Anne McDonald: Tonight I'm so pleased to welcome DiAnn Mills but first, let's open in prayer and then I'll go over protocol.

 

Lord, thank You for meeting our daily needs. Thank You also for calling us to write. Please bless our time tonight, and bless DiAnn for giving of her time. Guide our time together in Jesus' name, Amen.

 

Protocol reminder: type ? for questions, ! for comments and ga for " go ahead" when you are through. DiAnn will start out first, and let us know when she's ready for questions...

 

As I was saying, I'm so excited to have DiAnn Mills as our special guest tonight. She's got a non-fiction book out next month: Lost Boy No More and I urge everyone to get a copy. Welcome, DiAnn.

 

* Annie leads the applause

 

DiAnn Mills: Thank you Anne! Tonight we are going to talk about a subject that every writer sooner or later faces. And that is the task of turning non fiction into fiction.

 

I have two different ideas along this line, and we will begin with the most common one first: Someone approaches you and states: I have had such an exciting life, I want you to write a book about me. Get the picture?

 

Chances are an event or a happening in that person’s life may be unusual, but unless the person is a celebrity, on the front page of the newspaper, or a sports idol, no one is really interested. What you can offer is to take the information and use it in a fiction piece. Some people want a book focusing on them, and this will not be what they want to hear. I had a woman correspond with me for over four months. She wanted a book written.

 

If you decide to take the information and write a novel, I recommend a signed statement from the person who gives the factual accounting allowing you to use the material and to use it in fiction form. This may also need to state that you the writer have the right to add, delete, or embellish upon the information. You may then choose to have the statement notarize.

 

Do I have any questions so far?

 

Diana: Does this include something that has happened to you that is significant?

 

DiAnn Mills: Of course. We all have events in our lives that are exciting or interesting, but it doesn't mean that we need to write a biography or memoirs

 

Anne McDonald: It's like I could write about my father's murder in a novel, but I wouldn't have enough for a nonfiction book.

 

DiAnn Mills: True - and chances are in a nonfiction, folks would not really be interested in your father BUT they would find the event intriguing in a fiction.

 

Sometimes, feelings get ruffled when the writer needs to explain this. I suggest prayer and time to work your explanations.

 

Anne McDonald: DiAnn, what about that German woman I told you about. The one who was a nurse in WWII and helped over a hundred Jews escape. If I had been able to get enough background info, would that had been enough for a nonfiction?

 

DiAnn Mills: It depends. Honestly, I think fiction is the best route to take with this. The reason is that you can build around the happenings in her life. Establish conflict and plot - then build to a climax. You can always acknowledge the person at the front of the book

 

I did this with The Turncoat. This woman had Revolutionary War records and a journal of an ancestor. She signed the agreement. I wrote the book. In this particular instance, I found the story fascinating and worth telling.

 

In a suspense novella entitled “At the End of the Bayou,” from Hidden Motives, I used part of a family story in which siblings were trapped in a second story bedroom. One of the siblings jumped to show the others that it was possible. The rest of her siblings were too frightened and died in the fire. The portion I used was only a semblance of what really happened.

 

Look at newspaper headlines. Take a look at TV news. Listen to the radio. Every day there are happenings around the globe that will trigger new fiction story ideas.  

 

Any questions or comments?

 

Diana: I want to write a story about my parents getting married the week the Golden Gate Bridge was open. My Dad was Navy on the battleship Pennsylvania. They opened City Hall on Saturday for them and three other couples from the fleet so they could get married.

 

DiAnn Mills:  Do you think you would have more readers in the fiction world or the non fiction? That is your stepping off point.. That incident could be used effectively in fiction form.

 

Eileen: What legal safeguards besides the notarized statement from the storyteller do you need? what about characters?

 

DiAnn Mills:  The legal safeguards are there to protect you. Having a statement notarized with both of your signatures eliminates problems on down the road.

 

Eileen: I understand from the one storyteller position, but what about secondary characters they discuss?

 

Limey: What is the point of me notarizing it? She can still say that I lied.   Surely I should get her to notarize it, shouldn't I?

 

DiAnn Mills:  I don't think anything else is needed other than that. I believe if you had any inclination that a person might want to cause a problem   you could choose to not   use the information

 

Anne McDonald: If someone wanted to write something from their family's history for nonfiction, they could do devotionals or something like that. But I think we are concentrating on larger works tonight, right, DiAnn?

 

DiAnn Mills:  Yes, larger peices

 

Diana: What about a disclaimer?

 

DiAnn Mills:  Yes, that would work too, but to be safe you need the person who has supplied you with information to give their permission in writing

 

Eileen: In Texas Charm, Brenham TX, when you mention specific sites, do you need to be concerned about permission? (great book girls)

 

DiAnn Mills:  No. In fact I tried very hard to place my businesses where something like that was not mentioned. Now I did mention Blue Bell Ice Cream   - the creamery there. I made sure it was stated   in a favorable light, Also, I mentioned an artist in Friendswood, TX - and he is a personal friend of which I had permission. Thanks Eileen for the perk!

 

Diana: It's like with Hope Rides The Rails. Because I am a member of the American Baptist Association I had no problem mentioning the name of Chapel Car Emmanuel or Rev Jacques who founded our church in Wadsworth, Nevada.

 

DiAnn Mills:  It is a fine line. And we as writers have to be careful that what we say about real people is reflected in what we know about them to be true.

 

Diana: Believe me. I've been careful.

 

DiAnn Mills:  The second type of turning nonfiction into fiction is when a writer takes the research completed on a non fiction piece and weave it into a fiction story.  

 

In writing Lost Boy No More, a non fiction about the Lost Boys of Sudan,   there are chapters focusing on: Who is Abraham Nhial and the Lost Boys of Sudan? (co writer) Dinka Life and Culture history of Sudan, politics, oil, slavery, the church in Africa refugee life, animals the list goes on.

 

It was a lot of work for one book. That is where you the writer can get mileage from your research: Newspaper articles, articles for magazines, speaking engagements, and finally fiction.

 

Taking this information, I wrote a mainstream suspense entitled When the Lion Roars. This book focuses on the slavery issue in southern Sudan and the prejudice existing between the Arab Muslims of northern Sudan and the Black Africans of Southern Sudan.

 

None of this could have been written without the research completed for the non fiction

 

This is a different slant from how we began our discussion, but the guidelines are still the same.

 

Diana: So is When The Lion Roars fiction?

 

DiAnn Mills:  yes - releases May 2005 - But many of the incidents are true. The book needed information about: the slavery issue religion politics Muslim government the oil scorched-earth policy SPLA war lords the Dinka Tribe and their culture rainy season and dry season the Nile Rivers animals, birds how to fight a lion the works of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations including Living Water language Christian faith missionary efforts Kakuma, Kenya.

 

The book contains real incidents. One of the characters’ life story is true. A Red Cross drop of food and medical supplies to women and children and the elderly is sabotaged by the government. Political issues are real.

 

Diana: Did you receive much opposition from obtaining and writing this material?   I asked because of the situation over in the Sudan regarding rescuing Christians.

 

DiAnn Mills:  My husband is afraid there may be a contract out for me. :) (that is a joke) No, I received a lot of cooperation. Sudanese refugees from all over the world offered to help.

 

Anne McDonald: In Footsteps you deal with domestic violence. What research did you have to do?

 

DiAnn Mills:  Directors of women shelters law enforcement procedures FBI and world wide organizations that are involved in   searching out abducted children

 

Eileen: you are a renowned author, but as a rookie, if I call the Border Patrol and ask a question for my wip...won't I be labeled terrorist? or is there a way to approach a specialist?

 

DiAnn Mills:  Most organizations have a pr person. Their job is to inform and educate the public. They do not want their speciality to hit the media in a bad light, It is in their best interest to give you the information you need.

 

For instance I am working on a novel proposal that involves child porn. Now that's a tough subject and you certainly don’t want to search out the web or you will be on their list of junk forever. I cont acted the FBI who helped me search out what I needed.

 

Vickie: When you first contact an organization like the FBI, who do you ask for?       

 

DiAnn Mills:  Community Relations person

 

Vickie: thanks

 

DiAnn Mills:  It is not that difficult And most of the organizations/agencies  are friendly and helpful

 

Eileen: 1-800-FBI ??   I just have a fear of being REALLY stupid and on a list!! LOL  

 

DiAnn Mills:  Well honey, if you are on a list then so am I!

 

Eileen: couldn't be in better company

 

Anne McDonald: You can contact your local FBI (they're in the government pages of your phone book) and ask for their pr person

 

DiAnn Mills:  The hardest agency to get info is the CIA

 

Anne McDonald: (that's because even THEY don't even know what the other guy is doing. heh heh)

 

DiAnn Mills:  True...we watch too much TV

 

Eileen: Do we at ACRW have any contacts we know would be willing to help?

 

DiAnn Mills:  At one time, we opened up the membership to a volunteer list of those who had a speciality or specific knowledge.

 

Anne McDonald: I just wanted to say: I recently had to do some followup research for a book and called the Long Beach police department. Not only were they helpful, they were interested in seeing the book when it comes out.

 

DiAnn Mills:  right! When I needed to learn how a patient responds to the sounds in an ambulance and what all was done etc.

 

Eileen: I know several who are quite willing to help. Thankfully

 

Anne McDonald: If any of you are doing stories regarding cops, there's an online spot that you can listen to realtime scanners.

 

Diana: I can tell you how I responded when they put the wrong size IV needle in my arm. I screamed.

 

DiAnn Mills:  :) My son is a paramedic and he is a big source of info. I stuck him and his wife's name in Footsteps. There are ways to thank folks.

 

Diana: I wanted to ask about that, DiAnn. I want to mention Guy LaRoach at the Nevada State Library who was very helpful with my research on Reno especially in regards to electricity and running water.

 

Anne McDonald: I usually include an acknowledgement and thank you page with my stories. That way I can thank everyone who helped.

 

DiAnn Mills:  Excellent! For the writer it may seem like a small thing to do, but to the person we acknowledge, it means a lot

 

Anne McDonald: One can get a lot of info while doing research. How do you decide what info to cut out of your story?

 

DiAnn Mills:  When the research overrides the story line, that's when you cut it. All of us have read stories where you felt it was simply a platform for the writer to spout what they knew. The resources are out there - we simply need to look.

 

Anne McDonald: How do you handle the main characters in a novel that is based on real happenings? Do you do a composite?

 

DiAnn Mills:  Yes, and a lot of research on the time era, education, culture etc. Everything that has to do with the story

 

Anne McDonald: Do you put a disclaimer that the main characters are not real people?

 

DiAnn Mills:  Sometimes. Depends on the content of the book. When the Lion Roars depicts some real people, but it is fiction. Change something here and there about the people, so that they are characters.

 

Anne McDonald: What do you feel is the hardest part of translating nonfiction into fiction?

 

DiAnn Mills:  That takes some thought. I think the characterization - because it has to fit.

 

Cindy: What do you enjoy the most about translating nonfiction into fiction?

 

DiAnn Mills:  That's the easy, fun part. Weaving a fiction story that weaves with the facts.

 

Diana: What about names for your secondary characters? Did you have difficulty with that part of the writing?

 

DiAnn Mills:  I use the same technique as when I write a straight fiction. I look up the time period, the most popular names during that time, culture, what the name means, etc.

 

Diana: How many secondary characters do you have?

 

DiAnn Mills:  Depends on the story line and the length of the novel. Too many confuses the reader and the writer. :)

 

LynetteS: How much research did you do on the " real" stuff of the book before you went to the fiction part....like setting, etc.

 

DiAnn Mills:  Always more than I will need. The more research you do, the more you have a feel for what you are writing.

 

Anne McDonald: When you did the line edit with Abraham, did you have to make a lot of changes, or just minor ones?

 

DiAnn Mills:  Truthfully minor ones. He gave me the insight. For instance many of the Lost Boys had no shoes, but he had a type of African sandal. He gave me the emotions when other boys were killed by wild animals or the grief of remembering parents and other loved ones or the joy of seeing someone he thought was dead.

 

LynetteS: Back to research again. < G> Did you ever get to a point while writing where you had " holes" of research information you had to fill in later? Or did you make a " good guess" , or end up having to edit parts out that ended up not working?

 

DiAnn Mills:  I wrote the book from cover to cover. If I didn't have something, I stopped until I had what I needed. I took classes in Muslim vs Christianity - read more books, etc. Other writers may have done it differently.

 

Diana: Were you able to do most of the research from home or did you visit organizations to get information?

 

DiAnn Mills:  For the Sudan book. I would say that 60 percent was from home and 40 was out and about - especially in the interviewing process of the Sudanese

 

LynetteS: You said you wrote cover to cover did you have to go back and change anything once you found out more information, say from your classes or interviews.

 

DiAnn Mills:  Oh yes, lots of times too many times. Do you want to know how many times I cried and threw temper tantrums?

 

Diana: Where did you get the idea for this story and how long did it take for you to complete it?

 

DiAnn Mills:  Lost Boy No More took me 2 years for a finished book. It was a request from the Aid Sudan Foundation., When The Lion Roars took about 3 months.

 

Anne McDonald: (You can find detailed info on DiAnn's Author Spotlight page: http://www.dancingword.net/asdiannmills.htm)

 

Vickie: Thanks, DiAnn. It's been very informative.

 

Anne McDonald: Thank you DiAnn. I sure appreciate you coming

 

DiAnn Mills:  Thanks so much

 

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