Why Lexington: Anatomy of a Novel

 

When I was in fourth grade, my class visited the Minute Man National Park, where the first battle of the American Revolution took place. My over-protective mother wouldn't let me go. The park for several years had an almost mythic draw more than even Paris, London, the Taj Mahal.

When I finally walked on that hallowed grass, I was struck at the peace of the land, the quiet of the river running under the historic bridge in comparison to the events of 19 April 1775.

Outside the park is a gravestone to two unknown British soldiers. On that trip and many since then, I wondered who they were, did their families know what happened to them and so many more questions. 

One of the rangers told me how every year someone from the British Consulate lays a wreath there. He also told me that law prevents exhuming the bones to try for a DNA match as they did for a British King Richard III found under a parking lot. Also finding DNA to match would be a problem. My curiosity increased after my prof in English history gave me the British point of view on the American Revolution.

Years later, I decided to create a fictional - but possible -  biography of one of the unknown Redcoats.

Park Ranger Jim Hollister was incredible on answering questions. When he didn't know the answer, he directed me to the historian that could. 

I found a website that published information about 1775 almost daily.

Youtubes of Chris the Redcoat www.youtube.com/@ChristheRedcoat told me about shaving back then, why the tricorner hat was worn at an angle and so many other tiny details that would add verisimilitude to the book. I learned about fire arms and uniforms and the way soldiers would take turns firing as well as the expense of bullets limiting shooting practices.

Because there were so many YouTubes from the period, I made my soldier an unhappy baker, recently widowed. His recruitment matched methods used. The only thing I never found was the name of the ship that brought the soldier's regiment to Boston, but I was able to describe other ships that served the purpose.

Because I was from Boston, geography was easy. 

I kept a notebook on how I made literary decisions and then decided to add that to the novel. This was partially because as a reader, I often want to know why a writer wrote something this way or that. And I thought it might appeal to other writers as well as readers.

To bring the book up to date, I added a third plot about the wife of the British consulate and a historian and her marital problems as she and the wife of the French Counsel join together to create a comic book about the battle.

Some writers plot out everything in advance. I'm not one of those writers, even more so with this book. There were be gaps while I waited for information or changes when I discovered information different from what I'd written. I learned about an event in Salem that I didn't know about despite many visits to the Witch City. 

Of all my novels, this one was the most fun to write. See http://dlnelsonwriter.com for my other books. 

Lexington can be bought in ebook and paperback at the usual on-line book stores.