Occasional writings about writing.

Specific AND General

“This is my family’s story, but I am Catholic, not Mennonite.” The man was looking at a copy of Then the Rules Changed.

A novel tells a story from a specific viewpoint, but the themes of the story and experiences of the characters are general and similar to those of many people

Then the Rules Changed tells a story of a specific person from a specific culture who emigrates from one specific place to another at a specific time for a specific reason. Nine-year-old Isaac is a Mennonite. His family emigrates from South Russia (Ukraine) in the 1870s when the Czar mandates that German-speaking people must become Russian. The family immigrates to the frontier plains of central Kansas.

Isaac’s experiences are similar to those of people of all religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds who were part of the 1870s mass emigration–loss and fear in leaving the known, and difficulties in confronting the unknown. People in periodic emigrations over the next 150 years from the same area knew the same things. So do people through history and today who feel compelled to leave their homes from anywhere in the world and attempt to make new lives in places where they are the strangers.

The refrain is familiar: “This is my family’s story, but….” “This is not the specific story of …, but it is their story.”

Value of Historical Fiction

History can seem long ago and far from us. Yet, history is alive in stories that reveal how the past shapes the present time.

Current events are often confusing, both in our personal lives and in the world. A common saying is “History does not repeat, but it rhymes.”  The saying is attributed to various sources, none of which are confirmed, but it rings true.  The rhymes of history can help us sort through present confusion by seeing connections with the past.

Historical fiction takes us beyond data. It lets us experience events and emotions as we establish relationships with people in the story. It offers a space to gain perspective so that we can process information and emotions regarding current events.

History can then guide us as we move into tomorrow and imagine the future.