“I love writing. I love the swirl and
swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.” – James A. Michener
Michener,
my favorite model for historical fiction, was born on this date in 1907. An orphan who said he never knew exactly who
his biological parents were, he didn’t start writing until age 40 and then
produced a book a year until his death in 1997. Usually his fictional tales, set in
particular geographic locales, covered lengthy family sagas featuring the lives
of many generations.
I’ve
often said that it was my high school English teacher’s placing a copy of
Michener’s Hawaii into my hands and
saying, “Write like this,” that helped inspire me to become a writer. I love how he weaves the lives of many real
people among those he creates. And, his
meticulous research brings the stories to life amid highly edible history.
Often
his research took him into unusual or difficult environments, but he always
embraced the challenges and the locations to which he was drawn. “I was brought up in the great tradition of
the late nineteenth century: that a writer never complains, never explains and
never disdains,” he said. A writer – and
traveler for that matter – should try to enjoy the environment into which he or
she is drawn. “If you reject the food,
ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better
stay at home.”
His
research in Afghanistan was a great example. 
If you want a clearer understanding of the complexities and nuances of
that nation and the wars that have plagued it – and in which we now find
ourselves entangled – read his amazing and gripping book Caravans.
For
those contemplating a writing career, Michener’s advice was simple: Focus on what you want to write. “I think the crucial thing in the writing
career is to find what you want to do and how you fit in. What somebody else
does is of no concern whatever except as an interesting variation.”
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