{"id":36344,"date":"2018-04-20T05:00:37","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T09:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/?p=36344"},"modified":"2018-04-16T15:25:06","modified_gmt":"2018-04-16T19:25:06","slug":"voice-in-the-wind-some-original-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2018\/04\/voice-in-the-wind-some-original-research.html","title":{"rendered":"Voice in the Wind: Some Original Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Voice in the Wind, pp. 518-20<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Today we\u2019ll finish the FAQ section Rivers included in the end of an anniversary copy of her book, which is the copy I happened to pick up.<\/p>\n

How did you do your research for this series and how long did that process take? What materials did you use? Did you travel to Rome?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been twenty years since I did the research, and most of my materials are in storage, but I remember spending months reading books about ancient Rome (early sources like Josephus<\/em> and Caesar and the Gauls<\/em>) as well as numerous other volumes. I wrote pages of notes and kept binders of materials divided into various categories at my side throughout the writing process. I collected maps and pictures as well. I was constantly researching as I wrote the book. Although I was unable to do on-side research, Rick and I were able to visit both Rome and Israel later, after the trilogy was published.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ah, so this is interesting: Rivers\u2019 view of research is to read primary sources like\u00a0Josephus<\/em> and Caesar and the Gauls.\u00a0<\/em>This is not the first time I\u2019ve heard this view. Some years ago my conservative mother praised a book about George Washington that she had gotten for my father by noting that the author, who was not a historian, had spent twenty years \u201creading all of the primary sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is a reason we have training for historians\u2014you can\u2019t just read the primary sources and automatically understand them. You need context, and tools, and access to (and understanding of) scholarly discussion. Rivers would have been better off reading secondary sources\u2014historical monographs and the like\u2014which help explain and contextualize primary sources.<\/p>\n

Let me offer an example. If you read a contemporary Roman polemic decrying social decay, as a layperson, you may take its claims at face value. Consider a similar document written today. Consider the result if a future historical romance novel writer were to base their research on articles from World Net Daily.<\/p>\n

To be sure,\u00a0Josephus<\/em> and Caesar and the Gauls\u00a0<\/em>aren\u2019t the equivalent of World Net Daily. I\u2019m simply trying to ascertain where Rivers got the idea that Roman noblewomen were having sex left and right, and taking ancient polemics at face value suggests a possible avenue, particularly given that she seems to have focused on primary sources, and not on secondary interpretation.<\/p>\n

On to the next question!<\/p>\n

What is your writing process like? Did you have the whole series mapped out before you started? Or did the books come to you one by one?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The books came to me one by one. I always start with characters. I believe characters make the story. So I was focused on Hadassah and the people she would meet and serve. I wanted the other characters to represent different points of view on faith and the culture of the time. I intended A Voice in the Wind to be a stand-alone novel with a classical (tragic, but cathartic) ending. My editor\u2019s reaction to that idea changed my mind. I knew the second book would be more focused on Marcus\u2019 journey to faith, as well as the doctor who saved Hadassah. I was able to focus on Atretes (the gladiator) in the third novel (As Sure as the Dawn). There was so much to learn from him and I wanted him to find real love and return to his people. My editor wanted me to write a fourth book, but the question I was wrestling with at that time needed a different place and time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is equally interesting, as it suggests that in Rivers\u2019 view Julia\u2019s story was driven by Julia\u2019s character<\/em>. This is certainly not how it felt! Instead, it felt as though Rivers had conspired to torture Julia. But no. It appears Rivers believes that a lust for life and adventure and living<\/em> leads naturally to a slew of abusive relationships and, ultimately, death by STD. Cool<\/em>.<\/p>\n

There are so many parallels between first-century Roman culture and the world today. Did you see those parallels as you were writing the story? How intentional were you about that?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t intentional at all, but I was amazed at how closely we (America) mirror the attitudes of Rome. It was disturbing and should be taken as a warning.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Um \u2026 okay. I mean, I\u2019m not surprised Rivers believes this given how much like America she wrote Ancient Rome. It\u2019s just that Ancient Rome was not as much like America as she thinks it was. (Or rather, on a larger scale, that the past is more complicated than \u201clike America\u201d or \u201cnot like America\u201d).<\/p>\n

There are a few more questions left in the FAQ, but I didn\u2019t find them particularly interesting. So here I\u2019m going to summarize.<\/p>\n

In one question, a reader asked whether it was \u201cdifficult to stay pure in heart and mind as you were writing vividly about this culture.\u201d This is interesting, because the implication clearly is that writing a book that involved a lot of sex and almost sex might make one think slutty thoughts and thus not be pure in heart<\/em>. But the whole point of a romance novel\u2014and certainly this qualifies\u2014is sexual (or other) excitement. The whole concept of romance novels<\/em> would seem to run rather counter to being pure in heart<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Regardless, Rivers doesn\u2019t really answer the question. Instead, she says she tried to be \u201cevocative without being provocative\u201d and that she \u201cwanted people to feel Hadassah\u2019s passion for the Lord, her compassion for the people she served, her fear and concerns in a very real way.\u201d Of course, Hadassah never came across as realistic. She felt forced, and some of her actions didn\u2019t seem compassionate at all. Rivers adds that \u201cI was creating someone I want to be,\u201d confirming that Hadassah was intended to serve as a role model.<\/p>\n

This leads to an interesting question\u2014why a character intended to serve as a model Christian, filled with passion for Christ and demonstrating spiritual growth over time, felt so flat<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Finally: When asked whether she would change anything if she rewrote the book today, Rivers said she never rereads a book after publishing it, so she can\u2019t say. Other readers wanted to know whether she would consider adding to the series now\u2014no\u2014and how Christians can \u201cstand as a light\u201d today when \u201cthere is so much darkness\u201d\u2014by living \u201centirely to please God\u201d of course.<\/p>\n

There actually is one last section remaining in the book\u2014a discussion guide composed of \u201ccharacter reviews\u201d of Marcus, Hadassah, Julia, and Atretes. Until next week!<\/p>\n

I have a <\/b>Patreon<\/b><\/a>! Please support my writing!<\/b><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ah, so this is interesting: Rivers’ view of research is to read primary sources like\u00a0Josephus and Caesar and the Gauls.\u00a0This is not the first time I’ve heard this view. Some years ago my conservative mother praised a book about George Washington that she had gotten for my father by noting that the author, who was not a historian, had spent twenty years “reading all of the primary sources.”<\/p>\n

Click through to read more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":845,"featured_media":36353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[630],"class_list":["post-36344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-voice-in-the-wind"],"yoast_head":"\nVoice in the Wind: Some Original Research<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ah, so this is interesting: Rivers' view of research is to read primary sources like\u00a0Josephus and Caesar and the Gauls.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2018\/04\/voice-in-the-wind-some-original-research.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Voice in the Wind: Some Original Research\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ah, so this is interesting: Rivers' view of research is to read primary sources like\u00a0Josephus and Caesar and the Gauls.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2018\/04\/voice-in-the-wind-some-original-research.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Love, Joy, Feminism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-20T09:00:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-04-16T19:25:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/166\/2018\/04\/book-1659717_1920.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Libby Anne\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Libby Anne\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2018\/04\/voice-in-the-wind-some-original-research.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2018\/04\/voice-in-the-wind-some-original-research.html\",\"name\":\"Voice in the Wind: Some Original Research\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-20T09:00:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-04-16T19:25:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/#\/schema\/person\/fae465c1bbb5cbdf26c9e73bfd1b73d2\"},\"description\":\"Ah, so this is interesting: Rivers' view of research is to read primary sources like\u00a0Josephus and Caesar and the Gauls.\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2018\/04\/voice-in-the-wind-some-original-research.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2018\/04\/voice-in-the-wind-some-original-research.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2018\/04\/voice-in-the-wind-some-original-research.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Voice in the Wind: Some Original Research\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/\",\"name\":\"Love, Joy, Feminism\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/#\/schema\/person\/fae465c1bbb5cbdf26c9e73bfd1b73d2\",\"name\":\"Libby Anne\",\"description\":\"Libby Anne grew up in a large evangelical homeschool family highly involved in the Christian Right. 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