What Inspired a Novel About World War I?

Why did I write a novel about World War I?

It’s an honest question and one people might be curious about.

Very simple.

I wrote a novel set during World War I.

A Poppy in Remembrance will be launched soon.

Why World War I?

I did not set out to write a novel about the war.

I just went to work one day.

It happened to be the day my boss and agent planned to discuss my next writing project with me.

We set the time for three, after I finished working as an editorial assistant.

But at 11 o’clock an editor called from New York City. She sought a story that began the day the war began, August 5, 1914, and ended on Armistice Day–November 11, 1918.

It needed to be historical romance and feature at least one American in the lead.

Go.

How can you fashion a legitimate romance out of World War I?

We batted around ideas: Wings, Snoopy and the Red Baron, trenches, Lawrence of Arabia.

Honestly, where’s the romance in that?

Shaking my head, I turned to leave her office and then paused, reflecting on Lawrence and the British Expeditionary Forces in the Middle East.

“Of course, there’s the Oswald Chambers story.”

I had recently read David McCasland’s excellent biography, Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God.

“What Oswald Chambers story?” My agent asked.

“He basically led a revival among the ANZAC troops in Egypt during the war. There’s your story there, a spiritual tale of finding God in the midst of war.”

She looked at me. “Can you write it?”

What do you do when your agent asks a question like that?

“Yes.”

First you need a story

I went home and reviewed McCasland’s book for events in Chambers’ life.

Thinking and praying in my comfortable chair, I came up with an idea.

I passed the idea to my agent and she pointed out it didn’t include an American

For the next two days I stewed and tried to think of something, but nothing came.

I needed to write a complete proposal by Friday–which included two chapters, a synopsis and an explanation about the project.

Thursday morning I woke early, and prayed: “Lord, I’m willing to do this, but you’ll have to give me a plot. I’m not coming up with anything.”

Bing! I saw a story: the opening line, two main characters and a scene.

Sitting at the computer, I wrote the first chapter.

It looked good. I got the dog and met my prayer partner for a walk around the local lake, as usual.

As I told her about the chapter, a story formed in my mind. We prayed.

Returning home, I wrote the second chapter.

What about a plot?

Historical novels usually tip the word count at around 100,000 words.

While I understood the basic parameters: date story began, date it ended, I didn’t know what would happen between August 5, 1914 and November 11, 1918.

Indeed, I had limited knowledge about the war and my grandfather didn’t enlist until 1917.

So, I googled and printed out a timeline of World War I featuring the major events.

I scribbled a list of dates and events in Oswald Chambers’ life.

I spread the two long pieces of paper on my kitchen island and I placed paper between.

Then, I cross-referenced and wrote out a plot for my American character.

It took all day; I was exhausted at the end, but I had enough information to type up a 20-page synopsis of a story that would work.

Amazing.

The proposal

The next morning, I condensed that 50 paragraph synopsis into eight pages.

I added the two chapters, properly spell-checked and tightened.

Adjusting a former proposal, I formated it all and emailed it to my agent at 9:50.

I arrived at work at 10, ready to go.

The war?

Ever since January 2013, I’ve read, hunted on Pinterest, researched, prayed, thought, wrote and rewrote about the war.

The story morphed many times, but remained true to that initial synopsis.

I filled Pinterest boards with pictures about different aspects of the war.

Mrs. Oswald Chambers, Biddy, surprised me as I researched and wrote the novel. As often happens, she took a far stronger role in the story than I expected.

Once I finished writing that novel, I moved on to something I hadn’t imagined before I began: a biography of Mrs. Oswald Chambers.

Isn’t it curious how simply going to work one day can change your life?

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