Keeping Track of Time
As the author of FRED, my first historical novel, it was necessary to allot an enormous amount of time researching the material needed to begin the writing project itself. Calling ourselves the ‘Orphan Building Research Team,’ three of us spent months visiting various local sites, interviewing people who grew up on the west side of Buffalo, and coordinating our efforts to collect the information necessary for the foundation of the novel.
Time became a priority for all of us. Weeks and months passed quickly as we worked feverishly to gather the material to be collated, organized chronologically and verified for its accuracy. We often wondered if we could save FRED’s history before evidence of his existence was gone. This fear stimulated all of us to greater urgency.
FRED had to be described as accurately as possible from the time he was built in 1900 to the present day. More months were spent reading and rereading handwritten notes, while multiple characters waited on the sidelines waiting to emerge on the pages of the book. Chapters were written, revised and rewritten until I deemed the book successfully completed.
Time was both a friend and foe. It was then that I realized Time is a writer’s constant companion.
Best,
Frances R. Schmidt, Author