How Michael Shaara inspired me

Pictured above is this writer's most favorite book of all: Michael Shaara's 1974 Civil War novel The Killer Angels. It also is a book that inspired a 180-degree turn book writing-wise.

Admiration for The Killer Angels notwithstanding, at first I wanted to be just another historian who churned out non-fiction books about historical events. Then along came a pair of horrific movies by Hollywood (which shall remain nameless) that bamboozled the general public with lies, damn lies and untrue lies about two tragic historical events. Enraged, it suddenly occurred to me that the best way to hit back at such vapid tripe was with decent dramatizations of said events done as historical novels.

The written word can often as not top cinema (especially the shallow piffle kind!) so the choice was a good one. And it was all thanks to reading Shaara's masterpiece that historical fiction not only was considered, but seized upon as the right way to bring alive the past in prose. I guess you could say I was going to, well, "be like Mike" in my historical novels: Dramatize said events via dramatic prose written in a no-nonsense tone that cherished the humanity of the cast of historical characters; while at the same time not sacrificing history or real historical characters to phony love stories or clichéd fictional ones.

Sure, getting such books into the hands of interested readers is a challenge in this shallow, reality-TV, mindless movie blockbuster-oriented culture; but the shining example of The Killer Angels provides not only inspiration but also feeds my sense of determination.  Shaara was finally able to get his masterpiece published after having the manuscript get rejected by fifteen publishers!  Since this writer is going the self-published route novel-wise, the only rejection to be concerned with is from readers, not publishers.  It will be a breeze compared to the hard slog Shaara faced with The Killer Angels.

So that is how the author of my favorite novel has both inspired and influenced me.  I am no brainless worshipper of Michael or his son Jeff. My writing style will be my own, not a carbon copy of theirs; and I do not hang on each and every detail about the lives of that father/son duo. Their books alone are inspiration enough.

If anyone else has a similar story to share, by all means share it, folks! After all, great authors always inspire others.

Image courtesy Hennepin County Library.