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  1. Tomb1302

    Tomb1302 Senior Member

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    War Stories (What to look out for?)

    Discussion in 'Setting Development' started by Tomb1302, Jul 13, 2019.

    I've been really interested in WWI for a while now, and, I'm looking to write my own little collection of 'War Stories' that enable me to discuss all aspects of an incredibly diverse conflict based on all sorts of real stories and accounts.

    For those who've written from a historical perspective like this -Historical Fiction-, specifically about war, what would you say are the key points to look out for to keep stories concise, but emotional and authentic?

    Is it better to focus on smaller stories, or a broader, more collective single-story in this case (Asking for opinions, naturally)?

    Thanks.
     
  2. SomePenName

    SomePenName Member

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    Salut,

    My first thought when I read your post is to think to the quintessential WWI piece of writing, All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque (I assume you've read it, if by chance not, it would be a disservice not to recommend it to you).

    When you imagine a novel like All Quiet on the Western Front, it makes me feel as if you may run into problems trying to focus on smaller stories. The main imagery when people think of WWI, I believe, is the absolutely painful drawn out nature of trench warfare. Gangrene, rats, starvation, being shelled for days at a time and sacrificing thousands of lives to gain meters of ground. I think this is why most WWI pieces are in the same vein as All Quiet on the Western Front, when you get down to it, WWI was slow.

    Bear in mind that I am the amateuriest of amateurs, and you could have a very interesting project on your hands by breaking the mold of the whole "WWI, being in the trenches sucks, I've been in the exact same hole for weeks" thing and switching to an almost vignette style.

    I suppose this isn't much help, but that's my initial reaction to this idea.

    All the best of luck.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2019
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  3. EFMingo

    EFMingo A Modern Dinosaur Supporter Contributor

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    I feel it's always better to focus on the smaller, more individual or small group stories. Getting too broad will read just like a history book, and will be less personal. Always been under the impression that a story can be better contained while hovering about a small section of the war. Better detail and less information dumps.
     
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  4. Tomb1302

    Tomb1302 Senior Member

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    This is everything I needed in a comment. WWI was indeed very slow, and, this is pivotal in helping me decide which direction to take. I have two plotlines (One short, one long) that I can share to emulate why I asked in the first place.

    Is this the right place to do that?

    Great remark, thank you!
     
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  5. SomePenName

    SomePenName Member

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    Salut encore,

    I'm not sure the right place to post things, but when you find it, please be sure to let me know and I'll follow you over there.

    Re-reading this thread, I find that it is possible to take my post to mean the opposite of EFMingo's post. I should clarify that I totally agree with him. Coming back to All Quiet on the Western Front again, it is indeed a small story in that it is a limited scope, the novel is nearly entirely about Paul and his closest comrades. What I meant to say in my first post, was in reference to you saying you planned to use a collection of stories and accounts for this project, I saw there being an issue using multiple small stories.

    For example, a piece of historical fiction describing the Battle of Vimy Ridge, through the eyes of two different artillery sappers and three infantrymen for a few pages each would not be as effective (in my opinion of course) as one story, of one soldier, using other people's bodies to climb over barbed wire, describing how a 24 hour stretch of artillery affect a person etc. I meant to say that the slow nature of WWI could really only be conveyed in a longer, more focused story, not a comment on the scope of the story itself relative to the amount of characters or time it covers.
     
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  6. Thundair

    Thundair Contributor Contributor

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    First, have a great knowledge of the time period. If you could find letters that the servicemen had written, would give you the feel of the time. I have a work in progress that will have a major battle, but I didn’t start there because I want to introduce my characters, so that there will be empathy for them and thee reader will care what happens to them. I will have tension in anticipation of the upcoming battle and trouble in the ranks for my protagonist. So even if the action is slow, you can still keep the reader involved.
     
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  7. Tomb1302

    Tomb1302 Senior Member

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    Great advice, and pertains exactly to me. I consider myself an amateur scholar and collector of anything WWI (some WWII too), and, this helps me gain a great advantage in terms of how close I can get to the actual materialistic events that transpired 100 years ago.

    Thanks so much! I suppose, given I don't see a truly active 'war community', I can post it here, but I'll wait for you to hop back on here before doing so.

    I see how both you and EFMingo's posts could be interpreted as counterarguments to each other, but, what I've drawn is that a story about the gritty nature of WWI would benefit more than quickly exploring different aspects.

    In the end, why not do both, eh? ;)
     

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