I wonder how many
writers when working on a book whether it be fiction or non-fiction, get pangs
of fear that they won’t be able to deliver the goods. If it is a first book of
course it’s understandable to have these fears, but what if it’s a recurring
theme when writing every book?
The one I am
working on at the moment is about an important historical event and it is
probably the most important book I will ever write. It’s about an English girl
who was an agent with the Special Operations Executive in World War Two – a
clandestine organisation set up by Winston Churchill in 1940 to “set Europe ablaze.”
My heroine, Diana
Rowden, volunteered to be dropped into enemy-occupied France France France Switzerland
Unfortunately her luck
ran out when she and her radio operator were denounced to the Germans. After
being imprisoned for several months Diana, together with three other girls was
taken to Natzweiler, the only Concentration camp on French soil, and executed
in a most brutal fashion.
This is a serious
work which I have spent the better part of 18 months writing and researching. I
even travelled to the other side of the world in the hope of gaining crucial
information.
When writing about
history you have a responsibility to do the best job you can. A lot depends on
producing a book which is high-quality and well-researched that people will
actually want to read and enjoy reading.
So I have to do
the best I can to do to give Diana the justice she deserves. I have to be
meticulous because when writing history there is no room for error. There are
too many people just waiting to come down on you like hot bricks if you make a
mistake!
And I have a
responsibility to all the people who helped me so much who have been so
generous with their time, especially the two dear French sisters, Claude and
Christiane who looked after me during my stay in France
Have I given it my
best shot… have I done enough? These are thoughts which go through my head all
the time. Do I need to dig deeper? I’ll
have to wait and see.
Gay Rothwell
I know the feeling, Gaye! It's such a responsibility not only to the living but to the dead. The Holocaust book I'm researching / writing has broke me tears and heart break but also a sense of achievement. There can be nothing more fulfilling than to know you have brought closure to one family.
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling, Gaye! It's such a responsibility not only to the living but to the dead. The Holocaust book I'm researching / writing has broke me tears and heart break but also a sense of achievement. There can be nothing more fulfilling than to know you have brought closure to one family.
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