Family Historian to Historical Fiction Author
Image: my grandfather Glenn Andrews as a child, and sister c. 1920
Hello, folks! Welcome back to the blog. I’m glad you’re here.
In my last blog post, I wrote about my unconventional neurodivergent writing practices (and earlier, how I write neurodivergent characters into my historical fiction). This time, I want to turn toward the ways my autistic special interests support my writing.
My Special Interest in Family History
My special interest in family history came to me long before I knew I was autistic. I first ventured into this world as a teenager. I soon became that girl who could tell you her ancestors’ dates of birth right along with her friends’ birthdays. (True story: I can clearly remember realizing excitedly– in the middle of gym class one March day in 2003 that it was a great-great grandfather’s birthday. He was born in 1866.)
As comical as that is, I also learned quickly that nobody cared about these things nearly as much as I did. I began to wonder if it was simply useless information wasting space in my brain. I learned to keep quiet and felt embarrassed about my interest.
But now, looking back, I can see how much this knowledge and my understanding of family history have supported my writing. I took what I couldn’t talk about and poured it into my writing. Today I write historical fiction, so I draw on this knowledge to write my books.
I can tune into my characters and their worlds in unique ways. The smallest details build my stories brick by brick, and I also have a wider and more nuanced perspective on how my stories fit within a greater whole. I know how and where they belong.
Writing My Special Interests into my Books
As an example, I called upon my deep knowledge and connection to my home state of Indiana’s history and natural world to write my book, Little Bird Woman. I could write about catalpa trees and red-tailed hawks in that story because I’ve lived alongside them my whole life. I could write about pioneer gardening and old cemeteries because I understand them by experience and my heritage. I poured my heart into this book, and I could not have done it without my special interests.
All of our stories hold meaning– every last one. By telling our stories, we remind ourselves of our innate worth. By telling our stories, we understand one another better; we learn to live with more love and compassion. Stories teach us our humanity.
I cannot tell every story, and I’m not meant to. But I can and must tell the stories that are mine to tell. And we all have stories to tell.
Tell me: What story are yours to tell?
Thank you so much for stopping by the blog. For book news and writing updates from me, subscribe to my monthly newsletter below. You will also receive a free resource on writing historical fiction, plus a very special short story. And the best way to connect with me is on Instagram, so make sure you’re following me there, too!
I’ll be back on the blog again soon. Until then, take care and be well!
Katie
P.S. Starting in November, I’ll be facilitating writing workshops for teens in Indianapolis. Be sure to subscribe below to find out more!
My Unconventional Neurodivergent Writing Practices
Hello, folks! Welcome back to the blog. I’m glad you’re here!
A while back, I wrote a blog post about writing neurodivergent characters into my historical fiction. As I am also neurodivergent, my writing practices reflect my differences. They didn’t always, though. Like so many others in my generation, I only identified my autism and ADHD as an adult. As part of this new understanding, I’ve had to unravel so much that was not me. This includes writing practices that never really suited me, that I acquired while masking. Neurodivergent creativity looks as different as we are, and I learn more about this every day. When we allow ourselves to embody our authentic selves, we can create at our truest, bringing to life such beauty and magic.
So, in this post, I thought I’d share a little about my own unconventional neurodivergent writing practices.
Writing Practices I’ve Let Go
First, I’ve had to let go of so much writing “convention” that never worked for me.
If I boiled it down to one word, it’d be: consistency. I used to try to force myself into a daily, consistent writing practice. Sit down at the same time of day, open up the doc, and “just do it.” It sounds okay on paper, doesn’t it? But for my brain and body, it simply does not work. This ended up looking more like shaming myself: “Why can’t you be more like…? Why can’t you do it right?”
But what is “right,” anyway?
“Right” is what’s best for the individual. When I tried to wrangle my writing practice into what never suited me, my writing suffered. It was like pulling teeth. There was no heart in it.
If this sounds like you, give yourself permission to be different and flow with your own energy!
Embodying My Own Unique Writing Practice
So, what does my current writing practice look like in this season of life?
It looks like flowing with my own energy. It syncs with the moon phases and inspiration. It looks like putting on a favorite movie in the background, or listening to music I love. It looks like drawing pictures of my characters. It looks like talking through plot holes with my husband. It looks like jotting down ideas in a notebook or on my phone while I’m cooking dinner. It looks like me.
A little peek inside what’s worked for me lately:
When the blinking cursor on a blank page looked a little too daunting, I put one of my favorite movies on the TV. The Fellowship of the Ring both calmed and energized me enough that I was able to begin writing again.
The story I’ve been working on lately has some heavy themes and I can get bogged down if I’m not careful. I allow myself to “go there” in the story, yes, but I make sure to refresh and lighten my energy once I’m finished writing. Sometimes I need to balance it out while writing, too. My go-to music for this lately has been the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack! (Shout out to my sister for getting me to finally watch the movie!) I also reset by connecting with loved ones, my pets, or going outside into my garden.
Lastly, as I am working on a couple of long-term projects, I need to balance this focus out with novelty. I can easily get burnt out without allowing myself to pursue side quests and rabbit holes. Exploring new ideas helps me stay on track with my long-term work. Even if these new things never “pan out,” simply following them gives me what I need. Recently, I researched and wrote a story about teenage “hoboes” riding the rails during the Great Depression, a subject that fascinates me. Letting myself explore these kinds of things, even just a little, allows me to stay true to my commitments.
All of these things make my whole writing practice so much more fulfilling and joyful– and uniquely mine.
Tell me: What makes your creative practice uniquely yours?
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog! For book news and writing updates from me, subscribe to my monthly newsletter below. You will also receive a free resource on writing historical fiction, plus a very special short story. Be sure to check out my books, too!
I’ll be back on the blog soon with more!
Katie
P.S. If this post sounds like you, check out The Neurodivergent Creative Podcast by Caitlin Fisher. One great episode is #179: “Shame, Perfectionism, & Songs That Break (and Heal) feat. K-pop Demon Hunters & Encanto.”
“Write as the Birds Sing” Nature & Writing Historical Fiction
“I write as the birds sing, because I must, and usually from the same source of inspiration.” — Gene Stratton-Porter
Hello, folks! Welcome back to the blog. I’m back with another post about my process of writing historical fiction, especially for young readers.
This week, I’m continuing a series on my research process as a historical fiction author: this week, I’m focusing on Nature.
For me, time in Nature is integral to my creative writing process. It fuels my creativity and never fails to lift my spirits. And understanding that Nature is the one thing we have all had in common throughout history feeds my historical fiction writing. No matter where we have come from, we’ve all seen the same sun and moon. We all know the feel of the wind on our faces and the power of a rainstorm. Nature is what connects us through time.
For one of my books in particular, time in Nature was especially crucial to my research:
“A Little Bird Woman”
My middle-grade novel-in-verse, Little Bird Woman, tells the story of a childhood experience of author and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter. To write a story that truly honored her, I needed an even deeper understanding of the natural world. Gene was truly connected and devoted to Nature her entire life, but she especially loved birds. Her mother called her “a little bird woman” when she was little, and she later wrote herself into her novels as the character “The Bird Woman.”
And so to write Little Bird Woman, I researched Gene’s writing and life story, but I also spent plenty of time in Nature. I tried to get to know her better through Nature, to see it through her eyes, and to channel that perspective into my writing. Gene was born and lived in my home state of Indiana for most of her life, so luckily, the natural world around me is very similar to hers.
I read Gene’s book Friends in Feathers (1917), an in-depth study of native birds in Indiana. I learned the ways she cared for birds as a child, and how she braved the deep woods and swamps to observe them as a woman. I spent intentional time watching these same native birds in my modern world. From flocks of robins to pairs of cardinals to solitary red-tailed hawks, I tried to see all of them through Gene’s eyes. Now when a cardinal sings, I still hear what she heard: “What-cheer! What-cheer!”
When my editor said that this book was like a love letter from Gene to Nature, I knew I’d done my job.
The Cardinal on the Cover
Nature was also important for Little Bird Woman’s cover artist, Shelley Wallace. She and I collaborated closely on the book’s cover for months. The tree on the cover reflected the bare trees in the middle of an Indiana winter. We later realized that her model tree looks just like a chinkapin oak on my block. It seems as if Shelley and I have “twin trees.”
Shelley spent time birdwatching and researching to illustrate the cardinal on the cover, too. I sent her photographs of cardinals that Gene herself took. In a moment of synchronicity, Shelley had drawn the cardinal with its mouth open, and then saw that reflected in Gene’s photos.
In the end, Shelley brought the vision to life in such a beautiful and profound way.
For more on Shelley and her art, check out my interview with her!
Read Little Bird Woman
Set in one day in February 1875, Little Bird Woman follows 11-year-old Geneva on the day of her mother’s funeral. She explores the woods of her old family farm, reflecting on memories, grief, and communing with the natural world around her. The book also includes biographical notes on Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924).
Find Little Bird Woman at Amazon and Bookshop. You can also find it at a number of local bookstores and public libraries in central Indiana. If your local library doesn’t hold it, you can always request it be added to circulation!
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog. For book news and writing updates from me, subscribe to my monthly newsletter below. You will also receive a free resource on writing historical fiction, plus a very special short story!
I’ll be back on the blog soon with more of the goodness that is writing historical fiction!
Katie
The Only World We’ve Got: Empowering Messages in Historical Fiction
Image: Rose window at Notre-Dame Cathedral
Hello, folks! Welcome back to the blog. I’m glad you’re here.
You know, it’s said that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.
This is too cynical an outlook for me, even if it does often prove to be true. Holding onto unrelenting hope, I believe in our potential for goodness just as much as I acknowledge our shadows. This leads me to put a slight twist on this: I believe those who learn lessons from the past have the power to create a better future for us all.
It’s because of this that those who seek power attempt to seize control of the minds of the masses through revisionist history, and beyond that: the arts and storytelling.
Historical fiction spans between the two.
And because of this, there are so many historical fiction novels that have been thrown onto banned book lists. Because the most impactful historical fiction says something. It speaks truth to power. It stands up for what is good and right through stories. And it empowers us to create a better future.
Because stories say so much to our psyches. We communicate through stories. We understand each other through our stories. Humans have been sharing stories since ancient times, and they remain our most powerful means of expressing ourselves– and how we best learn about our collective past.
“Sing the Bells of Notre Dame—”
I look to 19th-century French author Victor Hugo as an example of someone who used stories to say something. Hugo was involved in French politics for years, working toward social justice. However, it has been his novels that have made the greatest impact over time.
His most famous novel was, of course, Les Misérables (1862), which many now know from the 1980 Broadway musical. But another well-known novel of Hugo’s was an earlier historical fiction novel. Published in 1831, the book was set in 15th-century Paris. Carefully researched and crafted, it made as much of a statement as his other works. The lessons from The Hunchback of Notre Dame still reverberate today.
Victor Hugo’s novels stand the test of time– because such stories hold immense power to teach us. They speak to our hearts. Even after Victor Hugo’s political work has faded from public memory, these two stories remain, still impacting us in modern times. Because such stories change with people’s needs– even taking the form of an animated Disney film. We still need their lessons. My hope is that we might listen.
“Morning in Paris, a new day appears—”
Storytellers often face backlash, as we still see today. Hugo himself was in fact exiled from France for many years for his radical views after Napoleon III seized power.
But we must continue telling the stories that mean something.
We may not always be doomed to repeat our most horrible parts of history if we heed the lessons of our stories. And stories that tap into our human condition do “say something” across generations.
Tell me: if you were to write a historical fiction novel in which you could truly “say something”-- what story would you write?
Thank you for stopping by the blog. I invite you and the young people in your life to join me in this incredible work.
When you subscribe to my monthly newsletter, you’ll receive free resources on writing historical fiction, especially for kids. Be sure to check out my latest posts about writing historical fiction, too. And stay tuned for more to come about my research process as a historical fiction author.
Ready to read more? My books are available online through both Amazon and Bookshop, as well as several libraries and shops across Central Indiana.
I leave you with some of the final lyrics from the 2015 musical of The Hunchback of Notre Dame–
"Finale Ultimo"
[STATUES & GARGOYLES]
The world is cruel
The world is ugly
But there are times
And there are people
When the world is not
And at its cruelest
It's still the only world we've got
Light and dark
Foul and fair
[QUASIMODO]
Out there