tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1176298515094230212.post6866486046242156606..comments2023-04-13T08:54:32.218-04:00Comments on Jester Harley's Manuscript Page: Pauline Montagna Expands the Meaning of "Write What You Know"Anne E. Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330642610716333970noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1176298515094230212.post-22554823919632927042014-05-03T01:13:23.969-04:002014-05-03T01:13:23.969-04:00An ethnic background certainly helps when you are ...An ethnic background certainly helps when you are writing of a particular ethnic group. It's helpful but not necessary and not sufficient. Each culture has its own customs, folkways and worldview, but there are also commonalities that cross all cultural lines. A mother's grief over the death of a son, for example, if the same whether the son died at Cannae or at the Battle of Midway. The historical context and the ethnic elements give a novel interest and flavor, but it is the commonalities that actually bind the reader. What can the reader identify with on an emotional level? Love, danger, loss, anything that strikes an emotional cord. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12465516035611981794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1176298515094230212.post-31449737075647060622014-05-02T21:52:52.940-04:002014-05-02T21:52:52.940-04:00How delightful that you were able to grow up with ...How delightful that you were able to grow up with such a strong family identity. That is probably something I have never thought of as being an advantage when writing about history, but when considering the times you speak of, considerations of family were important to exclusion of much else. With your background you were uniquely situation to understand that.Robyn McIntyrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10735905850843795377noreply@blogger.com