard the historical fiction novel Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders was about to be published, my sister and I hurried to the library and put our names on the reserve list.

Lincoln in the Bardo is set during the American Civil War in 1862 at the time President Lincoln lost his beloved son Willie. According to historical accounts, after Willie's death, Lincoln visited his son's gravesite on several occasions and held his son's body in his arms.

Any parent who has lost a child (no matter what the child's age) understands the deep and dark sorrow President Lincoln must've experienced, so I was curious how that was handled.  I was also interested in the historical aspect of the story.

After the library called that the book was in, my sister and I picked up our copies. That was two days before my first chemo treatment, so I've been reading a few pages at a time when I'm feeling up to it.

The structure of the novel is creative and unconventional. The story is told mostly in dialogue through the eyes of the ghosts and without quotation marks. The speaker attributions appear on the lines beneath the dialogue passages.

Because of the novel's unusual structure, my sister told me she couldn't get into the story.  I suggested she try reading just the dialogue and narrative and ignore the attributions centered below. She tried, but last I heard she quit reading.

Yesterday I came across a tweet that George Saunders has written an article "What Writers Really Do When They Write" in The Guardian, so I checked it out.

In the article, Saunders discusses the mysterious process of writing. He writes about revising one's work, moving from the general to the specific--"revising up to the reader" and respecting the reader. As a writer, that's advice I can use. As a reader, that's what I expect from an author.

Last night I picked up Lincoln In the Bardo again, determined to charge ahead so I can return the book by its due date (today). Since there is a waiting list at the library I can't renew the book. I guess I could keep it longer and pay a fine, but that wouldn't be fair to the other readers on the reserve list, so I'm determined to return the book today.

Back to the novel: I was willing to suspend my disbelief that ghosts in a graveyard hold conversations. I even overlooked the unusual structure and lack of quotation marks.

I made it as far as page 73, when I could no longer suspend my disbelief. Not because of the ghosts talking, but because of what one of them said.

On page 73 my mind whipped from the story to the words on the page.

I wondered if, in 1862, a man (a ghost actually) would use politically correct language that is commonplace today.

The ghost in question uses the term "his or her choice." Somehow, "his or her" doesn't sound right to me for a novel set in 1862. Wouldn't a man in that era simply use the term "his choice" even if women were involved?

So, here I am this morning, wanting to finish the novel because of the reasons stated above, but knowing that rather than getting lost in the story as a reader, I will be looking for more PC creep.

Perhaps, after I return the novel, I'll try finishing it at a later date.

Or maybe I'll just give up the ghost.

Halloween Tales: Our Haunted Farmhouse, Mom's Strange Brews, a Monster Buck, and Jack-o-Lantern Mushrooms

Road to the farm

My husband reminded me this morning that today is the 23rd anniversary of our buying our 89-acre farmland in Osage County.

It's not that we deliberately bought the property on Halloween; it's just that was the day we signed the paperwork. Some might say that was an omen, or it might be a coincidence that the old farmhouse, which burned down several years ago, was haunted.

One year, after my husband and several relatives went deer hunting, they returned with stories of strange happenings. They swore the old farmhouse was haunted by a ghost they named Gary because Casper was already taken.

The old barn is still standing

I attributed their stories to drinking too much beer around the campfire and over-active imaginations. I'd been to the farmhouse many times, but I'd never  seen  anything to make me believe the farmhouse was haunted -- until one Saturday afternoon. Let's just say after that experience I changed my mind.

Just the other day one of my sisters and I were talking about our mom's cautionary tales and home remedies, some of which might be considered old wives' tales.


Mom warned us not to go outside after washing our hair, tried to get us to eat fish because it was "brain food," and fed us chicken soup when we had colds. But that wasn't all she did to cure what ailed one of her brood.

While she didn't stir up ingredients as weird as a witch's brew like "the eye of a newt or toe of a frog," she did create some strange brews. She made onion poultices to cure croup or bad colds. She sliced an onion and sprinkled sugar over it then put the concoction in a small pan with a small bit of water then made a poultice. For warts, she sliced a raw potato in half, rubbed half on the wart then had someone, other than the one with the wart, bury the second half of the potato but not tell where it was buried. By the time the potato grew, the wart would be gone. Then there was iodine for swollen tonsils.

Oh, yeah, Mom was definitely old school.

On the topic of old school: Last weekend my nephew Paul downed a monster 15-point buck in St. Charles County using an atlatl. A what? That's what I asked.

An atlatl is an ancient weapon, basically a spear, a stick with a handle on one end and a hook on the other. You can see a photo of Paul, the monster buck, and his atlatl on the Missouri Conservation Department Facebook page, where you can also see a photo of Jack-o-Lantern mushrooms.

How about you? Any Halloween tales or spooky stories to share?

Searching for Halloween Short Stories? Check out "Spirits of St. Louis: Missouri Ghost Stories" and "Shadows After Midnight"

As the temperature drops and the leaves change from green to gold, red, yellow, or orange, my thoughts turn to Halloween -- and tales of ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night.

To help keep my hands off the Halloween candy, I pick up a pen and write -- or grab a book and read.

If you're looking for some scary short stories to read by the fire on a chilly October night, here are two collections to check out.

Shameless plug: Did I mention I have stories in each of these collections?

Spirits of St. Louis: Missouri Ghost Stories has recently been released by Rocking Horse Publishing.

My story about the haunted Bissell Mansion in North St. Louis "Ghost in Celestial Blue" is included in the collection, along with tales from blogger buddies, Missouri author Val the Victorian from Unbagging the Cats and Canadian author and travel writer Sean McLachlan of Civil War Horror.

I haven't received my contributor copies yet, so I haven't read all the stories, but I know what great writers Val and Sean are because I am a frequent follower of their blogs.

If you're curious about who else is in the anthology and want to purchase a copy, visit the RHP website.

If you're a frequent visitor to my blog, you might remember the title of the book Shadows After Midnight.

The e-book was published late last year by Welkin Press, but editor Patricia B. Smith has redesigned the cover and reduced the price, just in time for Halloween.

The Shadows After Midnight e-book is now available for a limited time on Amazon.com for less than a dollar. The collection of "12 Spooky Tales for Halloween" includes my short story "Stairway to Heaven."

How about you?  Do you have any scary books to recommend reading on chilly fall evenings--that is, when the Cardinals aren't playing in the World Series?

Worth a Read: HELP FOR THE HAUNTED

Raise your hands is you like ghost stories.

HELP FOR THE HAUNTED by John Searles is a mysterious ghost story with a murderous twist.

Sylvie Mason is an unusual teen with a special gift. She belongs to a family of Christian ghost hunters and healers living in Maryland. But all is not well, and all is not as it seems, in the Mason family.

After Sylvie's older, rebellious sister Rose goes missing, her parents receive a mysterious call on a snowy night to meet in a church if they want to find out where Rose is. Sylvie is told to wait in the car, and she does for what seems like forever. Finally, she traipses inside the church. When she discovers her parents have been murdered, she is grazed by a bullet that whizzes by her ear.

Flash forward: A year later, Sylvie is being "raised" by her negligent sister Rose, who barely provides food or clothing for Sylvie. In high school, Sylvie's life is unbearable, except for the school counselor who does his best to help Sylvie cope with her shattered life.

Who is the mysterious person who leaves casseroles on the doorstep at night, but which Rose throws out because she tells Sylvie they could be poisoned. And what's causing the unexplained noises and happenings in the basement?

After the man originally charged with the murder of her parents is cleared of the crime, the police reopen the case and question Sylvie. Forced to relive the horrible night, Sylvie is determined to find out who killed her parents. But that knowledge will reveal deep family secrets that could put Sylvie's life in jeopardy.

Narrated by the haunting voice of Sylvie, HELP FOR THE HAUNTED is a well written and satisfying ghost story that is surprising and a bit creepy.

Call for Submissions: Got Ghost?

Rocking Horse Publishing is seeking ghost stories set in Missouri for an anthology that will be published this coming October. The deadline is August 30, so what are you waiting for? Scare up a ghost story.

Here is the call for submissions from their website.

Rocking Horse Publishing Call for Submissions

"Spirits of St. Louis: Missouri Ghost Stories"

RHP will be releasing a volume of original ghost stories set in Missouri, based on legend or purely fiction, in October 2013! Potential authors must submit, by August 30,  works of 1000-5000 words plus a short, 30-word bio, and must be age 18 older.

Selected authors will receive two copies of the anthology and a one-time royalty of $25.00. Additional copies may be purchased at a 50% discount plus shipping. Books will be available in both print and E-format.

We want good ghost stories, things that go bump in the night, haunted houses - no werewolves, vampires, or fantasy. No erotica, devil worship, or otherwise sexual or offensive themes.

Please follow regular submission guidelines below, but submit manuscripts to rhpanthology@gmail.com.

 

 

 

Thanks to Brad Cook of St. Louis Writers Guild for sharing the link to the submission call-out.

You Meet the Most Interesting People in Critique Groups

Belonging to a critique group has many advantages. Becoming a better writer is the primary one, which comes from learning about the art and craft and business of writing.

Another fun and interesting benefit is that some of the most fascinating people are writers. The members of our weekly Coffee and Critique group are no exception.

Two critique group members, who also belong to the St. Louis Chapter of Sisters in Crime (Jennifer Hasheider and Judi Moresi), were mentioned recently in an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Judi talked about her mystery novel-in-progress, which our critique group has heard snippets of in the past.

Ghost-hunter Jennifer spoke to the Sisters in Crime group about her ghost hunting adventures, including the tools and equipment she uses while pursuing slippery spirits.

At critique group just last Tuesday Jennifer read an essay about -- you guessed it --- a ghost.

You can read more about Jennifer and Judi in the Post-Dispatch article.

Scare the Dickens out of Us Ghost Contest

During a presentation at the MWG conference last weekend, mystery writer and keynote speaker Elaine Viets encouraged writers to enter contests.

The following is information about a contest she recommends. The entry fee for adult writers at $20 is a bit steep, but the prizes are generous and it's for a good cause.

Friends of the Clark Library is sponsoring the "Scare The Dickens Out of Us" ghost story writing contest.

First place prize of $1000, second place prize of $500 and third place prize of $250 will be awarded this year for the best original, previously unpublished ghost stories 5000 words or less that are submitted.

For younger writers, The Junior Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story contest, which follows the same rules, offers $250 for first place for writers aged 12-18.

This contest is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, Texas. The main contest requires a $20 entry fee and the Junior contest a $5 entry fee. The contest is privately funded. All entry fee money goes directly to the Friends where it is donated to the library for library projects.

Entries are accepted beginning July 1.
The contest postmark deadline is October 1, 2011.

Full rules are at the Clark Library Friends website. No publication is involved. Writers retain full rights to their stories. The contest is open to published and unpublished writers, and to local, national and international writers as well. The only rules are that you write an original, unpublished ghost story and that it be 5000 words or less in length.

Good luck if you enter.