One of the problems ā or, perhaps, the best things ā about Gothic Horror is that it does tend to be sad. Usually, there are at least one or two characters who donāt deserve whatever is happening to them, or who have done something which is being punished in a way which does not in any way fit the crime. M.R. Jamesās writing is perhaps a constant reiteration of the old proverb, ācuriosity killed the catā, but curiosity in itself isnāt a bad thing; while Jonathan Harker in Bram Stokerās Dracula finds himself in the initial dangerous situation through no fault of his own. Perhaps the saddest story in this anthology is The Lady Who Dances in the Ashes , which was first published by Sley House in Tales of Sley House 2022 . Here is the story of a man who is facing professional and financial ruin as a result of suggesting that mental health patients can be treated in the community rather than institutionalised. He is one of the most sympathetic narrators you will find in the book, but he bad...
Being on this side of the pond, Thanksgiving Day was something which marked the start of the American Christmas in books and films. It wasn't until much later that I found out the background and, even now, I'm pretty sure I don't know it half as well as my Stateside friends.
The history of Thanksgiving, from a writer's point of view, is an absolute gift. Why? Because it encapsulates all the human emotions which combine to turn humans into people - or, in writer-speak: words into characters. It's one of those situations into which you can drop any one of your characters and use it to solidify your knowledge of them. Would they have been a native or an immigrant? Would they have been afraid, excited, or angry? According to the song, the immigrants shot at the natives to frighten them off, but did they do that because of a fear or an arrogance? Would they have survived in that environment?
And then, the best thing of all: the discovery that, just because a character started in one camp, it doesn't mean they will remain there. Just like the immigrants in 1620/21, they can come to better understand other people and situations, advancing and growing into three-dimensional people. This is what is called a character arc, and it is what we all do in real life, so our characters should do the same.
The story of Thanksgiving is really a redemption story. Two populations realising that they can demonstrate true humanity in working together rather than against one another. In this respect, it doesn't matter what genre you write. There is an example here in historical fiction, but in today's world people still create frictions between groups of people and, sadly, I suspect this will go on into the future.
But what the history of Thanksgiving really shows is that humanity has the ability to reach out to one another with fraternal love. So don't listen if people say your story or characters are far-fetched just because the heroes demonstrate this level of compassion and care. Because, the history of Thanksgiving shows us it in action. I love building my stories on the premise of Ī¦Ī¹Ī»Ī±Ī“ĪµĪ»ĻĪÆĪ± - brotherly love - which translates into the Latin alphabet as Philadelphia...
...that name sounds familiar!
[Although Philadelphia was founded 60 years later, so a few generations down the line.]
Happy Thanksgiving!
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