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Any World War I (Great War) Experts Out There?



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Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:39 pm
EloquentDragon says...



So, it's been a while since my "Modern History" class (two years) so I need a refresher. I'm thinking about writing a serial set in WWI. Originally, I was going to do it as a "steam-punk-esque" fantasy, but I can achieve everything I would have there by just writing historically. I don't have very many ideas for it so far. I'll try and incorporate some "letters" into the story, along with deserts, espionage, betrayal, etc. I'm drawing a lot of my influences from TE Lawrence's travels and Beau Geste, as well as some Indiana Jones style action. Maybe as a mystery.

Anyway... Here's some stuff to get you all started:
1. This will probably be set in North Africa/the Middle East, as well as parts of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey.) What was the status of Islam at that time? (Philosophes, influence, jihad, etc.) Was there a lot of diversity in beliefs? Philosophies?
2. How did normal citizens, especially in these areas^^^ view the war effort? Was it a stark black-and-white, or was there a lot of gray? What about morale? Support? Etc.
3. What did British colonial holdings look like at this time?
4. Any neat tidbits about the FFL, or any other equally "specialized" desert legion/army/troop?
(I will probably be researching a lot of this on my own, but wanted to get some different opinions here.)

For the "not a WWI buff" types:
1. What sort of protagonist would interest you in this type of story? I'm looking to create someone that we haven't seen before. What would you suggest? (I'm thinking of nationality here too, that's going to be a major factor.)
2. I had considered writing this in 1st person, but now I'm leaning towards third b/c there will be multiple view-points. I could, however, use multiple view points and have each chapter belong to a single 1st person character. Thoughts on this?
3. What things should I avoid in order to prevent this becoming a "typical war-story?"

Thanks for you time in advance.
~ED
Last edited by EloquentDragon on Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:04 pm
Cirute says...



Well, this sounds like it could turn out to be quite interesting.

I know a great deal about the war, and especially love reading/learning about it. The only real advice I would have for you is to try to remain historically accurate. There are always those "super history buffs" who will jump on you for the slightest error, such as the type of weapons used. So do your research. Also, have you ever seen the movie "All Quiet on the Western Front"? It's a great movie about what life was like in the trenches, and I would highly recommend watching it! Good luck, and please, notify me if you post this, I'd be happy to read/review it!
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Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:35 pm
Rosendorn says...



Seriously, World War I (and II) are some of the most extensively written about topics in modern history. You will be drowning in material and I'd suggest you break it down.

1- The Google. This is a good place to toss keywords in. Here is a lovely infographic on how to get a lot out of Google.

2- The bookstore. Even if you don't buy anything, new books on history come out all the time.

3- Military academies. Chances are, they have the largest amount of any and all war histories for their own history classes. Ask if you can poke around, or talk to the WWI historians there. Plus, they'll have slightly better quality books in terms of where they were published. It does make a big difference. If you're lucky, they'll let you see their libraries and browse around there awhile.

4- The public library. Won't have as many new books, but it's free and has a huge selection.

Story wise.

1- Non-white
2- Whatever you can make work
3- War stories are one of those things that just... have a flavour. It just depends on how much you focus on war vs how much you focus on the broader cultural context. I've found the better books about war don't focus exclusively on it. Instead, they have day to day life, upsets in day to day life, things that have nothing to do with the war, the war that isn't just bad guys and soldiers and fighting, but hate crimes and racism and sexism and ageism (discrimination against everybody but adults) and all these things that make up society.

These don't go away with war. They actually get worse, in a lot of ways. Because your enemy becomes the national enemy. Any surprise why Russians were discriminated against in the Cold War? Or why Muslims are discriminated against now? A lot of that is war propaganda's fault.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

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Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:50 pm
EloquentDragon says...



@Cirute- Thanks for the support man. I will let you know if I ever end up posting this thang.

Rosey-great research references, thanks.

I don't agree with everything that you've said here, but you know, situations like these seem to be largely subjected to opinion, in my opinion, hah. Anyway, that being said, I wanted to ask your opinion on something.

I (rather jokingly) said to myself: "boy, I'd better throw in a girl somewhere in there..." but know that I think of it, female characters who influence the plot of a WWI Mid-east/african basin war story seems appealing, at the least. Have any info about how a woman would have been treated under these circumstances? How she would respond/react to it? Etc. I'm thinking about one gal being a natural/research scientist, who attended some of the best schools in England at that time but, for some eccentric or deeply moral or hidden motivation, decides to go on a trip to the mid-east to research soil. "grow things in the desert" is her dream. The second would be either a French agent or a German agent, I know women were often invisible as spies at that time. (Maybe that was WWII though... don't know...) She would be a secondary antagonist. Maybe even a double-agent. I had an idea for a character who is the daughter of an influential arabian chief (and influential in her own right) but I want to avoid the "romantic-exotic-desert-princess" stereotype. Thoughts on these characters? Too unoriginal?
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Wed Feb 12, 2014 3:09 am
LadySpark says...



Fall Of Giants by Ken Follett is a book about World War I.
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Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:03 am
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Rosendorn says...



One thing about female characters is you have got to keep in mind time period context.

Women, at the time, were treated as lab assistants. They very rarely had their names put on the projects themselves, so while they were within the sciences, they got pretty much zero respect for it.

Most science schools didn't actually accept women until the mid 1900s, too. So good luck with her getting her degree in her own right.

On a countermeasure, war does improve the standing of women under the law. Men get drafted, so there need to be women actually working on stuff in the workforce. I'm not overly familiar with WWI (I've more focused on the second wave feminism after WWII), but war across history has given women more rights.

If you're going for a female antagonist, don't be afraid to keep her evil and to not make her visually appealing. Like I said, I'm more familiar with WWII, but one of the most famous spies in the world— Mata Hari— was a WWI spy.

If you're going to go for somebody Arabian, you will have to do your research to avoid the exotic princess trope. Do not describe her skin with food, do not rely on tropes to describe her. You'd have to figure out exactly what she'd be allowed to do and not. Arab countries have changed women's rights a lot, both for better and worse (For example some countries in the region are women dominated in politics), and they aren't necessarily monarchies.

Having female characters is important, and is one thing I meant about remembering the broader cultural context— it's not just boys and men killing each other. War has got a lot around it.

One general thing to keep in mind while writing female characters is you have to reach beyond words to describe them. It can be really tempting to write women as a single trait— say, "enemy", or "smart", or "beautiful"— but you need to reach beyond what those words mean and write characters.

Give them no reason for their behaviour, sometime. They were simply born that way. They can have just as many varied reasons to be the way they are as men. They do have backstories, and logical reactions, and different socialization (while also being people).

I don't think they're unoriginal. I just think you need to do specific research into the socialization women would get at the time.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  








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