Writing a History: The Journey Begins

I'd like to take just a moment, if I may, to write about the history of an American town. The name isn't too important, nor is the geographic location. Those items play very little into the history of the town.

Before the town was founded, the area was a bleak wilderness, sometimes visited by various native tribes who used the area to raise or hunt food. The first permanent settlers came with all of their belongings, their dreams, and little else. A clapboard town hall and dirt floor churches sprang up along a dusty clearing (the locals called it Main Street). Eventually a one-room schoolhouse was built, complete with a water pail and dipper out back and a small stove for the winter days inside. More businesses came to call this town home, and with the new businesses came people from various walks of life. A merchant class was developed, and social amenities became more commonplace.

Life in this town was not perfect, however. Issues about taxation, slavery, and development caused rifts between some people. Life was hard, and the land could be unforgiving. Blizzards and floods could wipe away in an instant what took years to build. Fires could destroy entire sections of the town, and diseases could wipe out entire families overnight.

Wars came, too, both in this country and abroad. Men went off to serve their country in World War I and World War II. The town rallied behind their brave boys going off to these wars, although they didn't rally as strong for later wars. The Great Depression almost destroyed the town with bank closings and massive unemployment, but still the town struggled and triumphed. The Civil Rights movement touched this town, even if it was just on the nightly news. Eventually we learned that we can all get along. Business and industry came to our town, and life looked good. We celebrated our country's bicentennial and the dawning of a new millennium. Even now, our focus is on a bright future for our children's children.

Today, as this town looks at its future, it builds towards prosperity. To commemorate its heritage, the town decides to write a history: The History of Anytown, USA.

When I started editing historical pictorials, I discovered that this scenario was very common in the history of a town. Any writer of history can write about the main themes in the history of a location, and it will sound just like this. The trick is to go beyond the general. Find character in your writing. Develop an individual voice. Stay away from "cardboard" copy-- your story is so much more exciting than that! There's thousands of Anytown, USAs out there. Your writing shouldn't sound like Mr. or Ms. Any Author. After all, is it really YOUR writing then?

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